An Interdisciplinary History of Writing

How has writing shaped human societies and cultures and how have these, in turn, adapted
writing to their needs?
Research on written artefacts (such as manuscripts and inscriptions) is not all about the contents of texts. It begins with the physical object itself, be it a Mesopotamian clay tablet with cuneiform writing, an ancient rock inscription, an Indian palm-leaf manuscript, or a legal document written on parchment in medieval Europe. At this summer school, students investigate the composition of writing supports, ingredients of inks, and the binding of a codex. They also learn about the circumstances of the production, use and re-use, and the attribution of certain qualities or powers to a manuscript or other written artefacts.
The course takes a global and comparative approach and is characterized by the cooperation between the humanities and the natural and computer sciences.

Course leader

This summer school is taught by an international team of leading scholars from the humanities, natural sciences, and computer sciences. For further information about the teaching team, please visit the course website.

Target group

- Students from the humanities, the natural sciences, or computer sciences with an interest in research on written artefacts (such as manuscripts and inscriptions). Students should be enrolled at least in their 2nd year of a BA/BSc programme or in MA/MSc programmes
- Doctoral and postdoctoral researchers

Course aim

Participants are introduced to selected areas of an interdisciplinary research environment, learn how to cooperate in multi-national interdisciplinary teams and present their results to heterogeneous groups. They will study various research objects with methods from the natural sciences and computer sciences, but also from the perspective of the humanities.