Roma, SGI 250

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Shelfmark

SGI 250

Owning institution

Società Geografica Italiana, Rome

Typology

Notebook

Copying date

1859 (see the colophon)

Title

Gǝʿǝz-Amharic vocabulary

Subject

Aethiopica, Lexicon

Language

Gǝʿǝz, Amharic.

Short description of the content

Ff. 2r–16va: Gǝʿǝz-Amharic vocabulary

Incipit, in Amharic: ከሀ፡ እስከ፡ ኈ፡ ያለ፡ ግሥ፡ ኹሉ፡ ካዕብና፡ ሣልስ፡ ሲቀር፡ ባምስት፡ ፊደል፡ ይነሣል፡ በግዕዝ፡ ይጨረሳል። በዝርዝር፡ ጊዜ፡ ግን፡ ከኃምስ፡ በቀር፡ በ፮ፊደል፡ ይጨረሳል። ከ፯ፊደል፡ አይወጣም፡ ከ፪ፊደል፡ አይወርድም።

The vocabulary is arranged in alphabetical order according to the last consonant of the root. Chapters are: ሀ/ሐ/ኀ (ff. 1ra–3v), ለ (ff. 3va–4vb), መ (ff. 4vb–5rb), ሠ/ሰ (ff. 5va–6rb), ረ (ff. 6rb–7va), ቀ (ff. 7va–8ra), በ (ff. 8ra–vb), ተ (ff. 8vb–9rb), ነ (ff. 9rb–vb), አ/ዐ (ff. 9vb–10vb), ከ (ff. 10vb–11ra), ወ (ff. 11ra–12rb), ዘ (ff. 12rb–va), የ (ff. 12va–14ra), ደ (ff. 14ra–vb), ገ (ff. 14vb–15ra), ጠ (ff. 15ra–rb), ጰ (ff. 15rb–va), ጸ/ፀ (ff. 15va–16ra), ፈ (ff. 16ra–rb), ኰ (f. 16rb), ጐ (f. 16rb), ቈ (ff. 16rb–va), ኈ (f. 16va). Each chapter is internally subdivided into sections indicated as ሠ(ርዌ፡) (“commander”) followed by a progressive number. The numbering is sometimes omitted. Verbs are listed on two columns: the first accommodates Gǝʿǝz entries, the second accommodates the corresponding meaning in Amharic. Chapter ሀ/ሐ/ኀ concludes with a wordlist of Gǝʿǝz nouns and their corresponding meanings in Amharic, written on one column.

Ff. 16va–18vb: Treatise of Gǝʿǝz verbal morphology, in Amharic

Incipit, in Amharic: ቀደሰ፡ ድርቡ፡ አንገለገ፡ ጥኅረ፡ ቀተለ፡ ኃሠሠ፡ ገብረ፡ ነደ፡ ሴመ፡ ቆመ፡ አእመረ። ከጥኅረ፡ ጀምሮ፡ እስከ፡ አእመረ፡ ካሉቱ፡ ሳቤ፡ ዘር፡ ይወፃል። አንከረ፡ ድርቡ፡ አድለቅለቀ፤ ዜነወ፡ ድርቡ፡ አንጌገየ።

The short treatise begins with a list of the base forms of some sample verbs (ቀደሰ፡, አንገለገ፡, ቀተለ፡, ኃሠሰ፡, ገብረ፡, ነደ፡, ሴመ፡, ቆመ፡, አእመረ፡, etc.) and continues with their conjugations according to the Gǝʿǝz verbal tenses.

Ff. 19r–21v: Wordlist of Amharic roots, incomplete.

Entries are listed is in alphabetical order according to the first consonant of the root. They are not accompanied by their meaning. The wordlist is incomplete: it only includes consonants ለ (ff. 19r–20r), መ (ff. 20v–21r), and ሠ/ሰ (ff. 21r–v).

Writing material

Paper

Outer size of the textblock

160 x 112 x 2 mm

Number of folia

Blank folia

1v, 19rb, 19vb, 20rb, 20vb, 21rb, 21vb.

Binding

Missing.

Sewing

Two Z-twisted threads of vegetal origin.

Sewing pattern

–

Quires

Quire marks

–

Layout

2 columns (the upper third of ff. 1r and 3v is written on one column)

Number of lines per column

30–33

Ruling

The manuscript is unruled.

Ruling pattern

–

Scribe

Unknown.

Colophon

F. 18vb: ተፈጸመ፡ አመ፡ ፲ወ፪ለጥር፡ በ፸ወ፫፻፶ወ፩ዓመት፡ እምፍጥረተ፡ ዓለም፡ በሊሙ፡ በሰላመ፡ እግዚአብሔር። አሜን። According to the colophon the book was completed on 12 Ṭǝrr of the year 7351 from the Creation of the World, i.e. on 12 January 1859.

Additional notes

1). F. 1r: An. Dni 187[.] አመ፡ ፳ለጥር፡ ፶፮ጨው፡ ለኦጎ፡ ጃፈር፡ ሰጣኹ፡ ስለ፡ ፳፰፡ ወቄት። ከ፪ልጆች፡ ጋራ። እስከ፡ ፳፴ቀን፡ Transaction note concerning the sale of a quantity of salt. The note is written in Latin and Amharic by a European hand and is dated to 20 Ṭǝrr of a poorly understandable year (1871?).

2). F. 1r: አመ፡ ፭ለመጋቢት፡ ፴ጨ፡ ሰጣኹ፡ ስለ፡ ፲፭ወቄት፡ እስከ፡ ፳ቀን፡ ለኦግ፡ ያፈር፡ ልጆች፡ ፪። Transaction note concerning the sale of a quantity of salt. The note is written in Amharic and is dated to 5 Mäggabit of an unspecified year.

3). F. 1r: አመ፡ ፰ለመጋቢት፡ ተቀበልኹ፡ ዝባድ፡ ፳ወ፱ወቄ፡ ወ፰ድ። ከኦጎ፡ ለጅ። Transaction note concerning the procurement of musk. The note is written in Amharic and is dated to 8 Mäggabit of an unspecified year.

4). F. 1r: አመ፡ ፲ወ፭ለግንቦት፡ ተቀበልኹ፡ ዝባድ፡ ፲፬ወቄት፡ ከ፯ድ፡ ቀ፡ ከኦጎ፡ ጃር። እንግዴህ፡ በኔ፡ ላይ፡ ፩ወ፡ ካላድ፡ አለ። በድሙር፡ ፵፬ወ፡ ካላድ። Transaction note concerning the procurement of musk. The note is written in Amharic and is dated to 15 Gǝnbot of an unspecified year.

5). F. 1r: ወበዛቲ፡ ዕለት፡ ፩በሬ፡ ስለ፡ ፰፱ጨ (ዘውእቱ፡ ፬ወቄት፡) ዕት፡ ጊደር፡ ስለ፡ ፮፯ጨው (ዘውእቱ፡ ፫ወ፡ ካላድ፡) በድሙር፡ ፲፭ጨ። ፲፯ወቄት፡ ከኢላድ፡ ነው። ከዚህ፡ ፫ቱጨ፡ ስለ፡ ወቄት፡ ካላድ፡ አለፈ። እንግዴህ፡ በርሳቸው፡ ላይ፡ ያለ፡ ፬ቀረ፡ የኔ፡ ገንዘብ፡ ፮ወቄት፡ ነው። Transaction note concerning the trading of an ox for a quantity of salt. The note is written in Amharic.

6). F. 1r: ፸ወ፫፻፡ ፷ወ፬ዓ፡ አመ፡ ፩ለጥቅምት፡ አነ፡ ወሀብኩ፡ እንስሶ፡ (sic) ፵ወ፰ምናኒ፡ ውስተ፡ እዴሁ፡ ለደብተራ፡ ካሳ፡ ቢሻጥ። Transaction note concerning the transfer of cattle to däbtära Kassa Biššaṭ. The note is written in Gǝʿǝz and is dated to 1 Ṭǝqǝmt of the year of mercy 7364, i.e. 12 October 1871.

7). F. 1r: በ፸ወ፫፻፡ ፷ወ፬ዓመ፡ አመ፡ ፳ወ፯ለሚ፡ ትቀበልኹ፡ ፶፩ወ፡ ከ፪ድ፡ ዝባ፡ ከአብ፡ እጅ። (በነጭ፡ ዋንጫ፡ ውስጥ፡ የገቢ፡ ዝ፡ ፴፩ወቄ፡ ከ፮ድ። በጥቁር፡ ዋንጫ፡ ውስጥ፡ የተውስ፡ ፳፱ወ፡ ከ፮ድ፡) ፪ወ፡ ከ፪ድ፡ በኔ፡ ላይ፡ አላ፡ Transaction note concerning the procurement of musk (?). The note is written in Amharic and is dated to 27 Miyazya of the year of mercy 7364, i.e. 4 May 1872.

8). F. 1r: An. Dni 1873 አመ፡ ፳፱ለሰኔ፡ ለደኖ፡ ኦጎ፡ ሰጣሁ፡ ፸ጨ። እኩሉን፡ በ፪ወቄት፡ ፭ጨ። እኩሉን፡ ወቄቱን፡ በ፪ት፡ ጨ። ድሙር፡ ፴፩ወቄት፡ ካላድ። ፪ሰንጋ፡ ስለ፡ ፱ወቄት፡ ስጠሉ፡ ድሙር፡ ፵ወቄት፡ ካላድ። እስከ፡ ፪ወር። Transaction note concerning the sale of a quantity of salt. The note is written in Latin and Amharic by a European hand and is dated to 29 Säne (i.e. 5 July) of the year 1873.

9). F. 1r: An. Dni 1874 አመ፡ ፪ለጥር፡ ፸ጨ፡ ፱ለ፵፩ወቄ፡ እስከ፡ ፫ወር፡ ለ፫ኦግ፡ ያፎር፡ ልጆች፡ ሰጣሁ። Transaction note concerning the sale of a quantity of salt. The note is written in Latin and Amharic by a European hand and is dated to 2 Ṭǝrr (i.e. 3 January) of the year 1874.

10). F. 1r: ፩ቀርን፡ ዐቢይ፡ ፲ወቄት፡ ወ፪ድሪም፡ ቅቡዕ፡ ፪ቀርን፡ ንዑስ፡ ፲ወቄት፡ ወ፩ድ፡ ወትረን፡ ኢቅቡ፡ ፫ቀርን፡ ዋንጫ፡ ፲ወቄት፡ ወ፮ድሪም፡ The note is written in Gǝʿǝz and Amharic along the inner upper margin of the folio. It mentions certain quantities of oil.

State of preservation of the textblock

Good.

Provenance and history

Unknown provenance. The manuscript was completed on 12 January 1859, according to the colophon. Several notes were drawn up in the early 1870s, up to January 1874. The author, unknown, was probably a European missionary, perhaps P. Léon des Avanchers (1809–1879). The manuscript is mentioned in Enrico De Agostini’s Guida del Museo (1958) with the current shelfmark, but not in Silvio Zanutto’s Bibliografia etiopica (1932). This implies that the manuscript most probably came into possession of the Società Geografica Italiana at some time between 1932 and 1958.