Online Conference: ‘Macrocosms and Microcosms from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages’, University of Cambridge, 24-26 September 2021

Papers and discussion will focus on the ways in which ancient modes and traditions of representation were transformed and retooled as the rise of Christianity necessitated new ways of conceptualising and visualising the place of man in the universe. It will consider the complex semiotic relationships between the macrocosm and the various microcosms into which the space of the cosmos was compressed and transmuted – spanning metaphorical descriptions, schematic representations, narrative cosmographies, and beyond. Our speakers come from a range of disciplines and continents. We aim to facilitate collaborative thinking about the origins, afterlives, and intersections of different cosmic imaginaries, and critical discussion about the nature of cosmographic representation itself.

Register here.