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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 9h

How were ornate letters composed in the early modern Ottoman world? What can marginal notes reveal about the reading of texts? And how did manuscripts move through the networks of the modern Arabic book trade? The new Gotha Manuscript Talks @fbgotha.bsky.social address these questions and much more!

csmc.uni-hamburg.de

The Gotha Manuscript Talks Are Back

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

We're very excited that Brent Nongbri will join us next year to lead the ‘Papyrus Provenance Project’! As part of the ‘Global Minds’ programme @dfg.de, he and his team will investigate the transmission history of papyri, make provenance data accessible, and develop new material analysis methods

csmc.uni-hamburg.de

‘Global Minds’ Funding: Brent Nongbri Joins UWA

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Diese Woche in der Abendblatt-Kolumne „Forschen und verstehen“: Die Historikerin Kaja Harter-Uibopuu, Co-Sprecherin unseres Exzellenzclusters Understanding Written Artefacts, über ihre Arbeit in Milet, dessen Inschriften Auskunft über Recht und Macht in der Antike liefern

abendblatt.de

Universität Hamburg: Exzellenzcluster entschlüsselt alte Inschriften

Prof. Dr. Kaja Harter-Uibopuu ist Co-Sprecherin des Exzellenzclusters „Understanding Written Artefacts“ an der Universität Hamburg.

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Seal impressions can reveal ownership, reading practices, and the journeys of manuscripts across collections. A new DFG-funded project is creating a database of seals from manuscripts in the Islamic world. It will link images and descriptions and develop tools for automated recognition

uhh.de

New DFG Project for Exploring Seal Impressions

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Some methods used to document inscriptions in ancient Miletus date back to the 19th century. Others are so advanced that the early excavators could not have imagined them. In her field report, Kaja Harter-Uibopuu talks about old and new techniques and surprising finds: uhh.de/csmc-miletus

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Reposted by Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC)

Universität Hamburg @uni-hamburg.de · 03/09/2026

Starting Grant für @sophiademue.bsky.social: Die Expertin für äthiopische Handschriften erhält vom @erc.europa.eu 2,5 Millionen Euro – eine Million Euro mehr als bisherige Preisträgerinnen und Preisträger. Sie erforscht Schriftstücke äthiopischer Juden, die Ende des 20. Jh. nach Israel emigrierten.

uni-hamburg.de

Was definiert eine religiöse Handschrift?

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Did a ‘secret agreement’ entitle the Germans to half of the objects from the 1911 Samarra excavations? A new open-access article by Vincent Engelhardt and Jakob Wigand shows how the German archaeologists deceived the local authorities to bring the artefacts to Berlin uhh.de/csmc-samarra

Sāmarra qażāsınıñ ʿAtīq Cāmiʿ-i Şerīfi [The ancient mosque of the Samarra district], late nineteenth century, İstanbul Üniversitesi Nadir Eserler Kütüphanesi, 90478/0045, II.Abdülhamid Han Fotoğraf Albümleri, © İstanbul Üniversitesi Kütüphanesi.

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Handlesen galt im Mittelalter als probates Mittel der Zukunftsprognostik. Ab dem 12. Jh. entstand dazu eine umfangreiche Literatur, die Marco Heiles erforscht. Jetzt liegt der 1. Band seines „Katalogs der magischen Literatur des Spätmittelalters“ vor. Open Access! doi.org/10.1515/9783...

Blockbuch: (Pseudo-)Johannes Hartlieb: Buch von der Hand, Augsburg, Jörg Schapf [um 1510], Exemplar: Wien, Österr. Nationalbibl., Ink 2.D.36, S. 4. Bild: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Lizenez: Public Domain, Quelle: http://data.onb.ac.at/dtl/3254998.

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Graffiti is not just a modern phenomenon. It is as old as writing itself, and always multifaceted: ancient graffiti makers were as likely to praise a king as to mock a colleague. ‘Graffiti Quest’, a new volume co-edited by our colleague Marina Sartori, sheds new light on ancient graffiti in Egypt.

brill.com

Graffiti Quest

"Graffiti Quest" published on 20 Jul 2026 by Brill.

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

📢 Job alert: We are currently offering a permanent position as a research associate with exclusively teaching duties in Assyriology. Apply by 3 September! More info on the job and how to apply:

uni-hamburg.de

Ausschreibung

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Don’t miss the upcoming #ICESCO Open Research Day on ‘Textual and Material Evidence in the Dating of Islamic Manuscripts’! CSMC researchers Konrad Hirschler and Said Aljoumani will present on the role of sama’-audition certificates and scribes’ fingerprints in the dating of manuscripts

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

What happens to written artefacts after their initial production? Steffen Döll, head of our new ‘Phased Transmission’ unit, on material and invisible transformations, provenance, archives, and the challenge of developing concepts that work across cultural contexts: uhh.de/csmc-cmu-3

uhh.de

Moving Through the Life Phases of Written Artefacts

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

🧬📜A team of CSMC researchers has published the first study of microbiota on damaged parchments from Kairouan’s historic library, the oldest near-intact Islamicate manuscript collection. Some objects show a distinctive deterioration even experienced conservators find hard to explain Open access!

csmc.uni-hamburg.de

Microbial Clues to the Deterioration of Kairouan’s Parchment Manuscripts

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

When their lives on earth were over, the ancient Egyptians believed, the virtuous entered the realm of the dead. But if someone intruded into their tomb, their peaceful afterlife could be disturbed. Our Artefact of the Month shows how people protected themselves even in death uhh.de/csmc-aom-38

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

How do libraries uncover the hidden layers of their collections? Kyle Ann Huskin and Ivan Shevchuk spent four intensive weeks @labnf.bsky.social in Paris. They led an in-depth professional workshop for the BnF’s photographers on the application of multispectral imaging (MSI). uhh.de/csmc-bnf-msi

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

We have another job opening at our Cluster: a full-time, fixed-term postdoctoral position for three years, dedicated to an independent research project on written artefacts in the history of science. More info on the position and how to apply here 👇

uni-hamburg.de

Ausschreibung

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Our individual research projects are the backbone of the CSMC. Once a semester, we bring everyone together for Research Day: a hub for manuscript research, exchange, and new collaborations. This one is especially exciting: the first since our new funding phase began in January 2026!

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Come and do your PhD with us! 🎓📚 We are inviting applications for five doctoral researcher positions in the fields of African Studies, Arabic Studies, Art History, Early Medieval Studies, and Ottoman or Turkish Studies. More info on the positions and how to apply here: 🔗 uhh.de/csmc-vacancies

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Written artefacts can be ‘in crisis’ in many ways: through armed conflict, fire, natural disaster, political instrumentalisation, long-term material decay, or blocked access. At the CSMC, Dmitry Bondarev heads a new unit that aims to address these complex realities with terminological clarity.

uhh.de

What Does It Mean for Written Artefacts to be ‘In Crisis’?

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

How can ‘computational visual catalogues’ help us to understand Rainer Maria Rilke’s notebooks? In today’s Digital Lunch Seminar, @hussein-mohammed.bsky.social and @sandrarichterdla.bsky.social present their work combining computer science and literary studies. All welcome! uhh.de/csmc-dlss-2026

Page from a notebook of Rainer Maria Rilke, DLA, A:Rilke-Archiv Gernsbach.

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

This week, @nytimes.com published a great piece on ENCI, our mobile CT scanner for cultural heritage objects. It gives a concise overview of how the device allows researchers to read sealed cuneiform tablets without damaging them

nytimes.com

X-Ray Specs for the World’s Oldest, Sealed Letters

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

The ink may be invisible to the naked eye – but not to modern imaging! At MANN in Naples, CSMC and TabulaRasa researchers used hyperspectral imaging and XRF to reveal ink on carbonised Roman wax tablets – with promising results. tabularasa.hypotheses.org/4957

A 2,000-year-old middle tablet of a wax triptych from the archive of the Pompeian banker Caecilius Jucundus: CIL IV 3340, II tab. 2, verso (p. 4), from the archive of Caecilius Jucundus, MANN. Photo by M. Stefanile

Samaneh Ehteram and Olivier Bonnerot (CSMC), Mariateresa Operetto (Head of Conservation at MANN), and Floriana Miele (Curator of Coin Cabinet at MANN). Photo: M. Cammarosano

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

How can X-rays help us understand written artefacts and other cultural treasures? A workshop we organised together with DESY brought together experts from various domains to discuss the use of X-ray-based methods in cultural heritage research uhh.de/csmc-desy

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Milk, brain blood – the raw materials used for the production of Tibetan religious manuscripts are numerous and astonishing. Today, Agnieszka Helman-Ważny and Małgorzata Grzelec explore them in our Digital Lunch Seminar. Join us online at 12:00 pm CEST! uhh.de/csmc-dlss-2026

uhh.de

Digital Lunch Seminar Series

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Provenance research has become integral to art history and cultural heritage studies, but the provenance of written artefacts is still understudied. From 14–16 April 2027, we'll host a conference in Hamburg to help establish this field. The CfP and further information are now online:

conferences.uni-hamburg.de

Studying the Provenance of Written Artefacts: Methods, Ethics, and Law

Over the last decades, provenance studies have become an integral aspect of art history and cultural heritage studies. Yet, the provenance of written artefacts has remained understudied, even though t...

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

The Manipravalam language, a blend of Tamil and Sanskrit, plays a key role in the history of South India. Still, it has hardly been studied. MIRA, an ERC project by Suganya Anandakichenin, will change this. Tomorrow, she introduces her research in a public talk:

tamilex.uni-hamburg.de

Presenting the ERC project MIRA

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

‘We often think in binaries: destructive vs. non-destructive, invasive vs. non-invasive. In practice, things are far more nuanced. Ethical analysis is more than choosing what sounds safest in theory.’ Archaeometrist Claudia Colini explains the CSMC’s new ‘Ethical Analysis’ unit:

uhh.de

‘Ethical analysis makes tensions visible, not pretending that one metric can decide all’

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Water for all, or an elitist monument? Our Artefact of the Month, an inscription from the ancient metropolis of Miletus, sends an ambiguous message. Classical Archaeologist Christof Berns tells its story uhh.de/csmc-aom-37

Remains of the fountain at the site of Miletus. Photo: Lauren Osthof

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Our Digital Lunch Seminar Series starts today! In the first session, Małgorzata Grzelec, Laura Gallardo, and Elisa Barney Smith explain 'How the Material Choice and Phenomenology of Handwriting Shaped Southeast Asian Scripts' 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm CEST, online All welcome! uhh.de/csmc-dlss-2026

uhh.de

Digital Lunch Seminar Series

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Happy to announce that this open-access article just came out in ‘npj heritage science’: With ENCI, the first mobile CT scanner for cultural heritage objects, researchers can look inside sealed cuneiform tablets without opening them. Full article here:

nature.com

Deciphering 4000-year-old cuneiform letters hidden in clay envelopes using a mobile X-ray computed tomography scanner - npj Heritage Science

npj Heritage Science - Deciphering 4000-year-old cuneiform letters hidden in clay envelopes using a mobile X-ray computed tomography scanner

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Tonight at the CSMC: Muna Abubeker, our guest professor for African Manuscript Cultures, shares her insights into Ethiopian Arabic and Ajami manuscripts. Join us online! uhh.de/csmc-abubeker 🕒6:15–7:45 pm CEST 💻Hybrid lecture

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

One hour, one topic, multiple disciplines: The CSMC Digital Lunch Seminar Series is back! This summer, we're looking forward to four online talks on palm-leaf scripts, Tibetan book art, Rilke’s notebooks, and Japanese paper clothing. All welcome! Details & registration here 👉 uhh.de/csmc-dlss-2026

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Muna Abubeker is our new guest professor for ‘African Manuscript Cultures’. In our interview, the specialist in Ethiopian Arabic and Ajami manuscripts talks about her unconventional path into academia and her plans to raise the international profile of her research field

uhh.de

‘There were about 20 students, and I was the only woman’

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg is often described as the end of the age of handwriting. Ondřej Škrabal, however, argues that the distinction between the handwritten and the printed is far less clear-cut. To this day, the two remain dynamically intertwined

uhh.de

‘One of our goals is to provincialise Gutenberg’

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

A sealed papyrus containing fragments of Homer’s Iliad has been discovered on a mummified individual at Oxyrhynchus, offering new insights into funerary practices in Roman Egypt. CSMC alumna Leah Mascia and her team identified and read the text. www.csmc.uni-hamburg.de/news/2026-04...

csmc.uni-hamburg.de

Iliad Fragments Unearthed from Roman-Era Burial at Oxyrhynchus

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

A big thank you who took part in yesterday's Girls' Day and Boys' Day! It was a joy to welcome so many curious young people to the CSMC and to see them explore manuscripts, our library, research projects, and ancient writing techniques hands-on uhh.de/csmc-gbd-2026

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

The DiPiKA Project launches a new lecture series with Prof. C. M. Neelakandhan on Kerala’s intellectual traditions. The first talk introduces the endangered Jaiminiya Samaveda tradition, its history, texts, and the need for preservation 24 April, 11:30 am CEST uhh.de/csmc-dipika

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Reposted by Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC)

HMML @visithmml.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

World Book Day is tomorrow! Read about a book that you may not be able to read... More than 100 languages are represented in HMML's digitized manuscripts. Curators & catalogers guide us into the stories, starting with specific themes found across the collections: hmml.org/stories/tags/editorials

On the theme of #Animals, Dr. Josh Mugler, curator of Eastern Christian & Islamic manuscripts at HMML, looks at some of the ways that dogs appear in Arabic literature.

Pictured: Illustration of a dog (kalb) from Zakarīyā al-Qazwīnī’s (d. 1283) text on the “wonders of creation,” copied in 1761 CE. Collection of Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Austria. (Cod. N.F. 152a; HMML project number 24606, fol. 271v)

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

What can a single library on Rhodes reveal about Ottoman book culture, manuscript transmission, and the intertwined histories of Greeks and Turks? Drawing on codicology, archival work, and cultural history, the two richly researched volumes of 'Conversations in the Library' illuminate this question

csmc.uni-hamburg.de

Conversations in the Library

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

According to popular history, when the Crusaders invaded Tripoli in 1109, they burned all the books in the city's famous library. Our Artefact of the Month, a fragile leaf recently discovered in the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum in Istanbul, calls this account into question uhh.de/csmc-aom-36

The recto (left) shows faint traces of the title and a user’s note, as well as the crucial endowment note. Damage and repaired stitching are visible at the upper right. The thread passes across inked areas – proof that the folio was damaged and mended after the endowment note was written. The verso (right) is entirely blank, highlighting the materiality and physical wear of the parchment. Image: Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi Müdürlüğü/Ministry of Culture and Tourism

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Reposted by Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC)

Yale Classics Library @yaleclassicslib.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

April 20th 4:15 PM CEST = 10:15 AM EST Olivier Bonnerot on “The @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social Mobile Lab and the non-destructive analysis of written artefacts: insights into inks and pigments on ancient papyri" at Università degli Studi di Napoli L’Orientale and online www.unior.it/en/node/4022

unior.it

Ink, wax, and the non-destructive analysis of written artefacts

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Join us in Daejeon this summer! The mini‑conference “Distant Past(s) – Current Future(s)” explores how digital methods are reshaping ancient and medieval studies and cultural heritage research. CfP open until 1 May.

uhh.de

Digital Futures for Ancient Worlds

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

In a world of mass-produced goods, Nepali lokta paper remains a unique Himalayan heritage. Without support, this craft may disappear. The new film ‘Nepali Paper on the Edge’ by Agnieszka Helman-Ważny offers rare insight into its production. 🎬 Full video: uhh.de/csmc-nepali-...

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Reposted by Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC)

Invisible East @invisibleeast.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Join us on Wednesday to hear Dr Márton Vér of @uni-hamburg.de speak on 'The Old Uyghur Documents and a Global Microhistory of the Silk Roads'. This is the next in our 'Rethinking History' series with @utoronto.ca. Register for Zoom: bit.ly/RethinkingHistoryZoom #documents #SilkRoads #OldUyghur

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Interest in Ajami in West Africa is growing. During a recent field trip to Senegal, Dmitry Bondarev and his Ajami Lab team initiated new collaborative projects with the Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noire and Université Cheikh Anta Diop: uhh.de/csmc-ajami-s...

Examining a copy of the Qur’an with interlinear translation into Pular. Left to right: Abdoul Ba, Dmitry Bondarev, Djibril Dramé, Saïd Bousbina, Seydi Diamil Nine, Maria Luisa Russo. © Nicolas Réméné.

Dmitry Bondarev giving a lecture on Ajami manuscripts to the undergraduate class at the Department of Islamic and Arabic Studies, UCAD. © Nicolas Réméné

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Reposted by Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC)

Akademie der Wissenschaften in Hamburg @adwhamburg.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Unser Langzeitforschungsprojekt #Etymologika bietet gemeinsam mit zahlreichen Kooperationspartnerinnen eine Summer School zur antiken griechischen Gelehrsamkeit an: 20. bis 24. Juli 2026 an der @uni-hamburg.de + @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social Bewerben bis 19. April👉 www.awhamburg.de/aktuell/aktu...

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

📢 Applications are now open for the 2026 round of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships! The CSMC warmly welcomes applications in areas related to written artefacts: www.csmc.uni-hamburg.de/research/mar...

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Every year, we present the J.P. Gumbert Dissertation Award for the best doctoral theses dealing with any aspect of manuscript studies. Today, we are delighted to announce the winners for 2025: Jake Benson and Eugene Matanky have received the award for their outstanding work. Congratulations! 🍾🏅

uhh.de

Jake Benson and Eugene Matanky Win J.P. Gumbert Dissertation Award

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Our colleague Sylvia Melzer, head of our Data Linking Lab, will take up a deputy professorship @uniluebeck.bsky.social next week, where she will hold the Chair of ‘Knowledge-Based Databases’ for one year. Best of luck in your new role, Sylvia!

Sylvia Melzer receives her certificate of appointment from Helge Braun, President of the University of Lübeck.

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Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Computational paleography has become a key meeting ground for the humanities and computer science. We are delighted to offer workshop at this year’s #ICDAR2026 conference to showcase the latest developments in this dynamic field. CfP is open until 22 May!

uhh.de

IWCP 2026

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