Marijn van Putten
@phdnix.bsky.social
Historical Linguist; Working on Quranic Arabic and the linguistic history of Arabic and Tamazight. Game designer for Team18k
It was a productive Year in Books for me this year! Lots of excellent books, and a bunch of terrible ones. Let's do some quick mini-reviews of my year in books.
December 25, 2025 at 12:08 PM
It was a productive Year in Books for me this year! Lots of excellent books, and a bunch of terrible ones. Let's do some quick mini-reviews of my year in books.
After the major technical difficulties last time, me and Gabriel Reynolds decided to do another Live Q&A. So, of course, the first thing that happened was that my WiFi died, and then we got audio issues.
After some editing it is now put back online!
www.youtube.com/live/vkiji1e...
After some editing it is now put back online!
www.youtube.com/live/vkiji1e...
Qur'an Manuscripts and Qur'anic Arabic: Live Q & A with Dr. Marijn van Putten!
YouTube video by Exploring the Quran and the Bible
www.youtube.com
December 19, 2025 at 3:59 PM
After the major technical difficulties last time, me and Gabriel Reynolds decided to do another Live Q&A. So, of course, the first thing that happened was that my WiFi died, and then we got audio issues.
After some editing it is now put back online!
www.youtube.com/live/vkiji1e...
After some editing it is now put back online!
www.youtube.com/live/vkiji1e...
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
My next in-person Manuscript Kufi course (early Arabic calligraphy) has already been announced for April over at the Arab British Centre, London: details at
www.arabbritishcentre.org.uk/courses/joum...
www.arabbritishcentre.org.uk/courses/joum...
Kufic Calligraphy with Joumana Medlej - The Arab British Centre
Joumana Medlej is an artist from Lebanon whose connection with early Arabic calligraphy was awakened by years spent working with master calligrapher Samir Sayegh in his Beirut studio. She specialises ...
www.arabbritishcentre.org.uk
December 17, 2025 at 10:34 AM
My next in-person Manuscript Kufi course (early Arabic calligraphy) has already been announced for April over at the Arab British Centre, London: details at
www.arabbritishcentre.org.uk/courses/joum...
www.arabbritishcentre.org.uk/courses/joum...
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
@yvanspijk.bsky.social kwam vandaag met het lezen van wat een woord dat ik niet kende "maint", uit de context was het wel duidelijk dat het "menig" betekende, maar ik vond het leuk dat het dus ook echt gewoon ontleent is uit menigte!
Dat leek me er eentje voor jou :-)
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/maint
Dat leek me er eentje voor jou :-)
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/maint
maint - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
en.wiktionary.org
December 12, 2025 at 10:47 AM
@yvanspijk.bsky.social kwam vandaag met het lezen van wat een woord dat ik niet kende "maint", uit de context was het wel duidelijk dat het "menig" betekende, maar ik vond het leuk dat het dus ook echt gewoon ontleent is uit menigte!
Dat leek me er eentje voor jou :-)
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/maint
Dat leek me er eentje voor jou :-)
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/maint
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
After a brief detour to the Lord's Prayer in a bilingual manuscript, our Advent calendar continues today with the Christmas Gospel: The angel appears to the shepherds.
10 Dec: Lk 2:9
واذا ملاك الرب قد وقف بهم وتسبحه الرب اضت عليهم وفزعوا فزع عظيم
wa-ʔiḏā malʔak ar-rabb qad waqafa bihim wa-tasbiḥat ar-rabb ʔaḍat ʕalayhim wa-faziʕū fazaʕ ʕaẓīm
"and suddenly the angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone on them and they felt a great fear"
واذا ملاك الرب قد وقف بهم وتسبحه الرب اضت عليهم وفزعوا فزع عظيم
wa-ʔiḏā malʔak ar-rabb qad waqafa bihim wa-tasbiḥat ar-rabb ʔaḍat ʕalayhim wa-faziʕū fazaʕ ʕaẓīm
"and suddenly the angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone on them and they felt a great fear"
December 10, 2025 at 8:48 AM
After a brief detour to the Lord's Prayer in a bilingual manuscript, our Advent calendar continues today with the Christmas Gospel: The angel appears to the shepherds.
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
Libyco-Berber (LB) Tombstones - the Monday edition.
Today, we will have a look at an inscription from Morocco.
LB tombstones are written in two different scripts, commonly called "eastern" and "western". For the eastern script we have enough useful bilinguals to be certain about their reading. 🧵
Today, we will have a look at an inscription from Morocco.
LB tombstones are written in two different scripts, commonly called "eastern" and "western". For the eastern script we have enough useful bilinguals to be certain about their reading. 🧵
It's Sunday, so maybe another Libyco-Berber (LB) tombstone?
Today we will take a look at RIL 803, a LB-Punic bilingual text. It was found in 1890 in Fedj Mzala (Mechta Beni Oukden), Mila region, Algeria, and published and explained by a certain Cpt. Mélix (copy copied from Chabot 1940).
Today we will take a look at RIL 803, a LB-Punic bilingual text. It was found in 1890 in Fedj Mzala (Mechta Beni Oukden), Mila region, Algeria, and published and explained by a certain Cpt. Mélix (copy copied from Chabot 1940).
December 8, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Libyco-Berber (LB) Tombstones - the Monday edition.
Today, we will have a look at an inscription from Morocco.
LB tombstones are written in two different scripts, commonly called "eastern" and "western". For the eastern script we have enough useful bilinguals to be certain about their reading. 🧵
Today, we will have a look at an inscription from Morocco.
LB tombstones are written in two different scripts, commonly called "eastern" and "western". For the eastern script we have enough useful bilinguals to be certain about their reading. 🧵
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
#artcalendar day 1:
Mudāwama مداومة
Persistence, constancy through circumstances that may be less than easy.
A piece from the archives (2012!) in acrylic, ink, and metal leaf on paper.
shorturl.at/4drDH
Mudāwama مداومة
Persistence, constancy through circumstances that may be less than easy.
A piece from the archives (2012!) in acrylic, ink, and metal leaf on paper.
shorturl.at/4drDH
December 1, 2025 at 11:16 AM
#artcalendar day 1:
Mudāwama مداومة
Persistence, constancy through circumstances that may be less than easy.
A piece from the archives (2012!) in acrylic, ink, and metal leaf on paper.
shorturl.at/4drDH
Mudāwama مداومة
Persistence, constancy through circumstances that may be less than easy.
A piece from the archives (2012!) in acrylic, ink, and metal leaf on paper.
shorturl.at/4drDH
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
December 2, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
#artcalendar Day 3:
Dream منام
From 2013. Watercolor, iridescent medium, metal leaf on cut and layered paper.
Dream منام
From 2013. Watercolor, iridescent medium, metal leaf on cut and layered paper.
December 3, 2025 at 9:17 AM
#artcalendar Day 3:
Dream منام
From 2013. Watercolor, iridescent medium, metal leaf on cut and layered paper.
Dream منام
From 2013. Watercolor, iridescent medium, metal leaf on cut and layered paper.
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
#artcalendar Day 4:
Majnoun Leila مجنون ليلى
Egg tempera with mineral pigments, red gold 23 ct, hand-cut paper on mount board, from 2014.
shorturl.at/63iHF
Majnoun Leila مجنون ليلى
Egg tempera with mineral pigments, red gold 23 ct, hand-cut paper on mount board, from 2014.
shorturl.at/63iHF
December 4, 2025 at 9:46 AM
#artcalendar Day 4:
Majnoun Leila مجنون ليلى
Egg tempera with mineral pigments, red gold 23 ct, hand-cut paper on mount board, from 2014.
shorturl.at/63iHF
Majnoun Leila مجنون ليلى
Egg tempera with mineral pigments, red gold 23 ct, hand-cut paper on mount board, from 2014.
shorturl.at/63iHF
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
#artcalendar Day 4*:
Perplexity حيرة
Acrylic and gold leaf on hand-cut paper, from 2017.
majnouna.com/portfolio/pe...
*sshhh, don't know how I missed a day but I'll post #5 later today.
Perplexity حيرة
Acrylic and gold leaf on hand-cut paper, from 2017.
majnouna.com/portfolio/pe...
*sshhh, don't know how I missed a day but I'll post #5 later today.
December 5, 2025 at 8:49 AM
#artcalendar Day 4*:
Perplexity حيرة
Acrylic and gold leaf on hand-cut paper, from 2017.
majnouna.com/portfolio/pe...
*sshhh, don't know how I missed a day but I'll post #5 later today.
Perplexity حيرة
Acrylic and gold leaf on hand-cut paper, from 2017.
majnouna.com/portfolio/pe...
*sshhh, don't know how I missed a day but I'll post #5 later today.
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
Oxford dating be like "We'd like to invite you to give a talk during Week -2 of Hogfather term."
December 3, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Oxford dating be like "We'd like to invite you to give a talk during Week -2 of Hogfather term."
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
"takubbanit n tukksa n lmelḥ i waman n yilel Bgayet"
Interesting that they went for a puristic neologism for "sea" (ilel instead of lebḥeṛ), but not for "salt" (lmelḥ instead of tisent).
Interesting that they went for a puristic neologism for "sea" (ilel instead of lebḥeṛ), but not for "salt" (lmelḥ instead of tisent).
La station de dessalement de Thighremt atteint sa pleine capacité : 300 000 m³/j pour sécuriser durablement l’alimentation en eau du Centre du pays.
Lire l'article : ecotimesdz.com/bejaia-stati...
#Algérie #Eau #Sonatrach #Hydrique #Infrastructure
Lire l'article : ecotimesdz.com/bejaia-stati...
#Algérie #Eau #Sonatrach #Hydrique #Infrastructure
Béjaïa : La station de Thighremt à plein régime
Dans un communiqué rendu public ce lundi, SONATRACH a informé l’opinion publique que la station de dessalement de l’eau de
ecotimesdz.com
December 3, 2025 at 12:20 PM
"takubbanit n tukksa n lmelḥ i waman n yilel Bgayet"
Interesting that they went for a puristic neologism for "sea" (ilel instead of lebḥeṛ), but not for "salt" (lmelḥ instead of tisent).
Interesting that they went for a puristic neologism for "sea" (ilel instead of lebḥeṛ), but not for "salt" (lmelḥ instead of tisent).
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
As a little treat for you, here's an #ArabicBible Advent calendar 🧵. Every day I'll post a verse from the Christmas story from one of the oldest Arabic Gospel lectionaries, Sinai ar. 72, dated 897 CE (and a few other texts in between). [2nd attempt, I won't be offended if you point out my nonsense.]
December 2, 2025 at 2:20 PM
As a little treat for you, here's an #ArabicBible Advent calendar 🧵. Every day I'll post a verse from the Christmas story from one of the oldest Arabic Gospel lectionaries, Sinai ar. 72, dated 897 CE (and a few other texts in between). [2nd attempt, I won't be offended if you point out my nonsense.]
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
If you don’t know, then who knows in your language?
For Dutch, we say ‘Joost mag het weten’ (Joost may know it), where Makhuwa says ‘Nluku tantsuwela’ (God is the one who knows).
What do you say?
For Dutch, we say ‘Joost mag het weten’ (Joost may know it), where Makhuwa says ‘Nluku tantsuwela’ (God is the one who knows).
What do you say?
November 24, 2025 at 2:01 PM
If you don’t know, then who knows in your language?
For Dutch, we say ‘Joost mag het weten’ (Joost may know it), where Makhuwa says ‘Nluku tantsuwela’ (God is the one who knows).
What do you say?
For Dutch, we say ‘Joost mag het weten’ (Joost may know it), where Makhuwa says ‘Nluku tantsuwela’ (God is the one who knows).
What do you say?
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
An important 'time out' by a very clear thinker. Much of what Shoemaker claims about the Hijaz on the eve of Islam is conclusively disproved by material evidence, which grows by the year. I have a surprise, too, from my last survey mission (May 2025) between Taif-Mecca and Medina
shorturl.at/8IG8f
shorturl.at/8IG8f
Scepticism as method in the study of Quranic origins: A review article of Stephen J. Shoemaker, Creating the Qur’an: A Historical-Critical Study (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2022) | Bull...
Scepticism as method in the study of Quranic origins: A review article of Stephen J. Shoemaker, Creating the Qur’an: A Historical-Critical Study (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2022) - Volu...
resolve.cambridge.org
November 16, 2025 at 9:08 AM
An important 'time out' by a very clear thinker. Much of what Shoemaker claims about the Hijaz on the eve of Islam is conclusively disproved by material evidence, which grows by the year. I have a surprise, too, from my last survey mission (May 2025) between Taif-Mecca and Medina
shorturl.at/8IG8f
shorturl.at/8IG8f
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
More Numidian mysteries!
Most Numidian stelae have at least two lines or (à la limite) one line containing several words. Only in one cemetery do we find a series of really short inscriptions (Mechta el Maza, near Bouchegouf, Guelma province, Algeria), esp. RIL 1085-1092.
But…
Most Numidian stelae have at least two lines or (à la limite) one line containing several words. Only in one cemetery do we find a series of really short inscriptions (Mechta el Maza, near Bouchegouf, Guelma province, Algeria), esp. RIL 1085-1092.
But…
November 15, 2025 at 7:53 PM
More Numidian mysteries!
Most Numidian stelae have at least two lines or (à la limite) one line containing several words. Only in one cemetery do we find a series of really short inscriptions (Mechta el Maza, near Bouchegouf, Guelma province, Algeria), esp. RIL 1085-1092.
But…
Most Numidian stelae have at least two lines or (à la limite) one line containing several words. Only in one cemetery do we find a series of really short inscriptions (Mechta el Maza, near Bouchegouf, Guelma province, Algeria), esp. RIL 1085-1092.
But…
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
Pre-Islamic Arabic and Greek! The #Safaitic abecedary we posted earlier this week was far more interesting than originally thought. A close re-reading of the stone revealed the entire Safaitic alphabet in the Greek letter order!
See the study here: www.academia.edu/144853577/Al...
See the study here: www.academia.edu/144853577/Al...
November 8, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Pre-Islamic Arabic and Greek! The #Safaitic abecedary we posted earlier this week was far more interesting than originally thought. A close re-reading of the stone revealed the entire Safaitic alphabet in the Greek letter order!
See the study here: www.academia.edu/144853577/Al...
See the study here: www.academia.edu/144853577/Al...
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
Taking suggestions 👇
Would be fun to pit 16 Semitic texts against each other. Safaitic war song vs. Babylonian exorcism ritual, etc.
November 7, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Taking suggestions 👇
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
A short thread on onomastics in Numidian inscriptions (eastern script).
Indexes of names in eastern Numidian inscriptions (Chabot 1940, Rebuffat 2018) provide us with an almost ridiculous number of different names. I wondered if this is correct, or if this is due to the messiness of the corpus.
Indexes of names in eastern Numidian inscriptions (Chabot 1940, Rebuffat 2018) provide us with an almost ridiculous number of different names. I wondered if this is correct, or if this is due to the messiness of the corpus.
November 6, 2025 at 2:19 PM
A short thread on onomastics in Numidian inscriptions (eastern script).
Indexes of names in eastern Numidian inscriptions (Chabot 1940, Rebuffat 2018) provide us with an almost ridiculous number of different names. I wondered if this is correct, or if this is due to the messiness of the corpus.
Indexes of names in eastern Numidian inscriptions (Chabot 1940, Rebuffat 2018) provide us with an almost ridiculous number of different names. I wondered if this is correct, or if this is due to the messiness of the corpus.
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
Sanskrit/Tibetan/Tangut quote of the day:
Bodhicaryāvatāra 6.10
(ed. Solonin 2025 www.academia.edu/144598049/Bo...)
Bodhicaryāvatāra 6.10
(ed. Solonin 2025 www.academia.edu/144598049/Bo...)
November 6, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Sanskrit/Tibetan/Tangut quote of the day:
Bodhicaryāvatāra 6.10
(ed. Solonin 2025 www.academia.edu/144598049/Bo...)
Bodhicaryāvatāra 6.10
(ed. Solonin 2025 www.academia.edu/144598049/Bo...)
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
The Quran displays various arrangements of mysterious, disconnected letters. The magico-sacred aspect of the alphabet stretches far into the pre-Islamic past. This Safaitic text begins with a prayer to Allāt followed by a partial abecedary.
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
November 6, 2025 at 8:11 AM
The Quran displays various arrangements of mysterious, disconnected letters. The magico-sacred aspect of the alphabet stretches far into the pre-Islamic past. This Safaitic text begins with a prayer to Allāt followed by a partial abecedary.
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
Whenever you find yourself annoyed at someone spelling إن شاء الله as إنشاء الله, just remember people have been doing that at least since 1156 AH/1753 CE (the date of this manuscript of the al-Dani's Taysir).
November 5, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Whenever you find yourself annoyed at someone spelling إن شاء الله as إنشاء الله, just remember people have been doing that at least since 1156 AH/1753 CE (the date of this manuscript of the al-Dani's Taysir).
Reposted by Marijn van Putten
hahaha jk jk... unless?
November 5, 2025 at 12:01 PM
hahaha jk jk... unless?