Vincent
@vincente.bsky.social
Research MA at Leiden University; working on social networks and book circulation in the late Ottoman Empire
Pinned
Vincent
@vincente.bsky.social
· Dec 27
The Library of Aḥmad Pasha al-Jazzār
"The Library of Aḥmad Pasha al-Jazzār" published on 23 Dec 2024 by Brill.
brill.com
The edited volume The Library of Aḥmad Pasha al-Jazzār has been published (open access; Brill: 2025: brill.com/display/titl...). I contributed to the project by identifying 5 manuscripts from al-Jazzār's library in the so-called AP (“abandoned property") collection of the National Library of Israel.
Reposted by Vincent
Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching
November 3, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching
One of the best archival experiences for me so far has been the Archive of the Turkish Historical Society in Ankara (Türk Tarih Kurumu Arşivi). After my request, they send me within in 24 hours all documents related to my research as pdf and jpg file for free via fileshare.
October 24, 2025 at 11:25 AM
One of the best archival experiences for me so far has been the Archive of the Turkish Historical Society in Ankara (Türk Tarih Kurumu Arşivi). After my request, they send me within in 24 hours all documents related to my research as pdf and jpg file for free via fileshare.
I always wondered how the Ottoman budget for the year 1904-5 found it's way to the Leiden Special collection. Turns out it might be from the library of Sultan Murad V. "formally bought by Cense [former head of the NIT Istanbul] personally to avoid problems with Turkish customs authorities" in 1962:
October 24, 2025 at 11:18 AM
I always wondered how the Ottoman budget for the year 1904-5 found it's way to the Leiden Special collection. Turns out it might be from the library of Sultan Murad V. "formally bought by Cense [former head of the NIT Istanbul] personally to avoid problems with Turkish customs authorities" in 1962:
It is intriguing to note that parts of these manuscripts were lost to the flames during the destruction of the Leuven library in 1940. One can’t help but wonder what the collectors who transferred antiquities to Europe, often self-identified "saviours", would have to say about it.
And the twentieth century adds some additional interesting layers (Witkam, Inventory vol. 15, 95):
October 17, 2025 at 1:14 PM
It is intriguing to note that parts of these manuscripts were lost to the flames during the destruction of the Leuven library in 1940. One can’t help but wonder what the collectors who transferred antiquities to Europe, often self-identified "saviours", would have to say about it.
Still a very nice introduction to get a sense of what has been done in languages other than english before 2000:
October 4, 2025 at 5:11 AM
Still a very nice introduction to get a sense of what has been done in languages other than english before 2000:
Reposted by Vincent
I'm feeling a new love for a clumsy sentence or a misspelled word. I imagine a human on the other end. Doing their own typing, like the old days.
I'm thinking about styles of writing that might emerge from this-- analogues to a guacamole I once saw advertised as "hand hacked" at a fancy restaurant.
I'm thinking about styles of writing that might emerge from this-- analogues to a guacamole I once saw advertised as "hand hacked" at a fancy restaurant.
October 1, 2025 at 3:05 AM
I'm feeling a new love for a clumsy sentence or a misspelled word. I imagine a human on the other end. Doing their own typing, like the old days.
I'm thinking about styles of writing that might emerge from this-- analogues to a guacamole I once saw advertised as "hand hacked" at a fancy restaurant.
I'm thinking about styles of writing that might emerge from this-- analogues to a guacamole I once saw advertised as "hand hacked" at a fancy restaurant.
Reposted by Vincent
“The Lebanese label produced hundreds, if not thousands, of recordings in Berlin up until the eve of World War II.”
Anna-Theresa Bachmann and Hannah El-Hitami explore the history of Baidaphon for @newlinesmag.bsky.social
Anna-Theresa Bachmann and Hannah El-Hitami explore the history of Baidaphon for @newlinesmag.bsky.social
The Arab World’s First Indie Record Label
A Lebanese family’s global brand reflects the story of 20th-century Europe — and its relationship with the Middle East
newlinesmag.com
September 26, 2025 at 7:01 PM
“The Lebanese label produced hundreds, if not thousands, of recordings in Berlin up until the eve of World War II.”
Anna-Theresa Bachmann and Hannah El-Hitami explore the history of Baidaphon for @newlinesmag.bsky.social
Anna-Theresa Bachmann and Hannah El-Hitami explore the history of Baidaphon for @newlinesmag.bsky.social
My word autocorrection on the state of German Ottoman scholarship:
September 26, 2025 at 6:01 AM
My word autocorrection on the state of German Ottoman scholarship:
Jan Schmidt on his work as a cataloguer of the Turkish manuscripts at John Rylands University Library, Manchester:
September 18, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Jan Schmidt on his work as a cataloguer of the Turkish manuscripts at John Rylands University Library, Manchester:
Important thread on the smuggle of Papyrus bilinguis 1, currently still in the holdings of @stabihh.bsky.social Why is there no public debate in Hamburg about ethical responsibilities today? @juergenzimmerer.bsky.social @spiegel.de @zeit.de @recherche.ndr.de @ndr.de
But the story does not end here. How should institutions address illicit acquisitions of the past? What responsibilities follow for today’s collections? So far, the State and University Library Hamburg has not taken a clear position - an open debate is still needed.
September 13, 2025 at 3:36 AM
Important thread on the smuggle of Papyrus bilinguis 1, currently still in the holdings of @stabihh.bsky.social Why is there no public debate in Hamburg about ethical responsibilities today? @juergenzimmerer.bsky.social @spiegel.de @zeit.de @recherche.ndr.de @ndr.de
Reposted by Vincent
Once a hub of Ottoman culture, Süleyman Efendi’s library was scattered by conquest. In our PhD Research Series, Rawda El-Hajji traces these manuscripts, showing how they help reconstruct lost intellectual communities and reveal the fate of cultural heritage in times of conflict:
uhh.de/csmc-el-hajji
uhh.de/csmc-el-hajji
August 6, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Once a hub of Ottoman culture, Süleyman Efendi’s library was scattered by conquest. In our PhD Research Series, Rawda El-Hajji traces these manuscripts, showing how they help reconstruct lost intellectual communities and reveal the fate of cultural heritage in times of conflict:
uhh.de/csmc-el-hajji
uhh.de/csmc-el-hajji
Reposted by Vincent
50. Read PhD and MA theses when you are doing research. There is so much great scholarship by people who never got the opportunity to publish their research as a book.
August 1, 2025 at 9:03 AM
50. Read PhD and MA theses when you are doing research. There is so much great scholarship by people who never got the opportunity to publish their research as a book.
Reposted by Vincent
74. Historians should share sources more. Like, actually give colleagues sources that you found so they can use them.
August 5, 2025 at 9:49 AM
74. Historians should share sources more. Like, actually give colleagues sources that you found so they can use them.
Reposted by Vincent
Man könnte sagen - alles kalter Kaffee, aber Jens Spahn hat sich als Fraktionsvorsitzender in die Pole Position für die nächste Kanzlerkandidatur gebracht. Auch bei diesem Vorgang stellt sich, wie auch bei der Maskenaffäre die Frage -
für wen arbeitet Jens Spahn? Für sich oder für die Bürger*innen?
für wen arbeitet Jens Spahn? Für sich oder für die Bürger*innen?
Jens Spahn hat nicht nur Vetternwirtschaft beim Maskendeal betrieben, er hat zuvor auch noch die Krankenkassen austrocknen lassen – und die steigenden Beiträge zahlen wir jetzt.
Wie genau, erklärt uns in 1 Minute erklärt der Chef der Technischen Krankenkasse.
Wie genau, erklärt uns in 1 Minute erklärt der Chef der Technischen Krankenkasse.
July 8, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Man könnte sagen - alles kalter Kaffee, aber Jens Spahn hat sich als Fraktionsvorsitzender in die Pole Position für die nächste Kanzlerkandidatur gebracht. Auch bei diesem Vorgang stellt sich, wie auch bei der Maskenaffäre die Frage -
für wen arbeitet Jens Spahn? Für sich oder für die Bürger*innen?
für wen arbeitet Jens Spahn? Für sich oder für die Bürger*innen?
Reposted by Vincent
Much of what we know about everyday reading practices in #Arabic writing cultures comes from audition certificates. We make these valuable #manuscripts accessible to research on an online platform. A new version now offers #OpenAccess to over 5000 sources:
uhh.de/csmc-acp
uhh.de/csmc-acp
June 16, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Much of what we know about everyday reading practices in #Arabic writing cultures comes from audition certificates. We make these valuable #manuscripts accessible to research on an online platform. A new version now offers #OpenAccess to over 5000 sources:
uhh.de/csmc-acp
uhh.de/csmc-acp
Reposted by Vincent
AI bot scrapers are hitting every site on the web in search of training data. This report is the first good attempt to evaluate the impact of these AI scrapers, especially on smaller institutions that are trying to make their collections open to the public www.404media.co/ai-scraping-...
AI Scraping Bots Are Breaking Open Libraries, Archives, and Museums
"This is a moment where that community feels collectively under threat and isn't sure what the process is for solving the problem.”
www.404media.co
June 17, 2025 at 1:25 PM
AI bot scrapers are hitting every site on the web in search of training data. This report is the first good attempt to evaluate the impact of these AI scrapers, especially on smaller institutions that are trying to make their collections open to the public www.404media.co/ai-scraping-...
Reposted by Vincent
The 2nd phase of the #Qalamos project also focuses on the retro-conversion of catalogues describing Ottoman-Turkish manuscripts. These consist of five vols. that were created during the project #KOHD. They comprise exclusively manuscripts from the holdings of @stabiberlin.bsky.social.
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April 15, 2025 at 8:12 AM
The 2nd phase of the #Qalamos project also focuses on the retro-conversion of catalogues describing Ottoman-Turkish manuscripts. These consist of five vols. that were created during the project #KOHD. They comprise exclusively manuscripts from the holdings of @stabiberlin.bsky.social.
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Weekend inspiration from the Robert Anhegger (1911-2001) archive, Leiden University Library, Cod. Or. 26.621 (13)
March 28, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Weekend inspiration from the Robert Anhegger (1911-2001) archive, Leiden University Library, Cod. Or. 26.621 (13)
Reposted by Vincent
The 2025 Winter School on
Reading and Analysing Ottoman Manuscript Sources took place this week at IMS/FORTH, in Rethymno,
with great success. A wonderful experience for all!
Reading and Analysing Ottoman Manuscript Sources took place this week at IMS/FORTH, in Rethymno,
with great success. A wonderful experience for all!
March 23, 2025 at 8:41 AM
The 2025 Winter School on
Reading and Analysing Ottoman Manuscript Sources took place this week at IMS/FORTH, in Rethymno,
with great success. A wonderful experience for all!
Reading and Analysing Ottoman Manuscript Sources took place this week at IMS/FORTH, in Rethymno,
with great success. A wonderful experience for all!
Reposted by Vincent
One of the many perks of my job is having the time to read and review important books. Recently, I dived into Sebastian Willert's 2024 publication on the translocation of archaeological artefacts from the Ottoman Empire to Germany in the late 19th and early 20th century.
January 7, 2025 at 1:47 PM
One of the many perks of my job is having the time to read and review important books. Recently, I dived into Sebastian Willert's 2024 publication on the translocation of archaeological artefacts from the Ottoman Empire to Germany in the late 19th and early 20th century.
The edited volume The Library of Aḥmad Pasha al-Jazzār has been published (open access; Brill: 2025: brill.com/display/titl...). I contributed to the project by identifying 5 manuscripts from al-Jazzār's library in the so-called AP (“abandoned property") collection of the National Library of Israel.
The Library of Aḥmad Pasha al-Jazzār
"The Library of Aḥmad Pasha al-Jazzār" published on 23 Dec 2024 by Brill.
brill.com
December 27, 2024 at 8:29 AM
The edited volume The Library of Aḥmad Pasha al-Jazzār has been published (open access; Brill: 2025: brill.com/display/titl...). I contributed to the project by identifying 5 manuscripts from al-Jazzār's library in the so-called AP (“abandoned property") collection of the National Library of Israel.
Reposted by Vincent
I'm excited to share my new (open access) article in Social Codicology, edited by Olly Akkerman.
The article connects Islamicate manuscript and talismanic scribal cultures with chemical-bacterial networks, Platonic cosmologies and technologies of climate resilience.
brill.com/display/book...
The article connects Islamicate manuscript and talismanic scribal cultures with chemical-bacterial networks, Platonic cosmologies and technologies of climate resilience.
brill.com/display/book...
December 23, 2024 at 7:59 AM
I'm excited to share my new (open access) article in Social Codicology, edited by Olly Akkerman.
The article connects Islamicate manuscript and talismanic scribal cultures with chemical-bacterial networks, Platonic cosmologies and technologies of climate resilience.
brill.com/display/book...
The article connects Islamicate manuscript and talismanic scribal cultures with chemical-bacterial networks, Platonic cosmologies and technologies of climate resilience.
brill.com/display/book...
Reposted by Vincent
You may have heard about him on the radio recently. It's time to continue working through new biographical material on the collector Friedrich Grote, who cultivated contacts with Prussian cultural functionaries to help them extract cultural artefacts from the Middle East.
medisi.hypotheses.org/3860
medisi.hypotheses.org/3860
December 11, 2024 at 11:02 AM
You may have heard about him on the radio recently. It's time to continue working through new biographical material on the collector Friedrich Grote, who cultivated contacts with Prussian cultural functionaries to help them extract cultural artefacts from the Middle East.
medisi.hypotheses.org/3860
medisi.hypotheses.org/3860
Reposted by Vincent
Alright *cracks knuckles* let's do this!
Today I'm inaugurating an episodic Monday series titled History of Islamic Art in 100 Objects. But we have to ask the most important question first:
What is Islamic art? Also, why is this even a question? 🧵 #IslamicArt100Objects
Today I'm inaugurating an episodic Monday series titled History of Islamic Art in 100 Objects. But we have to ask the most important question first:
What is Islamic art? Also, why is this even a question? 🧵 #IslamicArt100Objects
November 25, 2024 at 11:53 PM
Alright *cracks knuckles* let's do this!
Today I'm inaugurating an episodic Monday series titled History of Islamic Art in 100 Objects. But we have to ask the most important question first:
What is Islamic art? Also, why is this even a question? 🧵 #IslamicArt100Objects
Today I'm inaugurating an episodic Monday series titled History of Islamic Art in 100 Objects. But we have to ask the most important question first:
What is Islamic art? Also, why is this even a question? 🧵 #IslamicArt100Objects
Reposted by Vincent
www.aucegypt.edu/news/auc-lib...
Colleagues at AUC, IAS, NYU, Princeton, Umich, and cofc came together to make this happen. Proud of their work and of my husband Garrett Davidson who made it happen.
Colleagues at AUC, IAS, NYU, Princeton, Umich, and cofc came together to make this happen. Proud of their work and of my husband Garrett Davidson who made it happen.
AUC Library Acquires Rare Archive with U.S. Institutions | The American University in Cairo
AUC’s Libraries and Learning Technologies is collaborating with five leading U.S. academic institutions — Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University, New York University, University of Michiga...
www.aucegypt.edu
November 15, 2024 at 3:47 PM
www.aucegypt.edu/news/auc-lib...
Colleagues at AUC, IAS, NYU, Princeton, Umich, and cofc came together to make this happen. Proud of their work and of my husband Garrett Davidson who made it happen.
Colleagues at AUC, IAS, NYU, Princeton, Umich, and cofc came together to make this happen. Proud of their work and of my husband Garrett Davidson who made it happen.