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Papers by Ellen Van Keer

Research paper thumbnail of Muziek en mythen in het oude Griekenland: noties en perspectieven

Research paper thumbnail of Look who's talking!: Linking objects and publications by integrating the museum and library catalogs at the RMAH, Brussels

Leuven Digital Humanities 2015 Summer School, Sep 7, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Olypmos the musician in Greek literature and art : mythology and music history

This study considers the range of representations of Olympos the musician in Greek literature and... more This study considers the range of representations of Olympos the musician in Greek literature and art. The general aim is two-fold: (a) to demonstrate the relative autonomy and the complementary value of textual and visual sources in musical research; and (b) to establish the reciprocity of the disciplines involved with the study of musical myths, notably of music history and mythology. Olympos is an ambiguous mythical-legendary musician to whom distant eastern origins are attributed. In the discipline of mythology he is primarily regarded as the companion of the unsavoury character of Marsyas. But in the history of Greek music he is considered as a legendary musician and accredited with major musical realizations (the introduction of the enharmonic genus). He belongs to the category of musical "first inventors" and operates on the borderlines between 'myth' and 'history', not as clear-cut categories as scholarship traditionally assumes. Modern academic separations are inadequate in the Greek context. An integrated approach is more adequate and produces a new and more complex understanding of Olympos the musician and the "Mousikè" ("of the Muses") in ancient Greece

Research paper thumbnail of Judith M. Barringer, Art, Myth, and Ritual in Classical Greece. Cambridge, University Press, 2008

Research paper thumbnail of Roger D. Woodard (Ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Greek Mythology. Cambridge, University Press, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Synnøve Des Bouvrie (éd.), Myth and Symbol II. Symbolic phenomena in ancient Greek culture

Research paper thumbnail of P. Murray, P. Wilson (éds), Music and the Muses: The Culture of Mousike in the Classical Athenian City

Research paper thumbnail of Moving from Cross-Collection Integration to Explorations of Linked Data Practices in the Library of Antiquity at the Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels

Research paper thumbnail of Review of "Daniela Castaldo, Musiche dell'Italia antica: introduzione all'archeologia musicale. Richerche, 2. Bologna: Ante Quem, 2012. Pp. 144. ISBN 9788878490741

Research paper thumbnail of Archaeology of Ancient Greek Music: from reconstructing instruments to deconstructing concepts

This paper explores the implications archaeology can carry in view of our knowledge about ancient... more This paper explores the implications archaeology can carry in view of our knowledge about ancient Greek music. In the 'classical' historical-philological perspective, archaeology of music mainly involves (a) organological study of remains of musical instruments and (b) study of musical finds or representations from proto- and pre-historic contexts. Taking material culture as point of departure expands the information beyond that traditionally derived from texts alone. It extends furthermore the perception beyond that imposed by historiography, which places ancient Greece at the beginnings of western written art music. Ethnographic analogies and critical theories confirm that this concept of 'ancient Greek music' carries with it important modern and ethnocentric assumptions. Comparative notions and methods are more adequate here and archaeology of music is much disposed at their implementation. It supports both ultimate ambitions of (a) 'reconstructing' the mu...

Research paper thumbnail of Let's talk! Towards automated integration of the digital collections and library catalogs of the Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels

As a result of recent digitization efforts, the RMAH has a solid digital infrastructure today. Th... more As a result of recent digitization efforts, the RMAH has a solid digital infrastructure today. The objects in its collections are catalogued in MuseumPlus, made available online on Carmentis, and harvested by services such as Europeana. The documents in the museum’s libraries are catalogued in Aleph, published through its OPAC and harvested by services such as Unicat. In the current framework both systems and datasets exist completely independently. However, they fundamentally overlap, not only on the general conceptual (thematic) level but all the way the individual object level. Moreover, documenting the collections is a core aspect of the scientific work done by the researchers of the museum, but this information is not maintained in a central system today. Hence, the museum wishes to move towards a more integrated infrastructure and develop a user-interface that links its objects with bibliographic references as well as with full-text documents. This will obviously improve the quality and usability of this information for research. As the underlying systems are compliant with international standards of interoperability, the question is not the technical feasibility of data-integration as such, but the degree of data-unity most effectively achieved. A range of scenario’s are being investigated: the creation of hard links between related records in separate management systems; the use of a shared thesaurus for linking related content; connecting datasets by mapping metadata and aggregation by a service provider; the implementation of linked open data and semantic technology; or any combination of them.

Research paper thumbnail of Olympus the Musician in Ancient Greek Art: Mythology and Music History

This paper considers the range of representations of Olympos the musician in Greek art. They reve... more This paper considers the range of representations of Olympos the musician in Greek art. They reveal a striking duality. In the branch of Greek mythology, Olympos is a subsidiary figure primarily connected with the unsavoury character of Marsyas. But in the study of Greek music he is a highly reputed musical "inventor". Clearly, an integrated cultural historical perspective is adequate and produces a more complex understanding of local variations in Olympos' representations in Greek art.

Research paper thumbnail of Aulos-players in images of animal sacrifice on Attic vases

Objectives: This study explores the clinical profiles and factors associated with COVID-19 in Cam... more Objectives: This study explores the clinical profiles and factors associated with COVID-19 in Cameroon. Research design and methods: In this prospective cohort study, we followed patients admitted for suspicion of COVID-19 at Djoungolo Hospital between 01 st April and 31 st July 2020. Patients were categorised by age groups and disease severity: mild (symptomatic without clinical signs of pneumonia pneumonia), moderate (with clinical signs of pneumonia without respiratory distress) and severe cases (clinical signs of pneumonia and respiratory distress not requiring invasive ventilation). Demographic information and clinical features were summarised. Multivariable analysis was performed to predict risk. Results: A total of 323 patients were admitted during the study period; 262 were confirmed cases of COVID-19 by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Among the confirmed cases, the male group aged 40 to 49 years (13.9%) was predominant. Disease severity ranged from mild (77%; N=204) to moderate (15%; N=40) to severe (7%; N=18); the case fatality rate was 1% (N=4). Dysgusia (46%; N=111) and hyposmia/anosmia (39%; N=89) were common features of COVID-19. Nearly one-third of patients had comorbidities (29%; N=53), of which hypertension was the most common (20%; N=48). Participation in a mass gathering (OR=5.47; P=0.03) was a risk factor for COVID-19. Age groups 60 to 69 (OR=7.41; P=0.0001), 50 to 59 (OR=4.09; P=0.03), 40 to 49 (OR=4.54; P=0.01), male gender (OR=2.53; P=0.04), diabetes (OR= 4.05; P= 0.01), HIV infection (OR=5.57; P=0.03), lung disease (OR= 6.29; P=0.01), dyspnoea (OR=3.70; P=0.008) and fatigue (OR=3.35; P=0.02) significantly predicted COVID-19 severity. Conclusion: Unlike many high-income settings, most COVID-19 cases in this study were benign with low fatality. Such findings may guide public health decision-making.

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating Texts and Images in the Study of the Ancient Greek Aulos-Myths

The music of the aulos was notoriously versatile and therefore especially “good to think with” an... more The music of the aulos was notoriously versatile and therefore especially “good to think with” and express through myth. The myth of Marsyas is the most important aulos-myth. However, it is primarily know from late mythographic treatments. The study of Greek art allows to achieve a more nuanced and contextualized understanding of the many and multiple meanings and the historic-geographic development and variations of this myth and other aulos-myths, which are substantial.

Research paper thumbnail of The Myth of Marsyas in Ancient Greek Art: musical and mythological iconography

This paper explores the iconographical approaches to the ancient Greek aulos and its myths. The g... more This paper explores the iconographical approaches to the ancient Greek aulos and its myths. The general aim is two-fold: (a) to demonstrate the relative autonomy and complementary value of textual and visual sources in study of ancient Greek myth and music; (b) to establish the reciprocity of the disciplines involved in studying visual representations of musical myths, notably musical and mythological iconography. In particular, this paper integrates approaches researchers can take in studying the Greek myth of Marsyas. In classical mythology, with its primary literary orientation, the myth of Marsyas is widely regarded as an ultimate mythical expression of typical "Greek" dichotomies such as of aulos-kithara, Apollo-Dionysos, Greece-barbarians, etc. However, we can achieve a more nuanced picture by taking a closer look at the iconography, because visual sources are more numerous and specified in time and pace. The Italiote vases are quite independent of the Attic ones. Ev...

Research paper thumbnail of De Griekse Marsyasmythe: mythologie en iconografie

Kleio

De studie van klassieke mythologie is traditioneel primair op teksten gebaseerd. De Griekse Marsy... more De studie van klassieke mythologie is traditioneel primair op teksten gebaseerd. De Griekse Marsyas mythe is daardoor voornamelijk bekend in zijn antieke literaire gedaantes en moderne filologische interpretaties. Klassieke mythen zijn uiteraard niet alleen in teksten, maar ook - en vaak zelfs hoofdzakelijk - in de beeldende kunsten bewaard. Zo is het merendeel van de voorstellingen van de Marsyas mythe uit de Griekse periode te vinden in de Attische en Italiote vaasschilderkunst. De studie van de iconografie opent een belangrijk nieuw onderzoeksperspectief, omdat beelden talrijker, meer gevarieerd en duidelijker gelokaliseerd zijn dan teksten. Waar de klassieke interpretatie de Marsyas mythe typisch met fundamentele opposities verbindt zoals aulos-kithara, Dionysos-Apollo, Oost-west, natuur-cultuur, etc. daar levert de studie van de Griekse iconografie een meer complex en contextueel genuanceerd beeld op. De Italische vaasschilders tonen zich sterk onafhankelijk van de Attische. Bovendien brengen de Attische vazen op zich al een veelheid aan tradities naar voor. Zij stellen Marsyas niet zomaar als de gedoemde tegenstander van Athena en Apollo voor. Vele vazen tonen het (nog onbesliste) moment in de wedstrijd dat Marsyas zijn kunnen toont. Bovendien speelt hij niet alleen de aulos maar ook andere instrumenten, zelfs de kithara. Daarnaast verschijnt hij in andere en minder verlagende scènes, zoals met zijn leerling Olympus de muzikant, en in de processionele thiasos.

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating Music and Religion in the Study of the Ancient Greek Aulos and Mousikè

The aulos has a reputation for being rejected by the classical Greeks. However, this is perceptio... more The aulos has a reputation for being rejected by the classical Greeks. However, this is perception is primarily text-based and a matter of discourse, which can be qualified by studying its equally significant presence in the archaeological, the iconographical, and, especially, in the mythological evidence. The primarily ‘historical’ orientation of the study of ancient Greek music explains why this academic perspective has never fully engaged in the ‘mythical’ dimension of the ancient Greeks’ musical conceptions, even though such a dimension is fundamental. “Mousikè”, after all, literally means “of the Muses”. Music anthropology and ethnomusicology offer approaches and notions to study the ancient Greek Mousikè and aulos in their full complexity and context properly.

Research paper thumbnail of On Bridging Theory and Practice in the Perspective of History

Worldviews, Science and Us - Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Worlds, Cultures and Society - Proceedings of the Workshop on ‶Worlds, Cultures and Society″, 2011

""The gap existing between theory and practice is an old sore and a fashionable critici... more ""The gap existing between theory and practice is an old sore and a fashionable criticism of many disciplines in arts and humanities. The historical studies are no exception in this. The traditional approach is evidence-based and concentrates on practical and empirical matters while abandoning problems of interpretation and theory. It leaves questions of epistemology to the branches of theory and philosophy of history and science. However, the rise of 'postmodernism' brought to light that non-empirical factors are inevitable and pose major epistemological obstacles in the perspective of history. In particular, it has become clear that historians cannot but translate the past into their own words and concepts, and must be critic of hidden linguistic and cultural factors actively shaping the knowledge they produce. Indeed, a disciplined disregard of historical theory in historical writing is rooted in disruptive assumption underlying the notion of 'theory' in itself. To deal with the problem, this essay proposes a critical examination of the role and concepts of (1) epistemology, (2) theory, (3) philosophy, (4) methodology, and (5) historiography in the study of history. Historiography emerges as a most promising subject and field to expose and address issues of theory in the practice of writing history. Furthermore, (6) archaeology traditionally describes the empirical-analytical study of past material objects but recently it was also developed into a critical-theoretical concept that exposes hidden conceptual foundations, implicit modern assumptions, and intrinsic linguistic structures determining our knowledge about the past. Thus, it integrates the main opposing and complementary tenets and approaches in the 'new' perspective of history Read More: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/9789814355063_0009""

Research paper thumbnail of Not for Novices: Another BASIC Input Technique

OCLC Systems & Services, 1989

One of the most important aspects of programming in BASIC or any other language involves the inte... more One of the most important aspects of programming in BASIC or any other language involves the interaction between the program and its user. For a typical microcomputer, the principal channels for this interaction are via the CRT screen and the keyboard. (Mouse‐based systems such as the Macintosh constitute a separate universe, requiring a fundamentally different approach to programming.) This article focuses on user‐to‐program interaction via the keyboard in BASIC programs. This keyboard interaction may involve user‐issued commands, menu selections, data entry—anything the user “tells” the program. The programming techniques are similar in all cases. Here, we'll look at a specific technique for getting a menu selection from the user.

Research paper thumbnail of (D.) Ogden Perseus. Pp. xxiv + 194, ills. London and New York: Routledge, 2008. Paper, £16.99, US$29.95. (Cased, £60, US$110). ISBN: 978-0-415-42725-8 (978-0-415-42724-1 hbk.)

The Classical Review, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Muziek en mythen in het oude Griekenland: noties en perspectieven

Research paper thumbnail of Look who's talking!: Linking objects and publications by integrating the museum and library catalogs at the RMAH, Brussels

Leuven Digital Humanities 2015 Summer School, Sep 7, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Olypmos the musician in Greek literature and art : mythology and music history

This study considers the range of representations of Olympos the musician in Greek literature and... more This study considers the range of representations of Olympos the musician in Greek literature and art. The general aim is two-fold: (a) to demonstrate the relative autonomy and the complementary value of textual and visual sources in musical research; and (b) to establish the reciprocity of the disciplines involved with the study of musical myths, notably of music history and mythology. Olympos is an ambiguous mythical-legendary musician to whom distant eastern origins are attributed. In the discipline of mythology he is primarily regarded as the companion of the unsavoury character of Marsyas. But in the history of Greek music he is considered as a legendary musician and accredited with major musical realizations (the introduction of the enharmonic genus). He belongs to the category of musical "first inventors" and operates on the borderlines between 'myth' and 'history', not as clear-cut categories as scholarship traditionally assumes. Modern academic separations are inadequate in the Greek context. An integrated approach is more adequate and produces a new and more complex understanding of Olympos the musician and the "Mousikè" ("of the Muses") in ancient Greece

Research paper thumbnail of Judith M. Barringer, Art, Myth, and Ritual in Classical Greece. Cambridge, University Press, 2008

Research paper thumbnail of Roger D. Woodard (Ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Greek Mythology. Cambridge, University Press, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Synnøve Des Bouvrie (éd.), Myth and Symbol II. Symbolic phenomena in ancient Greek culture

Research paper thumbnail of P. Murray, P. Wilson (éds), Music and the Muses: The Culture of Mousike in the Classical Athenian City

Research paper thumbnail of Moving from Cross-Collection Integration to Explorations of Linked Data Practices in the Library of Antiquity at the Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels

Research paper thumbnail of Review of "Daniela Castaldo, Musiche dell'Italia antica: introduzione all'archeologia musicale. Richerche, 2. Bologna: Ante Quem, 2012. Pp. 144. ISBN 9788878490741

Research paper thumbnail of Archaeology of Ancient Greek Music: from reconstructing instruments to deconstructing concepts

This paper explores the implications archaeology can carry in view of our knowledge about ancient... more This paper explores the implications archaeology can carry in view of our knowledge about ancient Greek music. In the 'classical' historical-philological perspective, archaeology of music mainly involves (a) organological study of remains of musical instruments and (b) study of musical finds or representations from proto- and pre-historic contexts. Taking material culture as point of departure expands the information beyond that traditionally derived from texts alone. It extends furthermore the perception beyond that imposed by historiography, which places ancient Greece at the beginnings of western written art music. Ethnographic analogies and critical theories confirm that this concept of 'ancient Greek music' carries with it important modern and ethnocentric assumptions. Comparative notions and methods are more adequate here and archaeology of music is much disposed at their implementation. It supports both ultimate ambitions of (a) 'reconstructing' the mu...

Research paper thumbnail of Let's talk! Towards automated integration of the digital collections and library catalogs of the Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels

As a result of recent digitization efforts, the RMAH has a solid digital infrastructure today. Th... more As a result of recent digitization efforts, the RMAH has a solid digital infrastructure today. The objects in its collections are catalogued in MuseumPlus, made available online on Carmentis, and harvested by services such as Europeana. The documents in the museum’s libraries are catalogued in Aleph, published through its OPAC and harvested by services such as Unicat. In the current framework both systems and datasets exist completely independently. However, they fundamentally overlap, not only on the general conceptual (thematic) level but all the way the individual object level. Moreover, documenting the collections is a core aspect of the scientific work done by the researchers of the museum, but this information is not maintained in a central system today. Hence, the museum wishes to move towards a more integrated infrastructure and develop a user-interface that links its objects with bibliographic references as well as with full-text documents. This will obviously improve the quality and usability of this information for research. As the underlying systems are compliant with international standards of interoperability, the question is not the technical feasibility of data-integration as such, but the degree of data-unity most effectively achieved. A range of scenario’s are being investigated: the creation of hard links between related records in separate management systems; the use of a shared thesaurus for linking related content; connecting datasets by mapping metadata and aggregation by a service provider; the implementation of linked open data and semantic technology; or any combination of them.

Research paper thumbnail of Olympus the Musician in Ancient Greek Art: Mythology and Music History

This paper considers the range of representations of Olympos the musician in Greek art. They reve... more This paper considers the range of representations of Olympos the musician in Greek art. They reveal a striking duality. In the branch of Greek mythology, Olympos is a subsidiary figure primarily connected with the unsavoury character of Marsyas. But in the study of Greek music he is a highly reputed musical "inventor". Clearly, an integrated cultural historical perspective is adequate and produces a more complex understanding of local variations in Olympos' representations in Greek art.

Research paper thumbnail of Aulos-players in images of animal sacrifice on Attic vases

Objectives: This study explores the clinical profiles and factors associated with COVID-19 in Cam... more Objectives: This study explores the clinical profiles and factors associated with COVID-19 in Cameroon. Research design and methods: In this prospective cohort study, we followed patients admitted for suspicion of COVID-19 at Djoungolo Hospital between 01 st April and 31 st July 2020. Patients were categorised by age groups and disease severity: mild (symptomatic without clinical signs of pneumonia pneumonia), moderate (with clinical signs of pneumonia without respiratory distress) and severe cases (clinical signs of pneumonia and respiratory distress not requiring invasive ventilation). Demographic information and clinical features were summarised. Multivariable analysis was performed to predict risk. Results: A total of 323 patients were admitted during the study period; 262 were confirmed cases of COVID-19 by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Among the confirmed cases, the male group aged 40 to 49 years (13.9%) was predominant. Disease severity ranged from mild (77%; N=204) to moderate (15%; N=40) to severe (7%; N=18); the case fatality rate was 1% (N=4). Dysgusia (46%; N=111) and hyposmia/anosmia (39%; N=89) were common features of COVID-19. Nearly one-third of patients had comorbidities (29%; N=53), of which hypertension was the most common (20%; N=48). Participation in a mass gathering (OR=5.47; P=0.03) was a risk factor for COVID-19. Age groups 60 to 69 (OR=7.41; P=0.0001), 50 to 59 (OR=4.09; P=0.03), 40 to 49 (OR=4.54; P=0.01), male gender (OR=2.53; P=0.04), diabetes (OR= 4.05; P= 0.01), HIV infection (OR=5.57; P=0.03), lung disease (OR= 6.29; P=0.01), dyspnoea (OR=3.70; P=0.008) and fatigue (OR=3.35; P=0.02) significantly predicted COVID-19 severity. Conclusion: Unlike many high-income settings, most COVID-19 cases in this study were benign with low fatality. Such findings may guide public health decision-making.

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating Texts and Images in the Study of the Ancient Greek Aulos-Myths

The music of the aulos was notoriously versatile and therefore especially “good to think with” an... more The music of the aulos was notoriously versatile and therefore especially “good to think with” and express through myth. The myth of Marsyas is the most important aulos-myth. However, it is primarily know from late mythographic treatments. The study of Greek art allows to achieve a more nuanced and contextualized understanding of the many and multiple meanings and the historic-geographic development and variations of this myth and other aulos-myths, which are substantial.

Research paper thumbnail of The Myth of Marsyas in Ancient Greek Art: musical and mythological iconography

This paper explores the iconographical approaches to the ancient Greek aulos and its myths. The g... more This paper explores the iconographical approaches to the ancient Greek aulos and its myths. The general aim is two-fold: (a) to demonstrate the relative autonomy and complementary value of textual and visual sources in study of ancient Greek myth and music; (b) to establish the reciprocity of the disciplines involved in studying visual representations of musical myths, notably musical and mythological iconography. In particular, this paper integrates approaches researchers can take in studying the Greek myth of Marsyas. In classical mythology, with its primary literary orientation, the myth of Marsyas is widely regarded as an ultimate mythical expression of typical "Greek" dichotomies such as of aulos-kithara, Apollo-Dionysos, Greece-barbarians, etc. However, we can achieve a more nuanced picture by taking a closer look at the iconography, because visual sources are more numerous and specified in time and pace. The Italiote vases are quite independent of the Attic ones. Ev...

Research paper thumbnail of De Griekse Marsyasmythe: mythologie en iconografie

Kleio

De studie van klassieke mythologie is traditioneel primair op teksten gebaseerd. De Griekse Marsy... more De studie van klassieke mythologie is traditioneel primair op teksten gebaseerd. De Griekse Marsyas mythe is daardoor voornamelijk bekend in zijn antieke literaire gedaantes en moderne filologische interpretaties. Klassieke mythen zijn uiteraard niet alleen in teksten, maar ook - en vaak zelfs hoofdzakelijk - in de beeldende kunsten bewaard. Zo is het merendeel van de voorstellingen van de Marsyas mythe uit de Griekse periode te vinden in de Attische en Italiote vaasschilderkunst. De studie van de iconografie opent een belangrijk nieuw onderzoeksperspectief, omdat beelden talrijker, meer gevarieerd en duidelijker gelokaliseerd zijn dan teksten. Waar de klassieke interpretatie de Marsyas mythe typisch met fundamentele opposities verbindt zoals aulos-kithara, Dionysos-Apollo, Oost-west, natuur-cultuur, etc. daar levert de studie van de Griekse iconografie een meer complex en contextueel genuanceerd beeld op. De Italische vaasschilders tonen zich sterk onafhankelijk van de Attische. Bovendien brengen de Attische vazen op zich al een veelheid aan tradities naar voor. Zij stellen Marsyas niet zomaar als de gedoemde tegenstander van Athena en Apollo voor. Vele vazen tonen het (nog onbesliste) moment in de wedstrijd dat Marsyas zijn kunnen toont. Bovendien speelt hij niet alleen de aulos maar ook andere instrumenten, zelfs de kithara. Daarnaast verschijnt hij in andere en minder verlagende scènes, zoals met zijn leerling Olympus de muzikant, en in de processionele thiasos.

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating Music and Religion in the Study of the Ancient Greek Aulos and Mousikè

The aulos has a reputation for being rejected by the classical Greeks. However, this is perceptio... more The aulos has a reputation for being rejected by the classical Greeks. However, this is perception is primarily text-based and a matter of discourse, which can be qualified by studying its equally significant presence in the archaeological, the iconographical, and, especially, in the mythological evidence. The primarily ‘historical’ orientation of the study of ancient Greek music explains why this academic perspective has never fully engaged in the ‘mythical’ dimension of the ancient Greeks’ musical conceptions, even though such a dimension is fundamental. “Mousikè”, after all, literally means “of the Muses”. Music anthropology and ethnomusicology offer approaches and notions to study the ancient Greek Mousikè and aulos in their full complexity and context properly.

Research paper thumbnail of On Bridging Theory and Practice in the Perspective of History

Worldviews, Science and Us - Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Worlds, Cultures and Society - Proceedings of the Workshop on ‶Worlds, Cultures and Society″, 2011

""The gap existing between theory and practice is an old sore and a fashionable critici... more ""The gap existing between theory and practice is an old sore and a fashionable criticism of many disciplines in arts and humanities. The historical studies are no exception in this. The traditional approach is evidence-based and concentrates on practical and empirical matters while abandoning problems of interpretation and theory. It leaves questions of epistemology to the branches of theory and philosophy of history and science. However, the rise of 'postmodernism' brought to light that non-empirical factors are inevitable and pose major epistemological obstacles in the perspective of history. In particular, it has become clear that historians cannot but translate the past into their own words and concepts, and must be critic of hidden linguistic and cultural factors actively shaping the knowledge they produce. Indeed, a disciplined disregard of historical theory in historical writing is rooted in disruptive assumption underlying the notion of 'theory' in itself. To deal with the problem, this essay proposes a critical examination of the role and concepts of (1) epistemology, (2) theory, (3) philosophy, (4) methodology, and (5) historiography in the study of history. Historiography emerges as a most promising subject and field to expose and address issues of theory in the practice of writing history. Furthermore, (6) archaeology traditionally describes the empirical-analytical study of past material objects but recently it was also developed into a critical-theoretical concept that exposes hidden conceptual foundations, implicit modern assumptions, and intrinsic linguistic structures determining our knowledge about the past. Thus, it integrates the main opposing and complementary tenets and approaches in the 'new' perspective of history Read More: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/9789814355063_0009""

Research paper thumbnail of Not for Novices: Another BASIC Input Technique

OCLC Systems & Services, 1989

One of the most important aspects of programming in BASIC or any other language involves the inte... more One of the most important aspects of programming in BASIC or any other language involves the interaction between the program and its user. For a typical microcomputer, the principal channels for this interaction are via the CRT screen and the keyboard. (Mouse‐based systems such as the Macintosh constitute a separate universe, requiring a fundamentally different approach to programming.) This article focuses on user‐to‐program interaction via the keyboard in BASIC programs. This keyboard interaction may involve user‐issued commands, menu selections, data entry—anything the user “tells” the program. The programming techniques are similar in all cases. Here, we'll look at a specific technique for getting a menu selection from the user.

Research paper thumbnail of (D.) Ogden Perseus. Pp. xxiv + 194, ills. London and New York: Routledge, 2008. Paper, £16.99, US$29.95. (Cased, £60, US$110). ISBN: 978-0-415-42725-8 (978-0-415-42724-1 hbk.)

The Classical Review, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Are you talking to me? Researching a scenario linking objects and publications at the Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels

Research paper thumbnail of Let's talk! Towards automated integration of the digital collections and library catalogs of the Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels

As a result of recent digitization efforts, the RMAH has a solid digital infrastructure today. Th... more As a result of recent digitization efforts, the RMAH has a solid digital infrastructure today. The objects in its collections are catalogued in MuseumPlus, made available online on Carmentis, and harvested by services such as Europeana. The documents in the museum’s libraries are catalogued in Aleph, published through its OPAC and harvested by services such as Unicat. In the current framework both systems and datasets exist completely independently. However, they fundamentally overlap, not only on the general conceptual (thematic) level but all the way the individual object level. Moreover, documenting the collections is a core aspect of the scientific work done by the researchers of the museum, but this information is not maintained in a central system today. Hence, the museum wishes to move towards a more integrated infrastructure and develop a user-interface that links its objects with bibliographic references as well as with full-text documents. This will obviously improve the quality and usability of this information for research. As the underlying systems are compliant with international standards of interoperability, the question is not the technical feasibility of data-integration as such, but the degree of data-unity most effectively achieved. A range of scenario’s are being investigated: the creation of hard links between related records in separate management systems; the use of a shared thesaurus for linking related content; connecting datasets by mapping metadata and aggregation by a service provider; the implementation of linked open data and semantic technology; or any combination of them.

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating Music and Religion in the Study of the Ancient Greek aulos and Mousikè

The aulos has a reputation for being rejected by the classical Greeks. However, this is perceptio... more The aulos has a reputation for being rejected by the classical Greeks. However, this is perception is primarily text-based and a matter of discourse, which can be qualified by studying its equally significant presence in the archaeological, the iconographical, and, especially, in the mythological evidence. The primarily ‘historical’ orientation of the study of ancient Greek music explains why this academic perspective has never fully engaged in the ‘mythical’ dimension of the ancient Greeks’ musical conceptions, even though such a dimension is fundamental. “Mousikè” literally means “of the Muses”. Music anthropology and ethnomusicology offer approaches and notions to study the ancient Greek Mousikè and aulos in their full complexity and context properly.
Poster available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2238615"

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating Texts and Images in the Study of the Ancient Greek aulos-myths

"The music of the aulos was notoriously versatile and therefore especially “good to think with” a... more "The music of the aulos was notoriously versatile and therefore especially “good to think with” and express through myth. The myth of Marsyas is the most important aulos-myth. However, it is primaly know from late mythographic treatments. The study of Greek art allows to achieve a more nuanced and contextualized understanding of the many and multiple meanings and the historic-geographic development and variations of this myth and other aulos-myths, which are substantial.
Poster available for download on http://ssrn.com/abstract=2238601

Research paper thumbnail of Eendracht maakt kracht! Cross-sectorale samenwerking en interdisciplinair onderzoek in het kader van de digitalisering van de federale collectie foto-negatieven van de schilder Henri Evenepoel (1872-1899)

Research paper thumbnail of Integratie van de collectie- en bibliotheekcatalogi van het Jubelparkmuseum

Het Jubelparkmuseum bewaart en beheert een rijke verzameling objecten i.v.m. de archeologie en k... more Het Jubelparkmuseum bewaart en beheert een rijke verzameling objecten i.v.m. de archeologie en kunstgeschiedenis van de vijf continenten, die ontsloten wordt via een collectiemanagementsysteem (MuseumPlus / Carmentis). De instelling heeft ook een gespecialiseerde onderzoeksbibliotheek, die ontsloten wordt via een bibliotheekbeheersysteem (Alma / Limo). De museum- en bibliotheekcatalogi staan traditioneel volledig los van elkaar, maar er is een fundamentele inhoudelijke overlap tussen beide. Het project "Bridging Knowledge Collections" wil dan ook een integratie realiseren. Het wordt gefinancierd door Belspo en uitgevoerd i.s.m. Libis/Kuleuven.

Cross-domein integratie is algemeen een hot issue in de erfgoedsector vandaag. In deze presentatie zullen de specifieke uitgangspunten, doelstellingen, obstakels, keuzes en resultaten worden besproken en getoond van een integratiescenario dat geïmplementeerd werd i.v.m. de collectie- en bibliotheekcatalogi van het Jubelparkmuseum. Bovendien is een koppeling voorzien met nieuwe materialen gecreëerd in andere projecten - met name 3D objecten (Glypcol) en full-text documenten (Orfeo) - wat een verdere verrijking van de gerealiseerde informatieomgeving betekent.

Research paper thumbnail of Bridging Knowledge Collections: Integrating the museum and library systems at the Royal Museums of Art and History

The Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels (www.kmkg--mrah.be) are one of the 10 Federal Sc... more The Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels (www.kmkg--mrah.be) are one of the 10 Federal Scientific Institutions (FSI) and among the largest museums of art and archaeology in Belgium.

Research paper thumbnail of Moving from open access to linked open data

Research paper thumbnail of Object bibliography: sitting on the fence of museum and library information

Research paper thumbnail of Aulos-players in images of animal sacrifice on Attic vases

Animal sacrifice has been recognized as a fundamental ritual practice in Greek cult. This paper e... more Animal sacrifice has been recognized as a fundamental ritual practice in Greek cult. This paper explores the role of music in that context by examining the representations of musicians in images of animal sacrifice in Attic vase-paintings. It integrates a variety of elements and viewpoints pertaining to the traditionally separated branches of music history and history of religions. Arguably, an integrated approach is more adequate and capable of producing a new and more complex understanding of the fundamentally interrelated musical and religious practices, customs and attitudes connected with Mousikè ("of the Muses") in ancient Greece. This particular case, moreover, helps specifically to qualify the widely accepted reputation of the aulos ("double flute") as a rejected "Dionysian" instrument in classical Athens. In fact, aulos-players dominate sacrificial iconography in Attic vase painting and in fifth-century imagery Apollo becomes the principal deity here.

Research paper thumbnail of Musicians in Greek Images of sacrifical processions

Animal sacrifice was the central cultic practice in ancient Greek society and music played an imp... more Animal sacrifice was the central cultic practice in ancient Greek society and music played an important role in all phases of the ritual. This paper focuses on the role of musicians in depictions of sacrificial processions in Greek vase paintings. In particular, the imagery helps to qualify the established opposition between aulos and the kithara in ancient Greece. In images of sacrificial processions they are often played in concert, and this is is especially so in connection with the cult of Athena in Athens.

Research paper thumbnail of The music of the aulos and its myths in ancient Greece: classical traditions and local variations

The music of the autos was widely know for its versatility, and the "malleability" of myth makes... more The music of the autos was widely know for its versatility, and the "malleability" of myth makes it particularly suited to express this. Myths operated moreover on a “panhellenic” level – with characters known to all Greeks – as well as they acquired many and multiple forms and meanings in accordance with various “local” situations. This “glocal” versatility is their defining and most interesting characteristic for us today.
Hence, there is no such thing as "the" Marsyas myth, which exemplified a general rejection of the autos in antiquity - a classical interpretation. The myth comprised various elements and interpretations and this presentation examines the variety of sources and material available to us in their proper form and contexts, ranging from mythographic literature to Italiote vase-painting. We find significant variations in interpretations of the narrative in time and place. But even within a single cultural context various traditions existed. In the classical city of Athens, where the aulos became so controversial in connection with the rise of the "new music", the myth of the contest be tween Marsyas and Apollo became suddenly very popular in Attic art. Nevertheless, vase-painting also attests to other traditions, some of which have not been preserved in literature. Exploring myths and music of the aulos in ancient Greece is therefore preferably an interdisciplinary, diachronic and synchronic pursuit.

Research paper thumbnail of Towards 'archeology of knowledge' of the ancient Greek aulos and Mousikè

The historical-philological orientation dominates the study of ancient Greek music by tradition. ... more The historical-philological orientation dominates the study of ancient Greek music by tradition. This paper explores benefits to be gained from integrating archaeological approaches and argues that they reach all the way from the material-empirical to the conceptual-epistemological level. Traditionally, archaeology focuses on the practice of collecting past objects and submitting them to formal-empirical analyses. However, it was recently adopted by critical theory to expose linguistic and cultural factors implicit in the concepts we use as actively shaping the knowledge we produce.
This paper introduces the ‘archaeology of knowledge’ about ancient Greek music. In this line of inquiry we intend to demonstrate how modern and ethnocentric assumptions underlying the concept of ‘music’ affect our understanding of the ancient Greek category of 'Mousike'. Furthermore, we aim to expose conceptual and discursive foundations and limitations constituting our knowledge about the ancient Greek aulos, a wind instrument usually but inaccurately defined as ‘double flute’ and quintessentially ‘Dionysian’. Our central argument will be that object and concept can never entirely be separated and both opposite approaches contained in archaeology have a complementary value in view of the study of ancient Greek music history.

Research paper thumbnail of Olympus the Musician in ancient Greek art: mythology and music history

"This paper deals with the representations of Olympos the musician in Greek literature and art. T... more "This paper deals with the representations of Olympos the musician in Greek literature and art. The general aim is two-fold: (a) to demonstrate the relative autonomy and the complementary value of textual and visual sources in musical research; and (b) to establish the reciprocity of the disciplines involved with the study of musical myths, notably of music history and mythology. Olympos is an ambiguous mythical-legendary musician to whom distant eastern origins are attributed. He is connected with notorious musicians in Greek mythology (Marsyas especially) and he is associated with important achievements in the history of Greek music (the introduction of enharmonic music on the aulos most significantly). He belongs to the category of musical “first inventors” and operates on the borderlines between ‘myth’, ‘history’. Rigorous separations of music historical and mythological research are inadequate in the Greek context. An integrated cultural historical perspective is more adequate and produces a more complex understanding of the character and the significance of Olympos “Mousikos” (“of the Muses”) as represented in Greek vase-painting with Marsyas most especially.
Extended abstract available on http://ssrn.com/abstract=2239043

Research paper thumbnail of The Ancient Greek Myth of Marsyas: the curse of the music of the aulos and the blessings of mythological iconography in the study of music history

This paper focuses on the iconography of the ancient Greek myth of Marsyas and approaches this fr... more This paper focuses on the iconography of the ancient Greek myth of Marsyas and approaches this from a combined musicological and mythological point of view. The musical contest between Marsyas and Apollo ranks as the ultimate mythical expression of the dichotomy between the aulos and the kithara, as well as many other oppositions regarded as fundamental to the Greeks: hybris vs. punishment, emotion vs. reason, east vs. west... However, the evidence is more ambiguous. We cannot simply dispose of Marsyas as a negative paradigm warning us against the aulos. Indeed a series of Attic vases show Marsyas playing the lyre and even the kithara. His myth reflected and shaped the debate over the rise of the "new music" in all its complexity.

Research paper thumbnail of Marsyas in de Griekse Iconografie

Research paper thumbnail of "Daniela Castaldo, Musiche dell'Italia antica: introduzione all'archeologia musicale. Richerche, 2. Bologna: Ante Quem, 2012. Pp. 144. ISBN 9788878490741."

Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2014.06.12 , 2014

Research paper thumbnail of "Jesper Tae Jensen, George Hinge, Peter Schultz, Bronwen Wickkiser (Eds), Aspects of Ancient Greek Cult: Context, Ritual and Iconography. Aarhus Studies in Mediterranean Antiquity (Aarhus: Aarhus University Press, 2010)"

Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2010.08.12

Research paper thumbnail of “Daniel D. Ogden, Perseus (London - New York: Routledge, 2008)”, The Classical Review 60/2 (2010), p. 624

The Classical Review (New Series), Jan 1, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of “Judith M. Barringer, Art, Myth, and Ritual in Classical Greece (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008)”, L'Antiquité Classique (2010).

Research paper thumbnail of “Roger D. Woodard (Ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Greek Mythology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007)”, L'antiquité classique (2009).

Research paper thumbnail of “Synnove Des Bouvrie (Ed.), Myth & Symbol II. Symbolic Phenomena in Ancient Greek Culture. Papers from the Norwegian Institute at Athens, 7 (Oslo: Paul Astroms Forlag, 2004)”, Kernos 21 (2008), p. 250-252.

Research paper thumbnail of "Penelope Murray & Peter Wilson (Eds), Music and the Muses: The Culture of Mousike in the Classical Athenian City (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004)”, Kernos 18 (2005), p. 553-357.

Research paper thumbnail of Aulos-players in images of animal sacrifice on Attic vases: history of religions and music history

Research paper thumbnail of Olypmos the musician in Greek literature and art: mythology and music history

Universite de Liege, 2008

This study considers the range of representations of Olympos the musician in Greek literature and... more This study considers the range of representations of Olympos the musician in Greek literature and art. The general aim is two-fold: (a) to demonstrate the relative autonomy and the complementary value of textual and visual sources in musical research; and (b) to establish the reciprocity of the disciplines involved with the study of musical myths, notably of music history and mythology. Olympos is an ambiguous mythical-legendary musician to whom distant eastern origins are attributed. In the discipline of mythology he is primarily regarded as the companion of the unsavoury character of Marsyas. But in the history of Greek music he is considered as a legendary musician and accredited with major musical realizations (the introduction of the enharmonic genus). He belongs to the category of musical “first inventors” and operates on the borderlines between ‘myth’ and ‘history’, not as clear-cut categories as scholarship traditionally assumes. Modern academic separations are inadequate in the Greek context. An integrated approach is more adequate and produces a new and more complex understanding of Olympos the musician and the “Mousikè” (“of the Muses”) in ancient Greece. https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3442808

Research paper thumbnail of De Marsyasmythe in de Griekse beeldende kunsten: een iconografische studie

Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 2000

This study examines the range of textual and visual sources in relation with the myth of Marsyas ... more This study examines the range of textual and visual sources in relation with the myth of Marsyas in ancient Greek culture. Like the majority of myths, the Marsyas myth has come down to us in multiple variants and from heterogeneous sources. Texts constitute traditionally our core source of information. The most elaborate and influential accounts are those provided by the ancient mythographers such as - in this case - Ovid (Fast 6.696; Met. 6.384), Apollodorus (Bibl. 1.2.4), Apuleius (Flor. 3) and Hyginus (Fab. 165). The mythographic texts, however, date mostly to the Hellenistic and Roman times. Earlier Greek representations of the Marsyas myth are mostly found in visual art. This study focuses on the representations of the Marsyas myth in ancient Greek art and aims to produce a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of its multiple roles and meanings in Greek culture.