The “Nazlum Family Medical Book”: Codex M11161 and Its “Medical Book on Horses”

Abstract

This article presents a challenging and complex study of a hitherto unexplored medical manuscript, the codex no. 11161 of the Matenadaran (M11161), starting with its physical characteristics, provenance, and textual composition. By a detailed analysis of one of the key texts of this medical compilation, a book on horses, it is compared with other medical manuscripts. Through our research, it has been possible to date and locate the production of this unusual manuscript more precisely, and to place it within the Armenian medical tradition between medieval Cilicia and early modern Nor Jugha (New Julfa) — not without a surprise at the end.