Resurrecting Homo Ottomanicus: The Constants And Variables Of Ottoman Identity

Abstract

The single specimen I propose to dissect was a man whose lifetime spanned the second half of the eighteenth century, and the first quarter of the nineteenth. He was born in Aleppo in 1172 of the hijri calendar (i.e. 1758 C.E.), and after several years of on-the-job training, he followed in his father’s professional footsteps. Our anonymous corpse, whose name will be revealed below, spoke Arabic, Turkish, and a few other languages. This was vital in his line of work, which was connected with Aleppo’s long-distance trade.