Ahmad ibn Fadlan’s 10th century Risala contains important data for scholars active in ancient Germanic studies: Here readers can find an eyewitness account of the Rus’, a community of pagan Scandinavian merchants and subsequent namesake of modern Russia. Specialists in the field are overwhelmingly dependent upon translations of the text: Very few scholars in ancient Germanic studies read Middle Arabic. Whether for scholastic discussion or in preparation for a new translation, scholars are wise to survey extant editions of the text and to consult accompanying supplementary material. By way of the present survey, the authors hope to help simplify this process.

Ibn Fadlan’s Risala has here and there filtered down into modern Western popular culture: For example, the first season of Michael Hirst’s popular television show Vikings (2013) contains scenes that reconstruct aspects of ibn Fadlan’s account and Michael Crichton’s 1976 novel Eaters of the Dead (along with its 1999 film adaptation, The 13th Warrior, directed by John McTiernan) is something of an adaptation of ibn Fadlan’s account. The present survey provides an entry point for general readers who aim to compare extant English translations.

Read the survey here