siyana georgieva - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Thesis Chapters by siyana georgieva
Perennial Journal of History, 2023
This article investigates how, since ancient times, building windows have had grids of stucco, st... more This article investigates how, since ancient times, building windows have had grids of stucco, stone, wood, or iron, as well as slabs of glass or other materials. They also appeared as simple apertures in the wall, the arrangement of which frequently served decorative functions. Following a classical tradition, the usage of shuttered windows with glass fixed on timber frames was known in late antiquity. The search for a peculiar architectural taste of the late antique and early mediaeval times is particularly appealing due to the light effects produced by shuttered windows made of translucent material, which provides a mystical and suggestive appearance.
Papers by siyana georgieva
This paper delves deeply into the symbol of the ibex and its profound iconographic metamorphosis.... more This paper delves deeply into the symbol of the ibex and its profound iconographic metamorphosis. The central focus is whether examining existing stucco sculptures, from the Iranian Style “Out of Place” to Umayyad sculptural embellishment, can illuminate the early popularity of the ibex. The portrayal of this animal in the stuccoes from various Near Eastern sites spanning a millennium confirms its revered status, offering profound insights into the cosmology of ancient Near Eastern peoples. The parallels with the mainstream of Iranian stucco decoration are clear, although not close enough to justify more than this broad deduction. The early appearance of the ibex carries a weighty symbolic message: Samarran ware consistently depicts this caprid with long, branch-like antlers, symbolizing the Tree of Life or Sacred Tree. This symbolism is further exemplified by a piece from the Iranian Plateau, c4500 BC, where the antler trees dominate the entire motif. In other words, the ibex—in the North Mesopotamian and the Iranian plateaux—emerges fully formed, carrying an already well-developed symbol of fertility. The study also uncovers a pivotal moment in ancient Islamic art in Umayyad castles, where a new technique emerges, giving birth to three-dimensional figures of ibex heads depicted in profile and executed in high relief in stucco.
ANASTASIS. Research in Medieval Culture and Art, 2024
The paper refers to the decorative art made in stucco sculptures in the Umayyad palace at Khirbat... more The paper refers to the decorative art made in stucco sculptures in the Umayyad palace at Khirbat al-Mafjar, a significant example of early Islamic cultural heritage in Palestine and worldwide. Khirbat al-Mafjar represents the Early Islamic architecture and decorative art as distinctive identity of Umayyad arts and architecture and as cultural interaction. For this reason, it is recommended to highlight the uniqueness of the representation of humans and animals in Umayyad decorative art as well as the identity of this art resulting from the synthesis of native Islamic elements and imported ones: Coptic, Roman and Sassanid.
Perennial journal of history, Dec 23, 2023
This article investigates how, since ancient times, building windows have had grids of stucco, st... more This article investigates how, since ancient times, building windows have had grids of stucco, stone, wood, or iron, as well as slabs of glass or other materials. They also appeared as simple apertures in the wall, the arrangement of which frequently served decorative functions. Following a classical tradition, the usage of shuttered windows with glass fixed on timber frames was known in late antiquity. The search for a peculiar architectural taste of the late antique and early mediaeval times is particularly appealing due to the light effects produced by shuttered windows made of translucent material, which provides a mystical and suggestive appearance.
La luce che trasforma la decorazione, usando combinazioni di colori, a volte si presentano in co... more La luce che trasforma la decorazione, usando combinazioni di colori, a volte si presentano in contesti inaspettati o in una forma architettonica adiacente, come il pavimento e la volta dell’abside reale nella sala da bagno di Khirbat al-Mafjar.
Studi più recenti sulle variazioni nel disegno delle cupole interne, collegano le decorazioni ai temi cosmici presenti nelle iscrizioni coraniche, come suppone Grabar per la Grande Moschea di Isfahan.
The definitions for the term "Islamic art" have hardly changed in the last 40 years. In addition ... more The definitions for the term "Islamic art" have hardly changed in the last 40 years. In addition to the literary definitions, the reader is presented with visual examples and subcategories to help understand what the term can be applied to. As the debate on the understanding of Islamic art continues to this day, we ask why there is still ambiguity. In search of an answer, we go through some of the most common definitions cited in recent literature and give a few examples that go back to the writings of Oleg Grabar in 1973-a time when Islamic culture was still predominantly associated with Muslim countries. In the Islamic world, there is a figurative art that traces the connections between various figurative presences in Islamic architecture. The result often appears as a collection of themes where it is difficult to discern a precise identity, as in the figures modelled in stucco or the floor mosaics in Khirbat al-Mafjar. If one recognises a representation of Umayyad power in the mosaic, one does not know for sure whether the modelled figures had symbolic value. Today, much of the Islamic stucco heritage of Khirbat al-Mafjar, Jericho, is under threat. I conclude with a consideration of the current situation in the preservation of historic buildings and reflect on the problems that need to be addressed. From this point of view, the palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar is unique in its variety of architectural forms and decorations that are intertwined.
Conference Presentations by siyana georgieva
Medieval Europe Research Community 3rd MERC Postgraduate and Early Career Conference in Medieval Archaeology Wroctaw, Poland 24-27.04.2024, 2024
Lesser-known aspects of Islamic sculpture: figures modeled in stucco at Khirbat al-Mafjar (7th-8t... more Lesser-known aspects of Islamic sculpture: figures modeled in stucco at Khirbat al-Mafjar (7th-8th s.) Abstarct This article draws upon research conducted in the Jericho region especially Khirbat al-Mafjar, analyze and discuss the local architecture related to the stucco technique of this palace. Islamic art and architecture in the region are largely unknown yet to the international scientific community due to a turbulent history, especially in the 20th century. However, as a monster, this desert palace and related Islamic decorative art draws inspiration from different traditions: Greco-Roman, Near Eastern, Christian and Sasanian iconography. Figurative art in the Islamic world exists despite condemnation by jurists; one of the favored areas is manuscript decoration, but in the field of architecture it remains marginal. Moreover, when one tries to trace a connection between figurative presences in Islamic architecture, often they appear relatively independent aesthetically, thematically and functionally. In its historical course, Islam has often manifested, through the voice of its jurists, a certain skepticism toward figures, based on the interpretation of certain passages in the Qur'an. In reference to the hadiths, or the speeches of the Prophet, according to some jurists the depiction of living beings would have been contrary to the divine will and therefore to be condemned. The main accusation was aimed at the painter rather than the work of art, since the painter himself, by making an image, and creating something "that is endowed with real or potential life," becomes in fact a competitor of God. Major archaeological discoveries of buildings from the Umayyad period, such as Qasr-Amra, Khirbat al-Mafjar, Qasr al-Hayr West and Samarra have brought to light astonishing evidence of architectural decoration of a figurative nature. Themes with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic elements are depicted in these monuments, but they are the exception rather than the rule. In fact, they are private monuments for private use and enjoyment and do not represent the official or formal art style. In the Islamic world, a figurative art exists by retracing the links between different figurative presences in Islamic architecture. The result often appears as an accumulation of themes, in which it is difficult to recognize a precise identity, as is the case in the figures modeled in stucco or in the floor mosaics at Khirbat al-Mafjar. If a representation of Umayyad power is recognized in the mosaic, it is not known for sure whether the modeled figures had symbolic value. Today, much of the Islamic stucco heritage of Khirbat al-Mafjar, Jericho remains under threat. I conclude by considering the current situation of the preservation of historical edifices and offer thoughts on the problems that must be overcome. From this point of view, the palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar is unique in the multiplicity of architectural forms and decorations intertwined with each other. Cultural heritage with museum management and community archaeology are an essential part of the preservation, exhibition, and knowledge of the past. Keywords Historiography and construction of the field of Islamic art; Islamic decorative art; Khirbat al-Mafjar; stucco modelled figures a symbolic value.
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND ASSOCIATION FOR MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN STUDIES, BIENNIAL CONFERENCE 8 – 11 February 2024, 2024
This article draws upon research conducted in the Jericho region especially Khirbat al-Mafjar, an... more This article draws upon research conducted in the Jericho region especially Khirbat al-Mafjar, analyze and discuss the local architecture related to the stucco technique of this palace. Islamic art and architecture in the region are largely unknown yet to the international scientific community due to a turbulent history, especially in the 20th century. However, as a monster, this desert palace and related Islamic decorative art draws inspiration from different traditions: Greco-Roman, Near Eastern, Christian and Sasanian iconography. Figurative art in the Islamic world exists despite condemnation by jurists; one of the favored areas is manuscript decoration, but in the field of architecture it remains marginal. Moreover, when one tries to trace a connection between figurative presences in Islamic architecture, often they appear relatively independent aesthetically, thematically and functionally.
Major archaeological discoveries of buildings from the Umayyad period, such as Qasr-Amra, Khirbat al-Mafjar, Qasr al-Hayr West have brought to light astonishing evidence of architectural decoration of a figurative nature. Themes with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic elements are depicted in these monuments, but they are the exception rather than the rule.Today, the palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar is unique in its variety of architectural forms and decorations - a heritage of stucco technique.
One connection between natural lighting systems of the high medieval in Rome and empahasis on rol... more One connection between natural lighting systems of the high medieval in Rome and empahasis on role of Light in Islamic Architecture focuses to Khirbat al-Mafjar 7th-8th.
NTERNATIONAL MEDIEVAL CONGRESS 2023, 2023
The Stucco Decoration in Italy between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, describes the st... more The Stucco Decoration in Italy between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, describes the stylized motifs in the church of S. Salvatore in Brescia that undoubtedly recall stucco decoration with Sasanian elements. This is a decorative tradition reworked by sculptors in the service of the Umayyad caliphs with relevant examples from the late 7th century and 8th century such as Khirbat al-Mafjar and Mshatta, where, according to Pasquini, there are comparisons with Brescian decorations.
The ornamental motifs present at San Salvatore show affinities of compositional character in the way they alternate, for example, stylized floral and geometric motifs Interesting as Pasquini points out are the star motifs comparison could be made at this point between the stucco decoration of the Lombard temple in Cividale, that of S.Salvatore and Khirbat al-Mafjar. Indeed, there is a compositional affinity concerning the architectural functionality of the gypsean ornamentation developed within a building as a large decorative project.
We see iconographic coincidences, for which "one could think of a close and direct contact between the workers operating in the three buildings. "The band with ovules and rosettes in the Brescian church finds a reminder in the similar edging in Cividale, in the wide ferrule dominating the central lunette above the door. Starry elements found among the Brescian stuccoes find a suitable comparison in the starry flowers of the small temple as also in those of Khirbat al-Mafjar.
SESSION DETAILS Session Number: 243 , Translating Concepts across Religious Boundaries Date/Tim... more SESSION DETAILS
Session Number: 243 , Translating Concepts across Religious Boundaries
Date/Time: Monday 03 July 2023, 14.15-15.45 Format: Hybrid Session
Session Abstract: Paper -a: _Rhètorikè_ is one of the terms that has entered in the works of the Islamic scholars around the 8th century CE and some independent and semi-independent works in the Islamic world have been written on its topic since then. The process of translating _rhètorikè_ in the Islamic world indicates that the unknown translator of Aristotle's _Rhetoric_ and some of the first commentators of this text have in many instances refrained from translating the term _rhètorikè_. In the other 8th century works of commentators that have dedicated segments of their books to rhetoric, this term has been often translated to 'eloquence'. However, as Muslim's familiarity with Aristotle's _Rhetoric_ increased, from 10th century CE onwards, in almost all the Islamic texts _rhètorikè_ has been translated to the art of oratory. This translation process indicates the development of understanding Aristotle's _Rhetoric_ in the Islamic world. This papers argues that the obscurities in the first Islamic works on rhetoric is partially due to misunderstanding the term _rhètorikè_. Paper -b: Abstract this paper aims to explore some of the aspects involved in the dynamics of the interaction between monotheistic religion and iconoclasm has its basis in a process of optimize of both religious experience and worldview. Absences of figural or fauna form in Islamic design is often associated with a reductive reading and assumptions surrounding Islam's iconophobic and the doctrine Byzantine 'iconoclasm' they were one of the most influential movements of the Middle Ages, and its repercussions are felt to this day. Firstly, I will show in what sense the prohibition on images is one of the most striking aspects of monotheism and chronological facts. Through analysis of several seeming iconoclastic erasures made to floor mosaics in Christian mosaics in Jordan and the Balkans, I explore potential reasonings and results of the eventual disengagement from the figurative image. How they compare it the more archaic religious attitude of polytheism. Finally, I will try to argue that the shift from polytheism to monotheism, especially regarding the role of images, it is not an incidental one but lies on a process of rationalization of consciousness and religion. Paper-c: _Axis Mundi_ is the connection between the physical world and the cosmos; the higher and lower realms. In ancient cosmography there were seven heavenly bodies; seven spheres that were reflected by the physical being. The seven-celled uterus doctrine posits that the uterus was made of seven chambers. While this doctrine was never believed by ordinary people, the myth appeared in medical texts well past the acceptance of heliocentric theory. This paper argues that the seven-celled doctrine represented an entangled moment where ancient cosmology continued to blend with advanced anatomical investigation despite conscious efforts to break with ancient paradigms.
Session Organiser: IMC Programming Committee,
Moderator: Eduardo Manzano Moreno, Instituto de Historia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid
Paper -a Title: A Research on the Process of Translating _Rhètorikè_ in the Islamic World Language: English Speaker(s): Mohammad Ahmadi, Department of Intercultural Communication, Japan Women's University, Tokyo, Index Terms: Islamic and Arabic Studies; Philosophy; ; Paper Format & Equipment Requests: The following speakers will participate virtually: Mohammad Ahmadi
Paper -b Title: Iconoclasm in Early Islam Language: English Speaker(s): Siyana Georgieva, Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali: Archeologia, Storia dell'Arte, del Cinema e della Musica (DBC), Università degli Studi di Padova, Index Terms: Architecture - Religious; Art History - Decorative Arts; Art History - General; Byzantine Studies Paper Format & Equipment Requests:
Paper -c Title: _Axis Mundi_: The Seven-Chamber Uterus at the Center of the World Language: English Speaker(s): Baylee Staufenbiel, Department of History, Florida State University, Index Terms: Medicine; Printing History; Science; Women's Studies Paper Format & Equipment Requests:
This is session 1 of 1. If you are involved in more than one session at IMC 2023, each session will arrive in a separate email. All sessions should be received by 17:00, Saturday 3 December. If you have not received confirmation of a session which you are involved in by this time, please check your spam / junk mail folders first before emailing us.
Conference organisation by siyana georgieva
Perennial Journal of History, 2023
This article investigates how, since ancient times, building windows have had grids of stucco, st... more This article investigates how, since ancient times, building windows have had grids of stucco, stone, wood, or iron, as well as slabs of glass or other materials. They also appeared as simple apertures in the wall, the arrangement of which frequently served decorative functions. Following a classical tradition, the usage of shuttered windows with glass fixed on timber frames was known in late antiquity. The search for a peculiar architectural taste of the late antique and early mediaeval times is particularly appealing due to the light effects produced by shuttered windows made of translucent material, which provides a mystical and suggestive appearance.
This paper delves deeply into the symbol of the ibex and its profound iconographic metamorphosis.... more This paper delves deeply into the symbol of the ibex and its profound iconographic metamorphosis. The central focus is whether examining existing stucco sculptures, from the Iranian Style “Out of Place” to Umayyad sculptural embellishment, can illuminate the early popularity of the ibex. The portrayal of this animal in the stuccoes from various Near Eastern sites spanning a millennium confirms its revered status, offering profound insights into the cosmology of ancient Near Eastern peoples. The parallels with the mainstream of Iranian stucco decoration are clear, although not close enough to justify more than this broad deduction. The early appearance of the ibex carries a weighty symbolic message: Samarran ware consistently depicts this caprid with long, branch-like antlers, symbolizing the Tree of Life or Sacred Tree. This symbolism is further exemplified by a piece from the Iranian Plateau, c4500 BC, where the antler trees dominate the entire motif. In other words, the ibex—in the North Mesopotamian and the Iranian plateaux—emerges fully formed, carrying an already well-developed symbol of fertility. The study also uncovers a pivotal moment in ancient Islamic art in Umayyad castles, where a new technique emerges, giving birth to three-dimensional figures of ibex heads depicted in profile and executed in high relief in stucco.
ANASTASIS. Research in Medieval Culture and Art, 2024
The paper refers to the decorative art made in stucco sculptures in the Umayyad palace at Khirbat... more The paper refers to the decorative art made in stucco sculptures in the Umayyad palace at Khirbat al-Mafjar, a significant example of early Islamic cultural heritage in Palestine and worldwide. Khirbat al-Mafjar represents the Early Islamic architecture and decorative art as distinctive identity of Umayyad arts and architecture and as cultural interaction. For this reason, it is recommended to highlight the uniqueness of the representation of humans and animals in Umayyad decorative art as well as the identity of this art resulting from the synthesis of native Islamic elements and imported ones: Coptic, Roman and Sassanid.
Perennial journal of history, Dec 23, 2023
This article investigates how, since ancient times, building windows have had grids of stucco, st... more This article investigates how, since ancient times, building windows have had grids of stucco, stone, wood, or iron, as well as slabs of glass or other materials. They also appeared as simple apertures in the wall, the arrangement of which frequently served decorative functions. Following a classical tradition, the usage of shuttered windows with glass fixed on timber frames was known in late antiquity. The search for a peculiar architectural taste of the late antique and early mediaeval times is particularly appealing due to the light effects produced by shuttered windows made of translucent material, which provides a mystical and suggestive appearance.
La luce che trasforma la decorazione, usando combinazioni di colori, a volte si presentano in co... more La luce che trasforma la decorazione, usando combinazioni di colori, a volte si presentano in contesti inaspettati o in una forma architettonica adiacente, come il pavimento e la volta dell’abside reale nella sala da bagno di Khirbat al-Mafjar.
Studi più recenti sulle variazioni nel disegno delle cupole interne, collegano le decorazioni ai temi cosmici presenti nelle iscrizioni coraniche, come suppone Grabar per la Grande Moschea di Isfahan.
The definitions for the term "Islamic art" have hardly changed in the last 40 years. In addition ... more The definitions for the term "Islamic art" have hardly changed in the last 40 years. In addition to the literary definitions, the reader is presented with visual examples and subcategories to help understand what the term can be applied to. As the debate on the understanding of Islamic art continues to this day, we ask why there is still ambiguity. In search of an answer, we go through some of the most common definitions cited in recent literature and give a few examples that go back to the writings of Oleg Grabar in 1973-a time when Islamic culture was still predominantly associated with Muslim countries. In the Islamic world, there is a figurative art that traces the connections between various figurative presences in Islamic architecture. The result often appears as a collection of themes where it is difficult to discern a precise identity, as in the figures modelled in stucco or the floor mosaics in Khirbat al-Mafjar. If one recognises a representation of Umayyad power in the mosaic, one does not know for sure whether the modelled figures had symbolic value. Today, much of the Islamic stucco heritage of Khirbat al-Mafjar, Jericho, is under threat. I conclude with a consideration of the current situation in the preservation of historic buildings and reflect on the problems that need to be addressed. From this point of view, the palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar is unique in its variety of architectural forms and decorations that are intertwined.
Medieval Europe Research Community 3rd MERC Postgraduate and Early Career Conference in Medieval Archaeology Wroctaw, Poland 24-27.04.2024, 2024
Lesser-known aspects of Islamic sculpture: figures modeled in stucco at Khirbat al-Mafjar (7th-8t... more Lesser-known aspects of Islamic sculpture: figures modeled in stucco at Khirbat al-Mafjar (7th-8th s.) Abstarct This article draws upon research conducted in the Jericho region especially Khirbat al-Mafjar, analyze and discuss the local architecture related to the stucco technique of this palace. Islamic art and architecture in the region are largely unknown yet to the international scientific community due to a turbulent history, especially in the 20th century. However, as a monster, this desert palace and related Islamic decorative art draws inspiration from different traditions: Greco-Roman, Near Eastern, Christian and Sasanian iconography. Figurative art in the Islamic world exists despite condemnation by jurists; one of the favored areas is manuscript decoration, but in the field of architecture it remains marginal. Moreover, when one tries to trace a connection between figurative presences in Islamic architecture, often they appear relatively independent aesthetically, thematically and functionally. In its historical course, Islam has often manifested, through the voice of its jurists, a certain skepticism toward figures, based on the interpretation of certain passages in the Qur'an. In reference to the hadiths, or the speeches of the Prophet, according to some jurists the depiction of living beings would have been contrary to the divine will and therefore to be condemned. The main accusation was aimed at the painter rather than the work of art, since the painter himself, by making an image, and creating something "that is endowed with real or potential life," becomes in fact a competitor of God. Major archaeological discoveries of buildings from the Umayyad period, such as Qasr-Amra, Khirbat al-Mafjar, Qasr al-Hayr West and Samarra have brought to light astonishing evidence of architectural decoration of a figurative nature. Themes with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic elements are depicted in these monuments, but they are the exception rather than the rule. In fact, they are private monuments for private use and enjoyment and do not represent the official or formal art style. In the Islamic world, a figurative art exists by retracing the links between different figurative presences in Islamic architecture. The result often appears as an accumulation of themes, in which it is difficult to recognize a precise identity, as is the case in the figures modeled in stucco or in the floor mosaics at Khirbat al-Mafjar. If a representation of Umayyad power is recognized in the mosaic, it is not known for sure whether the modeled figures had symbolic value. Today, much of the Islamic stucco heritage of Khirbat al-Mafjar, Jericho remains under threat. I conclude by considering the current situation of the preservation of historical edifices and offer thoughts on the problems that must be overcome. From this point of view, the palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar is unique in the multiplicity of architectural forms and decorations intertwined with each other. Cultural heritage with museum management and community archaeology are an essential part of the preservation, exhibition, and knowledge of the past. Keywords Historiography and construction of the field of Islamic art; Islamic decorative art; Khirbat al-Mafjar; stucco modelled figures a symbolic value.
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND ASSOCIATION FOR MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN STUDIES, BIENNIAL CONFERENCE 8 – 11 February 2024, 2024
This article draws upon research conducted in the Jericho region especially Khirbat al-Mafjar, an... more This article draws upon research conducted in the Jericho region especially Khirbat al-Mafjar, analyze and discuss the local architecture related to the stucco technique of this palace. Islamic art and architecture in the region are largely unknown yet to the international scientific community due to a turbulent history, especially in the 20th century. However, as a monster, this desert palace and related Islamic decorative art draws inspiration from different traditions: Greco-Roman, Near Eastern, Christian and Sasanian iconography. Figurative art in the Islamic world exists despite condemnation by jurists; one of the favored areas is manuscript decoration, but in the field of architecture it remains marginal. Moreover, when one tries to trace a connection between figurative presences in Islamic architecture, often they appear relatively independent aesthetically, thematically and functionally.
Major archaeological discoveries of buildings from the Umayyad period, such as Qasr-Amra, Khirbat al-Mafjar, Qasr al-Hayr West have brought to light astonishing evidence of architectural decoration of a figurative nature. Themes with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic elements are depicted in these monuments, but they are the exception rather than the rule.Today, the palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar is unique in its variety of architectural forms and decorations - a heritage of stucco technique.
One connection between natural lighting systems of the high medieval in Rome and empahasis on rol... more One connection between natural lighting systems of the high medieval in Rome and empahasis on role of Light in Islamic Architecture focuses to Khirbat al-Mafjar 7th-8th.
NTERNATIONAL MEDIEVAL CONGRESS 2023, 2023
The Stucco Decoration in Italy between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, describes the st... more The Stucco Decoration in Italy between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, describes the stylized motifs in the church of S. Salvatore in Brescia that undoubtedly recall stucco decoration with Sasanian elements. This is a decorative tradition reworked by sculptors in the service of the Umayyad caliphs with relevant examples from the late 7th century and 8th century such as Khirbat al-Mafjar and Mshatta, where, according to Pasquini, there are comparisons with Brescian decorations.
The ornamental motifs present at San Salvatore show affinities of compositional character in the way they alternate, for example, stylized floral and geometric motifs Interesting as Pasquini points out are the star motifs comparison could be made at this point between the stucco decoration of the Lombard temple in Cividale, that of S.Salvatore and Khirbat al-Mafjar. Indeed, there is a compositional affinity concerning the architectural functionality of the gypsean ornamentation developed within a building as a large decorative project.
We see iconographic coincidences, for which "one could think of a close and direct contact between the workers operating in the three buildings. "The band with ovules and rosettes in the Brescian church finds a reminder in the similar edging in Cividale, in the wide ferrule dominating the central lunette above the door. Starry elements found among the Brescian stuccoes find a suitable comparison in the starry flowers of the small temple as also in those of Khirbat al-Mafjar.
SESSION DETAILS Session Number: 243 , Translating Concepts across Religious Boundaries Date/Tim... more SESSION DETAILS
Session Number: 243 , Translating Concepts across Religious Boundaries
Date/Time: Monday 03 July 2023, 14.15-15.45 Format: Hybrid Session
Session Abstract: Paper -a: _Rhètorikè_ is one of the terms that has entered in the works of the Islamic scholars around the 8th century CE and some independent and semi-independent works in the Islamic world have been written on its topic since then. The process of translating _rhètorikè_ in the Islamic world indicates that the unknown translator of Aristotle's _Rhetoric_ and some of the first commentators of this text have in many instances refrained from translating the term _rhètorikè_. In the other 8th century works of commentators that have dedicated segments of their books to rhetoric, this term has been often translated to 'eloquence'. However, as Muslim's familiarity with Aristotle's _Rhetoric_ increased, from 10th century CE onwards, in almost all the Islamic texts _rhètorikè_ has been translated to the art of oratory. This translation process indicates the development of understanding Aristotle's _Rhetoric_ in the Islamic world. This papers argues that the obscurities in the first Islamic works on rhetoric is partially due to misunderstanding the term _rhètorikè_. Paper -b: Abstract this paper aims to explore some of the aspects involved in the dynamics of the interaction between monotheistic religion and iconoclasm has its basis in a process of optimize of both religious experience and worldview. Absences of figural or fauna form in Islamic design is often associated with a reductive reading and assumptions surrounding Islam's iconophobic and the doctrine Byzantine 'iconoclasm' they were one of the most influential movements of the Middle Ages, and its repercussions are felt to this day. Firstly, I will show in what sense the prohibition on images is one of the most striking aspects of monotheism and chronological facts. Through analysis of several seeming iconoclastic erasures made to floor mosaics in Christian mosaics in Jordan and the Balkans, I explore potential reasonings and results of the eventual disengagement from the figurative image. How they compare it the more archaic religious attitude of polytheism. Finally, I will try to argue that the shift from polytheism to monotheism, especially regarding the role of images, it is not an incidental one but lies on a process of rationalization of consciousness and religion. Paper-c: _Axis Mundi_ is the connection between the physical world and the cosmos; the higher and lower realms. In ancient cosmography there were seven heavenly bodies; seven spheres that were reflected by the physical being. The seven-celled uterus doctrine posits that the uterus was made of seven chambers. While this doctrine was never believed by ordinary people, the myth appeared in medical texts well past the acceptance of heliocentric theory. This paper argues that the seven-celled doctrine represented an entangled moment where ancient cosmology continued to blend with advanced anatomical investigation despite conscious efforts to break with ancient paradigms.
Session Organiser: IMC Programming Committee,
Moderator: Eduardo Manzano Moreno, Instituto de Historia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid
Paper -a Title: A Research on the Process of Translating _Rhètorikè_ in the Islamic World Language: English Speaker(s): Mohammad Ahmadi, Department of Intercultural Communication, Japan Women's University, Tokyo, Index Terms: Islamic and Arabic Studies; Philosophy; ; Paper Format & Equipment Requests: The following speakers will participate virtually: Mohammad Ahmadi
Paper -b Title: Iconoclasm in Early Islam Language: English Speaker(s): Siyana Georgieva, Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali: Archeologia, Storia dell'Arte, del Cinema e della Musica (DBC), Università degli Studi di Padova, Index Terms: Architecture - Religious; Art History - Decorative Arts; Art History - General; Byzantine Studies Paper Format & Equipment Requests:
Paper -c Title: _Axis Mundi_: The Seven-Chamber Uterus at the Center of the World Language: English Speaker(s): Baylee Staufenbiel, Department of History, Florida State University, Index Terms: Medicine; Printing History; Science; Women's Studies Paper Format & Equipment Requests:
This is session 1 of 1. If you are involved in more than one session at IMC 2023, each session will arrive in a separate email. All sessions should be received by 17:00, Saturday 3 December. If you have not received confirmation of a session which you are involved in by this time, please check your spam / junk mail folders first before emailing us.