Keynote Speaker: Dr. Julian Yolles
Dr. Yolles is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Medieval Literature of the University of Southern Denmark. There, he is laying the groundwork for a wide-ranging project on the "Latin Libraries of the Levant," which will seek to chart and analyze the library collections and reading practices of the Franks in the Levant.
In the past, Dr. Yolles served as Lecturer on Medieval Latin in the Department of the Classics at Harvard University, where he taught courses on Roman Comedy and its reception in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Medieval Latin language and literature, Classical Latin literary history, and the Graeco-Roman intellectual and cultural legacy in Christianity and Islam. His work examines Latin literary culture in the broadest sense, from Antiquity to the Early Modern period, with a particular interest in Latin literature as an instrument of power, as a means for acquiring intellectual authority, and as an expression of cultural difference. |
The Natural and the Supernatural in the Medieval Latin Lives of Muhammad: This paper examines the genre of polemical lives of Muhammad, written by Christians in Latin between the ninth and fourteenth centuries. I argue that the evolving portrayal of Muhammad should be viewed in light of the sweeping changes in European intellectual culture from the early twelfth century onward, which involved not only the increasing application of rationalism to theology, but also a sudden large influx of Arabic texts and ideas as part of the translation movements of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. While the lives of Muhammad are typically regarded as a discourse separate from the intellectual developments taking place across Europe, I suggest that these narratives participate in a complex engagement with the growing influence of Muslim thinkers on Christian intellectual culture.
Speakers
Pim Schievink
Pim Schievink (1996) finished his Bachelor’s in History at the University of Groningen (RUG). His thesis focussed on Egyptian religion in fourth-century Athens. It looked at how Egyptian religion came to Athens, adding a cultural explanation to the existing economic explanation, as well as discussing how the cults functioned for Egyptians and Athenians. The paper was published at Uitgeverij Jonge Historici, along with several short columns dealing with ancient history. Currently he is doing the Research Master Classical, Medieval and Early Modern studies at the RUG. His interest within cultural history is on ancient religions. At the moment, he is working on healing dreams at the sanctuary of Asclepius in Epidauros, Roman interactions with Epidauros and the festival networks of Epidauros. Moreover, since January 2018 he is an editor in the TIjdschrift voor Mediterrane Archeology. |
Dreaming epiphanies: a cognitive approach on healing dreams in the Asclepius sanctuary of Epidauros in the 4th century BC.
Illness is part of everyday life, possibly even larger in antiquity than it is now. Besides the doctors that were present in the ancient Greek world, sanctuaries of Asclepius existed where people went with the hope of receiving a healing dream. One of the largest and earliest sanctuaries dedicated to Asclepius that received a large audience was at Epidauros. Also our most important sources on Asclepius, the healing inscriptions (iamata), were found here. Supernatural healing was a large part of the ancient Greek world that coexisted with the more natural healing, i.e. doctors. The first part of my paper deals with how Greeks thought about medicine and dreams. The second part is, however, more important. There exists a large corpus of scholarly literature on Asclepius, but what is missing is essentially a discussion on how these dreams were generated. By using a cognitive approach on the preliminary rituals and the layout of the sanctuary, a more complete image is created on how these dreams are generated and why people dreamt at these sanctuaries. I argue that the necessary rituals and the layout of the sanctuary of Epidauros actively changed the state of mind of the patient, supported by cognitive psychology, making dreams common enough to ensure people to keep on coming to this sanctuary. |
The Ghost of Cynthia (Propertius Elegies 4.7.) in the Frame of Homer and Virgil
In my paper, I will discuss Elegies 4.7. (henceforward referred to as 4.7.) from the Roman poet Propertius (1st century B.C.) in an epic frame. I will compare the ghost of Cynthia with the ghosts of Patroclus (Homer’s Iliad 23.66-107), Elpenor (Homer Odyssey 11.51-83), Agamemnon (Homer Odyssey 11.385-464) and Creüsa (Virgil Aeneid II.768-795). While Propertius clearly shapes 4.7. after Patroclus’ meeting with Achilles, Propertius’ use of literary motives and Cynthia’s behaviour could be inspired by these other ghosts. After examination of the evidence, I argue that Propertius could have used these literary motives to stress the mock epic/tragic layer of the poem. |
Dylan Breedeveld
Dylan Breedeveld finished his Bachelor’s degree in Classics at the Radboud University (Nijmegen). His interest lies in an interdisciplinary approach to the field of classics, in particular the study of classical and early christian or late antique literature, combined with the study of ancient history and archaeology. His thesis discussed various christian and platonic commentaries on Boëthius De Consolatione Philosophiae, 3.9 from the Middle Ages. |
Jitse Daniels
Jitse Daniels studied history at the University of Groningen, and completed his Bachelor in 2018. His main interest is Ancient History, with special focus on Roman (Republican) political history, on which he also wrote his thesis, titled: “Een geïnstitutionaliseerde Revolutie: De rol van het Volkstribunaat in ontwikkelingen in de politieke cultuur van de Romeinse Republiek”. He is also a former editorial board member of Historical journal Groniek. In his current research master’s he continues research on various topics concerning Roman history, mainly focusing on political culture. |
Augurs, haruspices and the will of the gods in Roman politics
As in many ancient societies, religion and the supernatural was deeply intertwined in all aspects of Roman society. In the Republic, the will of the gods, interpreted by special priests and seers, was a very serious political matter. The interpretations of the augurs, the most important interpreters of divine will, could annul political decisions or demand others. Therefore certain priests, religious protocol and ‘the will of the gods’ seem to have had immense influence in Republican politics. In this paper the extent of this influence will be examined particularly for Roman augurs and ‘haruspices’, Etruscan soothsayers who were consulted by the Roman Senate. Firstly, modern research on the subject of these priests and their role in Roman society is examined. Subsequently, the abundant sources left by Cicero – who was both an augur and a successful politician – on the subject of divination, Roman politics and priestly colleges are thoroughly analysed to determine how augurs and haruspices were involved in politics, how the Romans thought about the powers, duties and functions of these priests, and what this meant for their position in the Roman power-structure and their influence in the decision-making process in practice. With specific focus on the influence of these priests on Roman politics, it is attempted to add a new perspective on the interaction of the supernatural in Roman politics and on the role of these priests in the Republican power-structure. |
Friends in high places: Cooperating with God in the Livonian Crusade
The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia is the main source on the Livonian Crusade. It's stated purpose was to preserve to posterity how God cooperated with the crusaders in the conquest of the East Baltic. The article investigates how such a cooperative effort between natural and supernatural forces was understood to work in practice. Conventional analysis is paired with abstraction to distinguish events into natural and supernatural parts in order to identify a coherent system of roles and contributions. As a result, the article is able to map the terms and conditions of the alliance between God and men. It is also able to identify a complex but coherent system for how the natural and supernatural allies assisted each other on the battlefield, whether on the physical or spiritual battlefield. |
Johannes Vennäng
Johannes Benjamin Vennäng graduated from Lund University in 2018. He has a Bachelor of Arts, with history as his major. The title of his bachelor thesis was: “Bellator Rex: Hospitaller Survival During the Templar Purge.” Using political culture as its analytical framework, it investigated how the military orders’ struggle for survival in the unstable political culture that gripped the crusader movement following the loss of Acre in 1291. A major finding was how Fulk of Villaret, the Hospitaller Grand Master, not only managed to secure the survival of his order, but actively partook in reshaping the political structure of the entire crusader movement in doing so. Dick Harrison, his supervisor, considered the thesis to be: “of significant importance to our study of political culture in the era.” Johannes is currently studying for a Research Master’s in classical, medieval, and early modern studies at the University of Groningen. His main eras of interest are the early and high middle ages, with a special interest in religious warfare and its practitioners. |
Emma Joppe studied English Literature at the University of Groningen and completed her bachelor’s degree in 2018 with a thesis on the Old English poem The Ruin: “Reading Ruins: The Anglo-Saxon Appropriation of Britain’s Roman Past”. Her interest mainly lies in the (in)stability of late-medieval English social and political identities in literature, transmissions of knowledge, the history of ideas and book history. She has given lectures for the NKV (Dutch Classical Association) and other cultural organisations, and hopes to keep connecting the public and academia.
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Martyrs for Science: Thomas Norton and the Character of Fifteenth-Century English Alchemy
Although George Ripley and Thomas Norton are usually considered the two great fifteenth-century English alchemists, Norton’s fame and impact is nowhere near that of his alleged master. Norton’s Ordinal of Alchemy remains woefully understudied, yet is highly valuable to the study of alchemy in its distinctly English character and great emphasis on the education of laymen in the veracity of serious alchemy and the danger of frauds. As a consequence of Norton’s attempt to explain the very secret art of alchemy to a wider audience, the pages of the Ordinal are riddled with tensions and seeming contradictions. Traditionally, alchemy is characterised by sworn secrecy between master and pupil, so Norton must defend the truth of alchemy without breaking this almost sacred pact. Owing to the laicisation of the art in the fourteenth and fifteenth century, alchemists tend to be very suspicious of the avaricious and violent society in which they live and seek seclusion. In an urbanised intellectual society like England, however, the alchemist is almost wholly dependent on the commerce, laws and perceptions of the community it attempts to reject. Norton does not participate in the international community of alchemists as much as Ripley does, but this relative isolationism presents a unique opportunity to study the state and relevance of alchemy in fifteenth-century English society and the importance of a lay alchemist like Thomas Norton, and to understand and possibly resolve some of the aforementioned tensions |
The intermingling Supernatural World of Jacob Vallick
In the mid-sixteenth century Jacob Vallick was a Catholic pastor of the small village of Groessen near Zevenaar. He published several works of which I will investigate Toveren, wat voor werc dat is. The duchy of Cleves, where Vallick lived, was known to be a religious hub of reform movements both Catholic and Protestant. At first glance, this religious diversity is also visible in the work Toveren. Vallick wrote in a style characteristic for the higher clergy and their counter-reformation, while at the same time he was part of the Catholic lower clergy and wrote in the vernacular. Moreover, there is also argued that Tooveren contains several characteristics of Erasmianism. All these religious groups or movements had different ideas about magic. Therefore, I think that Vallick had a rather exceptional position in thinking about magic and sorcery. To demonstrate this exceptional position, I will focus in my paper on the way Jacob Vallick articulated his magical universe in the 1598 tract Toveren. |
Karst Schuil
Karst Schuil studied History at the University of Groningen before starting the research master Classical, Medieval, and Early Modern Studies,He completed his Bachelor in 2018 with the thesis titled: “Twee Zijden van dezelfde medaille: De Godsvredebeweging en de vervolgingsmaatschappij als aanzet tot eerste kruistocht.” In his thesis Karst studied several chronicles of the First Crusade and the ideas that influenced their authors. In the end Karst concluded that the crusading thought was both influenced by a persecuting mentality as result of the Gregorian reforms and the peaceful Pax Dei movement originating from the cloister of Cluny. Focusing mainly on the high and late medieval period Karst his main interests are in social cultural history, intellectual history and book history. He is particularly interested in the plague, the crusades, and the use of scholarly and religious knowledge in daily life. Currently, he is also occupied with cataloguing the incunabula collection of the Special Collections department of the University of Groningen. |
Theodore (Teddy) R. Delwiche is a recent graduate of Harvard College (2018), where he received his bachelor’s degree cum laude with high honors in Classics, along with a minor in history. His senior thesis examined the attitudes and practices of classical education in New England during the seventeenth century. A revised chapter of that thesis will appear in the June issue of The New England Quarterly, and another chapter is forthcoming in the Oxford University Press Series “History of Universities.” Currently, Teddy is a first-year research master’s student in the classical, medieval, and early modern history program at the University of Groningen. His research continues to focus on the history of education, history of the book, and the reception of the classics in colonial New England with a particular emphasis on student reading, notetaking, and composing in Latin.
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“secreta secretae alkymiae secrete servabo;” Apprehensions towards Alchemy in Colonial New England
Though once regarded as a degenerate and distant relative of science, alchemy has reclaimed its place in scholarship as a legitimate form of scientific inquiry. Recent historians like William Newman have shown how alchemical research flourished in early modern Europe, and into the new world and even on the margins of empire. While much has been done to uncover the intercontinental reputations of New England alchemists, much still remains when it comes to the actual attitudes about alchemy in the early colonies. Focusing on a corpus of roughly a dozen unpublished, untranslated, and all but entirely unexamined Latin orations (c. 200 pages) composed by Harvard College’s presidents and students in the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth century, I argue that these new sources reveal the ambivalent, occasionally antagonistic attitude that educated New England men had towards the art of alchemy. While appreciating what they regarded as some selfless, Christian efforts to cure diseases, these Harvard elite speakers worried that alongside pious investigators had cropped up a cadre of self-serving charlatans, those who cared not for the communal promises of the art, but only the base financial reward. Thus, within the New England academy, alchemy lost its luster when it forgot its supernatural origins, when it became less focused on relying on God to cure disease, and more preoccupied with the natural, the mundane, the monetary. |
Photos by H.I. Lavell