Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC)
@csmc-hamburg.bsky.social
At the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures and its Cluster of Excellence Understanding Written Artefacts, we conduct cross-disciplinary research on handwritten artefacts from all periods and regions of the world.
https://www.csmc.uni-hamburg.de/
https://www.csmc.uni-hamburg.de/
They are not just written artefacts, but objects of art. Applying a broad spectrum of analytical tools, the new volume of our book series aims at providing the complete history of 65 tsakali cards from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Open acess!
uhh.de/csmc-smc-45
Open acess!
uhh.de/csmc-smc-45
November 26, 2025 at 4:15 PM
They are not just written artefacts, but objects of art. Applying a broad spectrum of analytical tools, the new volume of our book series aims at providing the complete history of 65 tsakali cards from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Open acess!
uhh.de/csmc-smc-45
Open acess!
uhh.de/csmc-smc-45
Reposted by Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC)
#SaveTheDate An anonymous world chronicle originally composed in 713 CE, likely by a Syriac monk from Apamea, has remained almost unknown until now. In his Gotha Manuscript Talk, Adrian Pirtea speaks about the rediscovery of the only surviving copy! Wednesday, 26 November 2025, 6:15 CET
November 24, 2025 at 5:59 PM
#SaveTheDate An anonymous world chronicle originally composed in 713 CE, likely by a Syriac monk from Apamea, has remained almost unknown until now. In his Gotha Manuscript Talk, Adrian Pirtea speaks about the rediscovery of the only surviving copy! Wednesday, 26 November 2025, 6:15 CET
Join us today for our Digital Lunch Seminar:
Leah Mascia and Stelios Aspiotis present their multi-analytical analysis of two Egyptian shabtis from @mkghamburg.bsky.social, dated between the 10th and 6th centuries BCE.
12:00 – 1:00 pm CET, on Zoom. All welcome!
uhh.de/csmc-shabtis
Leah Mascia and Stelios Aspiotis present their multi-analytical analysis of two Egyptian shabtis from @mkghamburg.bsky.social, dated between the 10th and 6th centuries BCE.
12:00 – 1:00 pm CET, on Zoom. All welcome!
uhh.de/csmc-shabtis
November 24, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Join us today for our Digital Lunch Seminar:
Leah Mascia and Stelios Aspiotis present their multi-analytical analysis of two Egyptian shabtis from @mkghamburg.bsky.social, dated between the 10th and 6th centuries BCE.
12:00 – 1:00 pm CET, on Zoom. All welcome!
uhh.de/csmc-shabtis
Leah Mascia and Stelios Aspiotis present their multi-analytical analysis of two Egyptian shabtis from @mkghamburg.bsky.social, dated between the 10th and 6th centuries BCE.
12:00 – 1:00 pm CET, on Zoom. All welcome!
uhh.de/csmc-shabtis
Elisa Barney Smith is a pioneer in the analysis of historical documents. In our interview, she discusses how the field has evolved over the past 30 years and the projects she undertook during her fellowship at the CSMC:
uhh.de/csmc-barney-...
uhh.de/csmc-barney-...
‘As digital methods prove useful, more scholars become open to what’s possible’
uhh.de
November 17, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Elisa Barney Smith is a pioneer in the analysis of historical documents. In our interview, she discusses how the field has evolved over the past 30 years and the projects she undertook during her fellowship at the CSMC:
uhh.de/csmc-barney-...
uhh.de/csmc-barney-...
How did oral and written traditions influence the transmission of sacred texts in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam? A new volume uncovers the complex interplay between spoken word and manuscript culture in the medieval Middle East:
uhh.de/csmc-intersame
Open access!
uhh.de/csmc-intersame
Open access!
The Transmission of Sacred Texts in the Medieval Middle East
uhh.de
November 14, 2025 at 11:14 AM
How did oral and written traditions influence the transmission of sacred texts in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam? A new volume uncovers the complex interplay between spoken word and manuscript culture in the medieval Middle East:
uhh.de/csmc-intersame
Open access!
uhh.de/csmc-intersame
Open access!
Announcing the J.P. Gumbert Dissertation Award 2025! 🏆
We are looking for the best PhD thesis on any aspect of manuscript studies defended between 1 Sep 2024 and 31 Dec 2025. The award includes a prize of 5,000 EUR and a fellowship at the CSMC.
Apply by 6 February 2026!
uhh.de/csmc-jpga-2025
We are looking for the best PhD thesis on any aspect of manuscript studies defended between 1 Sep 2024 and 31 Dec 2025. The award includes a prize of 5,000 EUR and a fellowship at the CSMC.
Apply by 6 February 2026!
uhh.de/csmc-jpga-2025
November 11, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Announcing the J.P. Gumbert Dissertation Award 2025! 🏆
We are looking for the best PhD thesis on any aspect of manuscript studies defended between 1 Sep 2024 and 31 Dec 2025. The award includes a prize of 5,000 EUR and a fellowship at the CSMC.
Apply by 6 February 2026!
uhh.de/csmc-jpga-2025
We are looking for the best PhD thesis on any aspect of manuscript studies defended between 1 Sep 2024 and 31 Dec 2025. The award includes a prize of 5,000 EUR and a fellowship at the CSMC.
Apply by 6 February 2026!
uhh.de/csmc-jpga-2025
To strengthen collaboration and exchange between our scholars and students in the study of Early #Chinese #manuscripts, we have ratified a Memorandum of Understanding with the renowned Research and Conservation Center for Unearthed Texts (RCCUT) at #Tsinghua University:
uhh.de/csmc-rccut-mou
uhh.de/csmc-rccut-mou
CSMC Sets Up a New Partnership in China
uhh.de
November 7, 2025 at 9:40 AM
To strengthen collaboration and exchange between our scholars and students in the study of Early #Chinese #manuscripts, we have ratified a Memorandum of Understanding with the renowned Research and Conservation Center for Unearthed Texts (RCCUT) at #Tsinghua University:
uhh.de/csmc-rccut-mou
uhh.de/csmc-rccut-mou
We are excited to announce that our cooperation with the renowned Matenadaran in Armenia has officially been extended. Together, we will keep exploring the Caucasus’s rich written heritage
uhh.de/csmc-matenad...
uhh.de/csmc-matenad...
CSMC and Matenadaran Continue Their Partnership
uhh.de
November 5, 2025 at 4:25 PM
We are excited to announce that our cooperation with the renowned Matenadaran in Armenia has officially been extended. Together, we will keep exploring the Caucasus’s rich written heritage
uhh.de/csmc-matenad...
uhh.de/csmc-matenad...
The Tai Lü in Laos continue the craft of handmade mon paper, using local lianas to produce distinctive manuscripts. Agnieszka Helman-Ważny and Volker Grabowsky describe an ancient technique that endures despite the challenges posed by changing environments and modernisation:
uhh.de/csmc-mon
uhh.de/csmc-mon
November 3, 2025 at 11:55 AM
The Tai Lü in Laos continue the craft of handmade mon paper, using local lianas to produce distinctive manuscripts. Agnieszka Helman-Ważny and Volker Grabowsky describe an ancient technique that endures despite the challenges posed by changing environments and modernisation:
uhh.de/csmc-mon
uhh.de/csmc-mon
We’re thrilled that @robertamazza.bsky.social is at the CSMC today! Tonight, she will give a talk on ‘Papyrology and Reparations’, addressing the regimes of violence, injustice, and inequality that papyrology has been enmeshed in since colonial times.
Hybrid event, all welcome!
uhh.de/csmc-mazza
Hybrid event, all welcome!
uhh.de/csmc-mazza
October 23, 2025 at 10:12 AM
We’re thrilled that @robertamazza.bsky.social is at the CSMC today! Tonight, she will give a talk on ‘Papyrology and Reparations’, addressing the regimes of violence, injustice, and inequality that papyrology has been enmeshed in since colonial times.
Hybrid event, all welcome!
uhh.de/csmc-mazza
Hybrid event, all welcome!
uhh.de/csmc-mazza
The Gotha Manuscript Talks are back! Starting today, all four lectures are open to the public. Join the event here:
uni-erfurt.webex.com/meet/veranst...
@fbgotha.bsky.social
uni-erfurt.webex.com/meet/veranst...
@fbgotha.bsky.social
We will be completing the fifth year of the Gotha Manuscript Talks this fall with four exciting lectures! This Wednesday, Tal Hever-Chybowski @unihalle.bsky.social speaks about the Yiddish book collection assembled by the bookseller, furniture maker, and animation filmmaker Betsalel Frenkel.
(1/3)
(1/3)
October 22, 2025 at 7:35 AM
The Gotha Manuscript Talks are back! Starting today, all four lectures are open to the public. Join the event here:
uni-erfurt.webex.com/meet/veranst...
@fbgotha.bsky.social
uni-erfurt.webex.com/meet/veranst...
@fbgotha.bsky.social
Reposted by Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC)
Das interdisziplinäre wiss. DFG-Netzwerk „Wort – Wirkung – Wunder“ fragt nach den kulturellen Paradigmen, die den wortmagischen Vorstellungen (vor)moderner Gesellschaften im Hinblick auf die Macht von #Sprache & Schrift zugrunde liegen. Workshop 5.-7.11. in der Stabi: blog.sub.uni-hamburg.de?p=41047
Workshop: „Wort – Wirkung – Wunder. Sprache und Macht in der Vormoderne zwischen Religion, Magie und Medizin“ (5.-7.11.)
Mittwoch, 5.11., 9 Uhr bis Freitag, 7.11., 13 Uhr, Ossietzky-Forum. Das interdisziplinäre wissenschaftliche DFG-Netzwerk „Wort – Wirkung – Wunder“ fragt nach den kulturellen Paradigmen, die den wor…
blog.sub.uni-hamburg.de
October 21, 2025 at 8:21 AM
Das interdisziplinäre wiss. DFG-Netzwerk „Wort – Wirkung – Wunder“ fragt nach den kulturellen Paradigmen, die den wortmagischen Vorstellungen (vor)moderner Gesellschaften im Hinblick auf die Macht von #Sprache & Schrift zugrunde liegen. Workshop 5.-7.11. in der Stabi: blog.sub.uni-hamburg.de?p=41047
The history of writing cannot be told without the history of erasure and rewriting. The new volume of our book series ‘Studies in Manuscript Cultures’ takes a global perspective on text obliteration and manuscript reuse.
Open access @dgb-mem.bsky.social
uhh.de/csmc-smc-48
Open access @dgb-mem.bsky.social
uhh.de/csmc-smc-48
Erasing and Rewriting in Manuscript Cultures
uhh.de
October 20, 2025 at 2:22 PM
The history of writing cannot be told without the history of erasure and rewriting. The new volume of our book series ‘Studies in Manuscript Cultures’ takes a global perspective on text obliteration and manuscript reuse.
Open access @dgb-mem.bsky.social
uhh.de/csmc-smc-48
Open access @dgb-mem.bsky.social
uhh.de/csmc-smc-48
Applicants welcome!
We're looking for a doctoral researcher in the field of X-ray phase-contrast imaging to work on deciphering writings composed of carbon-based inks:
www.uni-hamburg.de/stellenangeb...
We're looking for a doctoral researcher in the field of X-ray phase-contrast imaging to work on deciphering writings composed of carbon-based inks:
www.uni-hamburg.de/stellenangeb...
Ausschreibung
www.uni-hamburg.de
October 17, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Applicants welcome!
We're looking for a doctoral researcher in the field of X-ray phase-contrast imaging to work on deciphering writings composed of carbon-based inks:
www.uni-hamburg.de/stellenangeb...
We're looking for a doctoral researcher in the field of X-ray phase-contrast imaging to work on deciphering writings composed of carbon-based inks:
www.uni-hamburg.de/stellenangeb...
Reposted by Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC)
Workshop @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social: Translation Choices in Multilingual Written Artefacts Navigating Visual & Cultural Layers (24./25.10.)
"Translation practices leave traces often as intricate as elusive. In many cases, the only surviving witnesses to these practices are the #artefacts themselves."
"Translation practices leave traces often as intricate as elusive. In many cases, the only surviving witnesses to these practices are the #artefacts themselves."
Workshop: Translation Choices in Multilingual Written Artefacts Navigating Visual and Cultural Layers (24./25.10.)
Freitag, 24.10., 9 bis 18 Uhr, Ossietzky-Forum und Samstag, 25.10., 9.30 bis 15 Uhr, Konferenzraum. Translation practices leave traces that are often as intricate as they are elusive. In many cases…
blog.sub.uni-hamburg.de
October 14, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Workshop @csmc-hamburg.bsky.social: Translation Choices in Multilingual Written Artefacts Navigating Visual & Cultural Layers (24./25.10.)
"Translation practices leave traces often as intricate as elusive. In many cases, the only surviving witnesses to these practices are the #artefacts themselves."
"Translation practices leave traces often as intricate as elusive. In many cases, the only surviving witnesses to these practices are the #artefacts themselves."
It's been busy weeks for our mobile CT scanner ENCI and our team: at the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations in Ankara and the Archaeological Museum in Kayseri, they analysed not only enclosed cuneiform tablets, but also cups, golden earrings and engraved gemstones, among others!
uhh.de/csmc-enci-2025
uhh.de/csmc-enci-2025
October 16, 2025 at 1:44 PM
It's been busy weeks for our mobile CT scanner ENCI and our team: at the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations in Ankara and the Archaeological Museum in Kayseri, they analysed not only enclosed cuneiform tablets, but also cups, golden earrings and engraved gemstones, among others!
uhh.de/csmc-enci-2025
uhh.de/csmc-enci-2025
Happy to announce that we have agreed on two new Memoranda of Understanding with the National Library and Archives of Bhutan and the National Library of Peru! The latter was signed today by Peru’s Consul General in Hamburg, Sandra Pinto La Fuente, and CSMC Director Konrad Hirschler:
uhh.de/csmc-mou
uhh.de/csmc-mou
October 13, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Happy to announce that we have agreed on two new Memoranda of Understanding with the National Library and Archives of Bhutan and the National Library of Peru! The latter was signed today by Peru’s Consul General in Hamburg, Sandra Pinto La Fuente, and CSMC Director Konrad Hirschler:
uhh.de/csmc-mou
uhh.de/csmc-mou
Reposted by Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC)
📜 Briefe lesen, ohne die Umschläge zu beschädigen: Das ermöglicht ein Team des Exzellenzclusters „Understanding Written Artefacts“ (@csmc-hamburg.bsky.social) mit dem weltweit ersten mobilen CT-Scanner für Kulturgüter. In Ankara werden damit nun die Keilschrifttafeln Mesopotamiens untersucht.
Röntgenblicke in antike Briefe
www.uni-hamburg.de
October 8, 2025 at 1:33 PM
📜 Briefe lesen, ohne die Umschläge zu beschädigen: Das ermöglicht ein Team des Exzellenzclusters „Understanding Written Artefacts“ (@csmc-hamburg.bsky.social) mit dem weltweit ersten mobilen CT-Scanner für Kulturgüter. In Ankara werden damit nun die Keilschrifttafeln Mesopotamiens untersucht.
‘Second Hands’ and ‘Second Thoughts’ are the theme of our workshop on multilayered written artefacts of 19th- and 20th-century Austrian and German music this week – including live performances on a grand piano!
Registration is still open, also for online participation:
uhh.de/csmc-second-...
Registration is still open, also for online participation:
uhh.de/csmc-second-...
Register for a CSMC workshop
uhh.de
October 8, 2025 at 8:10 AM
‘Second Hands’ and ‘Second Thoughts’ are the theme of our workshop on multilayered written artefacts of 19th- and 20th-century Austrian and German music this week – including live performances on a grand piano!
Registration is still open, also for online participation:
uhh.de/csmc-second-...
Registration is still open, also for online participation:
uhh.de/csmc-second-...
New open-access publication: Discover how a multidisciplinary approach helped identify and contextualise three Qurʾānic parchment fragments from the University of Münster collection, revealing their shared origins in an Umayyad Qur’an:
www.nature.com/articles/s40...
www.nature.com/articles/s40...
From fragments to text and ink: a scientific and historical study of an Umayyad Qur’ān - npj Heritage Science
npj Heritage Science - From fragments to text and ink: a scientific and historical study of an Umayyad Qur’ān
www.nature.com
October 6, 2025 at 10:59 AM
New open-access publication: Discover how a multidisciplinary approach helped identify and contextualise three Qurʾānic parchment fragments from the University of Münster collection, revealing their shared origins in an Umayyad Qur’an:
www.nature.com/articles/s40...
www.nature.com/articles/s40...
Congratulations to Thomas Asselborn, Magnus Bender, Ralf Möller, and Sylvia Melzer from our ‘Data Linking’ team on winning the Best Young Research Paper Award at the FedCSIS conference in Kraków! 🥳🍾
uhh.de/csmc-fedcsis
uhh.de/csmc-fedcsis
Data Linking Team Wins Best Young Research Paper Award
uhh.de
September 29, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Congratulations to Thomas Asselborn, Magnus Bender, Ralf Möller, and Sylvia Melzer from our ‘Data Linking’ team on winning the Best Young Research Paper Award at the FedCSIS conference in Kraków! 🥳🍾
uhh.de/csmc-fedcsis
uhh.de/csmc-fedcsis
Reposted by Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC)
Warum interdisziplinäre Forschung so wichtig (und erfolgreich) ist:
Die großen Herausforderungen unserer Zeit erfordern die Zusammenarbeit verschiedener Disziplinen. Wie das in den Exzellenzclustern CLICCS und UWA an der Uni Hamburg gelingt, berichtet die @zeit.de Zum Beitrag (€):
Die großen Herausforderungen unserer Zeit erfordern die Zusammenarbeit verschiedener Disziplinen. Wie das in den Exzellenzclustern CLICCS und UWA an der Uni Hamburg gelingt, berichtet die @zeit.de Zum Beitrag (€):
Forschung und Wissenschaft: Gemeinsam hüpfen Hirne höher
Die Herausforderungen der Gegenwart lassen sich nur lösen, wenn ganz verschiedene Wissensdisziplinen zusammenarbeiten. Das gelingt nicht überall – in Hamburg aber schon
www.zeit.de
September 25, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Warum interdisziplinäre Forschung so wichtig (und erfolgreich) ist:
Die großen Herausforderungen unserer Zeit erfordern die Zusammenarbeit verschiedener Disziplinen. Wie das in den Exzellenzclustern CLICCS und UWA an der Uni Hamburg gelingt, berichtet die @zeit.de Zum Beitrag (€):
Die großen Herausforderungen unserer Zeit erfordern die Zusammenarbeit verschiedener Disziplinen. Wie das in den Exzellenzclustern CLICCS und UWA an der Uni Hamburg gelingt, berichtet die @zeit.de Zum Beitrag (€):
Developed by an interdisciplinary team comprising Ancient Historians and Computer Scientists, EDAK is an innovative digital resource for the study of Greek and Latin inscriptions. The newly updated beta version now available:
uhh.de/csmc-edak
uhh.de/csmc-edak
Casting a New Light on Ancient Inscriptions
uhh.de
September 24, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Developed by an interdisciplinary team comprising Ancient Historians and Computer Scientists, EDAK is an innovative digital resource for the study of Greek and Latin inscriptions. The newly updated beta version now available:
uhh.de/csmc-edak
uhh.de/csmc-edak
One more week to apply!
Join our Grad School with a full scholarship in the Scholarship Programme of the German Academic Exchange Service:
uhh.de/csmc-scholar...
Join our Grad School with a full scholarship in the Scholarship Programme of the German Academic Exchange Service:
uhh.de/csmc-scholar...
September 23, 2025 at 7:22 AM
One more week to apply!
Join our Grad School with a full scholarship in the Scholarship Programme of the German Academic Exchange Service:
uhh.de/csmc-scholar...
Join our Grad School with a full scholarship in the Scholarship Programme of the German Academic Exchange Service:
uhh.de/csmc-scholar...
How did Christianity spark the rise of written Georgian culture? In our PhD Research Series, Sandro Tskhvedadze explores the evolution of Georgian Gospel lectionaries and the pivotal legacy of George the Athonite in shaping liturgical traditions:
uhh.de/csmc-tskhved...
uhh.de/csmc-tskhved...
September 22, 2025 at 9:40 AM
How did Christianity spark the rise of written Georgian culture? In our PhD Research Series, Sandro Tskhvedadze explores the evolution of Georgian Gospel lectionaries and the pivotal legacy of George the Athonite in shaping liturgical traditions:
uhh.de/csmc-tskhved...
uhh.de/csmc-tskhved...