Continuation and Chronography: Notes on the Composition of Ibn Aʿtham al-Kūfī’s History

Abstract This paper revisits the hypothesis that Ibn Aʿtham al-Kūfī (d. ca. 320/932) only wrote parts of the two works typically ascribed to him, the Kitāb al-Futūḥ and the Kitāb al-Taʾrīkh . Drawing on recent work that dates Ibn Aʿtham and his history to the first half of the fourth/tenth century, it seeks to demonstrate that textual features and narratives which have been interpreted as pointing toward a change in authorship need to be reconsidered. Ultimately, it is suggested that Ibn Aʿtham’s history, which has often been treated as an eccentric, possibly sectarian text, may be seen as more-or-less typical of fourth/tenth century historiography.