Constantine The African - Constantine Emigration To Italy

Constantine Emigration To Italy

Karl Sudhoff, said, according to documents cited above, he emigrated first to Italy as a merchant from Sicily, and was called in those documents Constantine Siculus. He moved to Salerno as a merchant (mercator). Suffering from an illness and took refuge with the king's brother Gusulf. A doctor named "Abbas of Curiat" was the interpreter between the two men, as Constantine ignored the Italian. Constantine noted that Abbas did not ask for the bottle of urine and the doctor who had come to examine it was inexperienced. He concludes that medicine in Italy was limited to a few simple practical knowledge, which led Constantine to ask whether there was in Italy for good books in medicine, he said no. This man, who had an extensive general knowledge, felt he had a civilizing mission that he wanted to accomplish.

He returned to Carthage. He practiced medicine for three years and collected many books of medicine and went to southern Italy carrying with him this treasure. He walked towards Salerno and then he passed through the coast of Lucania, north of the Gulf of Polycastro, a storm arose at sea damaging some manuscripts. The first three parts of the books of Ali Ibn Abbas Al Majoussi were lost. Our man arrived at Salerno with what remained of the books, he converted to Christianity, then moved to Cassino, where he worked as an interpreter. The Sudhof story ends with this event.

These are the parts borrowed and translated word for word from the study of Karl Sudhoff. Sudhoff is a scientist who has a thorough knowledge of history, renowned for its reliability in research. The interpreter between Constantine and the Italian doctor on his first trip, was also a Tunisian doctor. Was he not called Abbas of Curiat? Curiat is an island lying off the town of Mahdia, Tunisia. May be Abbas was with there with him from Sicily? Constantine was a trader and cultivated, there is nothing surprising, because education in the great mosque of the Zaytuna in Tunis and the scientists houses was open to all. He understood the traditional and the rational knowledge. The trade between Tunisia and Italy were flourishing, and that did not cease during difficult times. Tunisia had offices in various locations of Christian Sicily and southern Italy itself. These include Bari, Taranto, Agripolis and Gaglione.

Tunisia exported olive oil, wax, leather, wool and derivatives, and imported wheat in famine years. Market forces did not prohibit trade with countries of Christians and Constantine was converted to Christianity there is nothing surprising in that the thing was common, particularly if the person was forced, which was the case for prisoners. These include the case of Moroccan Hassan El Ouazzani traveler who converted to Christianity and called himself Leo Africanus, a situation similar to that of Constantine the African.