Fascinating application of AI to decipher cryptic manuscripts - but there's still a long way to go. Notably, זהכיר (zihgīr) here means thumbguard (archer's ring) rather than penis.
Analysis by Matthew Dudley on PGP:
geniza.princeton.edu/en/docu…
Image credit:
ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/colle…
A 500-year-old Cairo Geniza text nobody could read.
Princeton's note on it: "needs further examination".
It is an Ottoman sex remedy in Hebrew letters. I used GPT-6 Pro and Claude Fable 5.1 to read it, letter by letter.
@GenizaLab, check this one out 👇
Does anyone recognize these mysterious characters? Spotted on the back of an early modern page of business accounts in Judaeo-Arabic. geniza.princeton.edu/en/docu…
Anyone able to read anything from this manuscript? These fragments seem to join but are extremely difficult to decipher. Likely from 11th-13th century Egypt.
"The boy ʿAṭiyya has been weaned. . . please send sugar and halva. . . he wants to eat sweets all the time, and he is used to being pampered" - late medieval Judaeo-Arabic family letter 👶🍭🍭🍭
geniza.princeton.edu/en/docu…
"The wife of Satan" (imraʾat iblīs) - spotted on an alms distribution list from 12th century Cairo 💃👿
geniza.princeton.edu/en/docu…
A gorgeous prayerbook (maḥzor) for the high holidays copied in Mallorca(!) in 1332 CE, recently spotted by PGP researcher Tani Robinson.
geniza.princeton.edu/en/docu…
Princeton Geniza Lab has joined Bluesky! We hope you will connect with us at our profile over there! 🦋→ bsky.app/profile/genizalab.b…
"When I parted from you, I intended to sail to the island of Cyprus, but a strong storm diverted the boat to Tarsus. I was very much afraid that the king would take hold of me and detain me. . . ."
Letter from Alexandria to Cairo, ~1212 CE
geniza.princeton.edu/en/docu…
Goitein's index card ("Dr. Paul Fenton to publish together with me as Maimonides en pantoufles") with accompanying AI illustration of Maimonides en pantoufles
A very sweet letter reminiscing on a visit to the house of Maimonides, who is depicted here enjoying lemon drops and playing with a cute toddler.
"I kissed his noble hand, and he received us with a most cordial welcome. He said to me, 'Come and sit...'"
geniza.princeton.edu/en/docu…
Not to be missed! A landmark new book in Arabic documentary legal studies by Mathieu Tillier and Naïm Vanthieghem. Includes many previously unidentified Cairo Geniza fragments.
pictured: geniza.princeton.edu/en/docu…
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