OI Ancient Literature Workshops, Session 5: One Thousand Nights

Before there were One Thousand and One Nights, there was One Thousand Nights. The OI's Tasha Vorderstrasse dives into papyrus OIM E17618, the oldest known fragment of the One Thousand Nights, to mine information on the evolution of this collection of stories.
Click to watch an exploration that looks at both the creation of early Islamic stories and the spread of paper and manuscripts in the ancient Middle East.
Join us next week, March 20 at 10 a.m. (CST) as the OI's Foy Scalf takes a look at the Egyptian Book of the Dead in our ongoing Ancient Literature Series.
Thank you for watching the OI Saturday Ancient Literature Workshop! This series is part of our ongoing online programming which is available to all for free and funded by our annual members and supporters. On April 21-22 we will celebrate Giving Day and raise funds for the OI Community Fund which provides essential support for our ongoing research, education, and outreach efforts! Save the Date to join us on Giving Day and consider making a contribution to help the OI enter its second century of research and discovery with momentum!
To support OI research, become a member of the Oriental Institute. To explore the benefits of joining, please visit: oi.uchicago.ed...
If you are interested in exploring more, check out our online OI courses: oi.uchicago.ed...
2021, Oriental Institute
music: bensound.com

[@RP-mm9ie]

Great lecturer - good pace\facts

[@valeriepedrick3077]

So much information, delivered with such enthusiasm! Thank you.

[@DominicFawver]

I had no idea that the One Thousand and One Nights dated back so far. Fascinating lecture!

[@achimboers]

Very interesting lecture to watch on a rainy Sunday morning in Sydney. Thanks you very much. Now I do have to read up on the 1001 nights even if it was considered pulp in those days.

[@dadsonworldwide3238]

We can't even be sure who first invented the light bulb or radio so why does acedmia think it should one trie source for 1001 nights ?
Really we see many times that current events influence many people ravishing to similar ideas. It may have a root story just modernized or adapted . It might have many authors as well.
If we have learned anything about ancient text is that they did a very good job of keeping much of the details together. To the point we take shovels and let text tell us where to dig and its found.

[@gk-qf9hv]

Great lecture. But..
1- strange to say that Muslims divided to come out in 630. There were no Muslims at that time. Not at least until Abdel Malek.
2- Thousand and one night does not refer to the number 1001. It is an expression that is still in use today, and simply means many.
One can say "I have thousands thing and one thing to do tomorrow ", or "I have a hundred thing and one thing to do tomorrow ". Or you can say "I have thousand thing to do tomorrow " (a direct translation, that is why I am dropping the plural form).

[@glennewell2436]

Islamic early history is based here on Islamic tradition which is now being found to be incorrect. Sections of this lecture are therefore not based on careful historic/ archaeological study.

[@dadsonworldwide3238]

So much was destroyed in arab conquest

[@TheDanEdwards]

"So much was destroyed in arab conquest" - compared to Christian conquests, the Arab conquest of Egypt was much less so.

[@christianstahl4099]

@@TheDanEdwards: Definitely not.