Coronidis Loco: On the Meaning of Elephants, from Baghdad to Aachen
Paul M. Cobb
It is well-known that in 801 CE, a delegation from the caliph Hārūn al-Rashı̄d arrived court of Charlemagne, recently crowned Holy Roman Emperor. As also well-known, among gifts brought was an elephant, named Abū’l-‘Abbās, who remained Charlemagne’s possession until elephant killed battle 810. Thanks to generations attention by medievalists, significance this within economic and diplomatic context Carolingian west has been richly documented. More recently, cultural such gift circles received its due. However, same cannot be said for Islamic world. This paper does not try offer any (radically) new interpretation or (terribly) sources on Hārūn’s elephant-gift, but it seek sketch meaning elephants as royal early period: so much what meant might have thought meant. The will conclude with some thoughts how whole episode interpreted medievalists historians since eighteenth century. In short, address two separate related questions: did mean court, can way we studied tell us about Western scholarship medieval world?
Mediterranean perspectives