The project Zodiac - Ancient Astral Science in Transformation (ERC) at the Institute for the History of Knowledge in the Ancient World, Freie Universität Berlin, is hosting a workshop in cooperation with IAS - Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton, and the Bergische Universität Wuppertal, 10–11 April 2025:

The Visual Scribe: Tables and Diagrams in Middle Eastern Manuscripts

Freie Universität Berlin

Fabeckstr. 23-25, room 2.2058

14195 Berlin

Conveners: Sonja Brentjes (Bergische Universität Wuppertal), Mathieu Ossendrijver (Freie Universität Berlin), Sabine Schmidtke (Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton), George A. Kiraz (Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton)

Since places may be limited, we ask anyone interested in attending to RSVP before 1 April by writing to zodiac@geschkult.fu-berlin.de and providing your full name, country of residence, and affiliation (if any), and indicate whether you want to attend in person or remotely.

The workshop will provide a platform to delve into the rich tradition of tables and diagrams in Middle Eastern manuscripts. We will examine various aspects of these visual representations, including their historical contexts, symbolic meanings, cultural significance, and methodological approaches.
Topics of interest include the evolution of tables and diagrams, analysis of specific types of tables and diagrams (e.g., genealogical tables, astronomical diagrams, geometric patterns, tabular data), comparative studies across different manuscript traditions, the role of tables and diagrams in knowledge transmission and dissemination, digital tools and techniques for analyzing and reconstructing tables and diagrams. This across-discipline workshop aims to cover manuscripts in various languages, including, but not limited to, Arabic, Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian*, Hebrew, Persian, and Syriac, in addition to the ancient languages of Egypt and Mesopotamia.

More information on the program will follow soon.