African Scribes: Manuscript Culture of Ethiopia, The British Library, Sir John Ritblat Treasures Gallery, February 6–April 29, 2018

The Ethiopian collections in the British Library include over 500 manuscripts most of which are written in Ge'ez and were acquired from the mid-eighteenth century onwards. The collection is especially strong in illuminated manuscripts of the 16th and 17th centuries and also contains, in addition to biblical texts, an important collection of Ethiopian magical and divinatory scrolls.

On display in African Scribes: Manuscript Culture of Ethiopia is a selection of twelve manuscripts chosen to highlight highlights the intellectual and artistic achievements of Ethiopian scribes, preservers and guardians of the Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox Church’s literary output. The exhibition is the first to be held at the British Library devoted entirely to Ethiopian manuscripts, exploring the culture of a manuscript tradition which extends back to the early centuries of the Christian era.