Merchants of Knowledge
Book • 2025
Robert Morrison's book delves into a remarkable century of intellectual exchange across the Eastern Mediterranean between 1450 and 1550.
It tracks the network of multilingual, transregional Jewish scholars who served as a crucial bridge between Renaissance Europe and the Ottoman Empire.
These 'merchants of knowledge' facilitated exchanges in diverse fields such as astronomy, astrology, Qabbalah, and philosophy.
Morrison reveals that their books, manuscripts, and translations held economic value, intertwining commerce and intellectual pursuits.
The book challenges the notion of a hegemonic Renaissance, portraying it instead as a diverse and multicultural era influenced by the Ottoman Empire.
It tracks the network of multilingual, transregional Jewish scholars who served as a crucial bridge between Renaissance Europe and the Ottoman Empire.
These 'merchants of knowledge' facilitated exchanges in diverse fields such as astronomy, astrology, Qabbalah, and philosophy.
Morrison reveals that their books, manuscripts, and translations held economic value, intertwining commerce and intellectual pursuits.
The book challenges the notion of a hegemonic Renaissance, portraying it instead as a diverse and multicultural era influenced by the Ottoman Empire.
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Mentioned by Morteza Hajizadeh as a fascinating book recently published with Stanford University Press.
Robert G. Morrison, "Merchants of Knowledge: Intellectual Exchange in the Ottoman Empire and Renaissance Europe" (Stanford UP, 2025)
