Talk. Divna Manolova "Nature’s Building Blocks: Diagrams of the Four Elements in Byzantine Manuscripts"

Divna Manolova will be giving a lecture organized by the Argentine Committee of Byzantine Studies (CAEBiz) on Tuesday, 23 November 2021, 19:00 CET. 

Download the flyer as pdf here

Participation 

The lecture will take place online. No registration is required.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87801703349?pwd=QTA0YlpWL0R3Y01OYWxVOGJ1TFFQdz09 
Meeting ID: 878 0170 3349
Passcode: 954101

Abstract 

This paper forms part of my ongoing research on the role representation, both abstract and illustrative, and imagination (phantasia) play in the design and use of Byzantine diagrammatic and technological devices for the purposes of understanding, mapping, preserving and transmitting knowledge concerning the cosmos and the natural world. Thus, in this paper I discuss various ways, through which Byzantine scholars employed diagrams in order to visualize what was otherwise impossible to observe, namely the basic building blocks of nature, such as the four elements of earth, water, air and fire. The paper is part of a work in progress and does not aim to offer any definitive answers, but rather to engage the audience in a process of collaborative thinking concerning nature, imagination, and scientific representation in Byzantium.

If you have any questions, please contact: comiteestudiosbizantinos@gmail.com