The New Critical Edition of the Etymologicum Gudianum

Of all Byzantine lexica with a focus on etymologies, the Etymologicum Gudianum has enjoyed the widest circulation: this lexicon, which originated in 11th-century Southern Italy, is transmitted in approximately 40 manuscripts, mainly from Southern Italy and Crete; it has also been used extensively by the Etymologicum Magnum. Therefore, the Etymologicum Gudianum is of crucial importance to the dissemination of knowledge pertaining to the Greek language in Byzantine times. Starting in 2020, the project ‘Etymologika’ of the Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Hamburg has been working on a new edition of the Etymologicum Gudianum, which will mainly be based on the original manuscript of the lexicon, the codex Vaticanus Barberinianus graecus 70, a working copy with several textual layers added in subsequent steps. This new edition will update the partial one by E.L. De Stefani (1909–1920, breaking off after the entry ζειαί) and substitute the outdated and deficient editio princeps by F.W. Sturz (1818). The first printed volume, covering the sections ζ and η, with the Greek text and a facing English translation, a critical apparatus, an apparatus fontium, similium et testimoniorum, and explanatory notes, is due to be published in 2026. Simultaneously, a digital edition (ETYM.ON) targeting a wider readership and providing additional resources such as manuscript images and a more extensive commentary is being created; the first sections from the letters β–δ and ζ–θ can already be consulted online. The poster will present the features of both the printed and the digital edition and discuss the methods applied in the editorial process. It will especially focus on a comparison with the editio princeps, highlighting how the progress of research on the Etymologicum Gudianum is reflected in the new edition.