▁claim ▁to ▁be ▁based ▁on ▁a ▁ 9 th - century ▁Arab ic ▁translation ▁of ▁a ▁Sy ri ac ▁translation ▁of ▁the ▁lost ▁Greek ▁original . ▁Modern ▁scholar ship ▁finds ▁it ▁likely ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁a ▁ 1 0 th - century ▁work ▁composed ▁in ▁Arab ic . ▁Trans l ated ▁into ▁Latin ▁in ▁the ▁mid - 1 2 th ▁century , ▁it ▁was ▁influ ential ▁among ▁European ▁intellect uals ▁during ▁the ▁High ▁Middle ▁A ges . ▁ ▁Origin ▁The ▁origin ▁of ▁the ▁treat ise ▁remains ▁uncertain . ▁The ▁Arab ic ▁edition ▁claims ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁translation ▁from ▁Greek ▁by ▁ 9 th - century ▁scholar ▁Ab u ▁Y ah ya ▁ibn ▁al - B atri q ▁( d ied ▁ 8 1 5 ▁CE ), ▁and ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁main ▁transl ators ▁of ▁Greek - language ▁philosoph ical ▁works ▁for ▁Al - Ma ' mun , ▁working ▁from ▁a ▁Sy ri ac ▁edition ▁which ▁was ▁itself ▁translated ▁from ▁a ▁Greek ▁original . ▁It ▁contains ▁supposed ▁letters ▁from ▁Arist ot le ▁to ▁his ▁pup il ▁Alexander ▁the ▁Great . ▁No ▁such ▁texts ▁have ▁been ▁discovered ▁and ▁it ▁appears ▁the ▁work ▁was ▁actually ▁composed ▁in ▁Arab ic . ▁The ▁letters ▁may ▁thus ▁derive ▁from ▁the ▁Islam ic ▁and ▁Pers ian ▁leg ends ▁surrounding ▁Alexander . ▁The ▁Arab ic ▁treat ise ▁is ▁preserved ▁in ▁two ▁copies : ▁a ▁longer ▁ 1 0 - book ▁version ▁and ▁a ▁shorter ▁version ▁of ▁ 7 ▁or ▁ 8 ▁books ; ▁the ▁latter ▁is ▁preserved ▁in ▁about ▁ 5