1 day agoThe more important questionAlmost all ancient, medieval, early modern and modern iconography got history wrong. Ancient and medieval artists represented the past according to their own time and culture, while early modern and modern art treated historical themes in line with their fanciful ideas about the past. A medieval manuscript illumination or wooden…2 min read2 min read
3 days agoDouble evolutionThe linguistic map of modern Europe is one of the most complex in the world. There is little to none mutual comprehension between a German, a French, or an English, even though the countries share borders within a relatively limited geographical space. …2 min read2 min read
5 days agoThe map and the territoryThe way we know something conceptually is to break it down into discrete units, bounded and separated by the clear demarcations we impose on the object of study. In history, the age or period is an essential discrete concept. One age succeeds another, one period is followed by another which…2 min read2 min read
Sep 22Historical illiteracyThere are personal blindspots, and there are cultural blindspots. Things we don’t see, but others are aware of. In a culture, blindspots are particularly treacherous because most people become unaware of things that are there, or that should be. Collective blindness ensues. One common such blindspot is history. Historical illiteracy…2 min read2 min read
Sep 20PlasticityIn French, a flipchart is called a ‘paperboard’. In English, a paperboard has nothing to do with a flipchart. It is a kind of cardboard. In Spanish, ‘footing’ means jogging, but footing, a word of English origin, doesn’t exist in English with the same meaning. …2 min read2 min read
Sep 18Life after lifeThe life cycle of a medieval manuscript is radically different from than that of a modern book. Due to the resistant nature of parchment, manuscripts are not only long-lasting, but they are long-lasting in their use. A written manuscript is never final. They are added to by subsequent readers. The…2 min read2 min read
Sep 15We shouldn’t underestimateWe shouldn’t underestimate the power of cultural grammar. We shouldn’t underestimate the scope of letter forms. We shouldn’t underestimate the deep historical roots of everything we think innovative and novel today. We shouldn’t underestimate the clash of views that has always been a historical constant and a foundational trait. We…1 min read1 min read
Sep 13A question of choiceDespite all the challenges of the period, the monasteries of the early Middle Ages were in an enviable position: they could choose which books to copy and which to neglect. With the progressive (in some parts) and sudden (in others) dissolution of imperial Roman civlization structures, the Western book production…2 min read2 min read
Sep 11Two ways of readingElevation. Internal coherence. Moving beyond the vehicle, capturing reality through it. Wisdom against science. Forever disconnected. There was a great divorce in the Western middle ages. It wasn’t political. It wasn’t economic. It wasn’t social. It was cognitive. The modern worldview was made possible due to the internal crisis of…2 min read2 min read
Sep 8Preserve after readingSometimes it’s easier to produce than to preserve. To duplicate than to store. To fight the unending battle against erosion and dissolution by adding and adding to the dwindling stockpile. The papyri of the ancient Mediterranean needed constant care for survival. Only the aridity of Egypt could, on its own…2 min read2 min read
