DFG Long-Term Project
„Galens Commentary on the Hippocratic Aphorisms“
NEWSLETTER 11/2025
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– Aphorism of the Month –
„Thin, restricted diets are dangerous both in all chronic diseases and in those acute ones where they are not admissible.
So too diets that are extreme regarding thinness are dangerous. For eating up to the extreme is also dangerous.“
(I.4)
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Welcome to the November issue of our project newsletter Galen’s Commentary on the Hippocratic Aphorisms!
We are delighted by the numerous subscription requests for our newsletter and are pleased to present its November edition.
We invite you to read about our project presentation at the 35th Deutscher Orientalistentag as well as the activities of the Working Area Digital Editions. And please note the date of our first project workshop which will take place from 20-22 November 2025. Further details can be found below.
We would like to announce our presence on several Social Media platforms. You can find us now on Bluesky, Mastodon, and Instagram, where we share updates and information related to our work.
Furthermore we present a new Aphorism of the Month: Take a look at our Aphorism Archive to browse the full collection!
With warm regards,
The entire project team
Report of the 35th Deutscher Orientalistentag
On 12 September 2025, Oliver Overwien, Raphaela Veit, and Sara von Seggern organized a panel at the 35th Orientalistentag in Erlangen entitled Das Fortleben der antiken griechischen Medizin in der syrisch-arabischen Wissenschaftsliteratur. The papers addressed questions concerning anonymous collections of medical texts, the Hippocratic letters, as well as writings by al-Fārābī, Ibn al-Mubārak, and Maimonides.
Two presentations focused on the Arabic translation of Galen’s commentary on the Hippocratic Aphorisms. Oliver Overwien discussed the major stages of its Arabic transmission (including later Hebrew and Latin translations), beginning with Ḥunayn ibn Isḥāq’s version and concluding with the latest known Arabic commentators on the Aphorisms (9th–15th centuries). Raphaela Veit presented new textual evidence for the Arabic translation and shared initial findings that may make it possible to divide the manuscripts into groups.
AI and Galen
The rapid expansion of AI tools has now reached the field of Classical Philology. Researchers at Princeton University have developed a model called Logion, designed to assist philologists in reconstructing missing or damaged portions of ancient texts. Slavomír Čéplö has tested the tool with promising results and has contacted the developers to explore collaboration on its further development.
Link: https://www.logionproject.princeton.edu/
Forthcoming Events and Activities
Workshop: Galen as a Commentator
Date: 20–22 November 2025
Location: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, room 2249a
Organized by Markus Asper and Peter N. Singer
This workshop is the first in a series of meetings and conferences that will accompany the edition of Galen’s Commentary on Hippocratic Aphorisms from a comparative and literary perspective. The aim of this first meeting is to give internationally renowned experts the opportunity to comment on Galen's work as a commentator.
Confirmed speaker: Sean Coughlin, Peter N. Singer, Markus Asper, David Leith, Rebecca Fleming, Antoine Pietrobelli, Tommaso Raiola, Maria Börno and Christina Savino
We welcome participants - please sign up under markus.asper@hu-berlin.de
Link: www.klassphil.hu-berlin.de/en/aphorisms/activities/events/galen-commentator
Digital Editions
Slavomír Čéplö has been invited by the Council on Digital Education and Scholarship (CODES) at Harvard University to speak about building digital editions. In his talk on November 21, he will address the challenges of creating digital editions of bilingual works such as GOHABerlin and those involving Semitic languages more broadly.
Announcement of an upcoming book presentation
Start: 24 November 2025, 5:30 pm
Location: Hörsaalruine, Virchowweg 16, 10117 Berlin
Philip van der Eijk is going to take part in Prof. Dr. Stefan Willich’s presentation of a book entitled “Kunst und Medizin – Wie Musik, Malerei, Theater, Tanz, Literatur und Architektur heilen” with Prof. Dr. Karin Dannecker. If you would like to attend, please email: vanessa.weiss@charite.de
Monday Colloquium (Winter Semester)
Time: Monday, 10 a.m.
Location: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, room 3053
Organized by Philip van der Eijk
In this research colloquium, participants and guests present and discuss ongoing work on ancient medicine, philosophy, science and their reception. In addition, Greek and Latin medical texts that are currently in the process of being edited, translated and commented by members of the group are subjected to close reading and discussion. During the Wintersemester 2025, we will read sections from Galen's commentaries on some of the ‘Hippocratic' writings. The colloquium is open to BA and MA students interested in the subject, and they are encouraged to present their work in order to receive constructive feedback. Since work-in-progress and unpublished material will be circulated in advance of the colloquium, those who wish to take part are asked to contact Philip van der Eijk in advance; please send an e-mail to philip.van.der.eijk@hu-berlin.de
Link: www.klassphil.hu-berlin.de/en/avh-professur/events/kolloquium
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DFG Long-Term Project „Galens Commentary on the Hippocratic Aphorisms“
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin · Project Website
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