This workshop series brings together scholars from different disciplines who study the textual, numerical, and visual representations of celestial bodies and phenomena, and imaginary inhabitants of the heavens across Eurasia and North Africa from the fourth millennium BCE to early modern times.

They will discuss three major sets of research topics and their respective methodologies:

1. the materiality of the visualizations of the heavens with regard to structure, phenomena, functions, or purposes;
2. pictorial choices, their spread, and their changes across space and/or time;
3. relationships between pictorial programs, time management, and knowledge about the heavens and their appearances on instruments and in texts, rituals and representations of power, order, or fate.

The first workshop focuses on the ancient world until 700 CE discussing iconographies and their contexts from Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, the Christian Middle East and eastern Europe, Central Asia, and East Asia.

The second workshop carries the conversation to medieval western and eastern Europe, South Asia, Tibet, and China. Both workshops include sessions on the image database under construction and the digital resources currently available and those slated for future development. Two roundtables will explore directions of research to develop the project in its next phase, and how to strengthen and extend the international research network enabling it.

Flyer/Program