THE TOOLS OF THE ART
New Perspectives on the History of Astrological Doctrines and Practices
6-7 May 2021
Monastery of Batalha, Portugal
THE CONFERENCE
The Tools of the Art is the first academic meeting organised by the ASTRA Project. Several scholars will gather to debate the state of research on the historical study of astrological techniques and discuss new lines of study.
The conference is sponsored by the Monastery of Batalha in collaboration with the Astra project.
Astra is an academic research project housed in CIUHCT, University of Lisbon, and developed in partnership with The Warburg Institute, University of London.
The goal of the conference is to discuss the history of astrological doctrines and practices. Particular attention will be given to the creation, application, and development of astrological techniques: the principles and concepts that form the core of the astrological interpretation.
Despite astrology’s importance in western pre-modern culture, the academic study of its functioning has been sparse. The Astra Project seeks to fill this gap by bringing a deeper historical understanding of astrology’s inner workings, thus offering an essential key to the comprehension of this cultural phenomenon.
This conference is the first step towards that goal.
Attendance to the conference is 10€
Registration will be open until the first of May 2020.
SPEAKERS
For this first meeting we gathered several distinguished scholars on the history of astrological practices. Each will present a topic related to the historical study of astrological techniques and its importance for the understanding of the history of astrology.
Charles Burnett
The Warburg Institute
Shlomo Sela
Bar-Ilan University
Dorian Greenbaum
University of Wales Trinity St David
David Juste
Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
Jean-Patrice Boudet
Université d’Orléans
Luís Campos Ribeiro
Universidade de Lisboa
Eunice Santos
Universidade de Lisboa
Matthias Heiduk
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Stephan Heilen
Universität Osnabrück
Steven Vanden Broecke
Ghent University
Günther Oestmann
Technische Universität Berlin
H Darrel Rutkin
Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia
Martin Gansten
Lunds Universitet
Helena Avelar
The Warburg Institute
Petra G. Schmidl
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Barbara Dunn
University of Exeter
PROGRAMME
The conference offers an intense full-day of academic discussion on the history of astrology and its practices. This is the first academic event solely dedicated to the discussion of the history of astrological techniques and methods.
The event has changed from a one day to a two day conference.
The new schedule will be available soon
VENUE
Batalha Monastery, Portugal
The Monastery of Batalha is a stunning gothic monument located at about two-hour drive from Lisbon and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its full name is Mosteiro of Santa Maria da Vitória (Monastery of Saint Mary of Victory) as it was built to commemorate the victory at the battle of Aljubarrota in 1385, where the Portuguese defeated the Castilians and maintained the kingdom’s independence. It is usually referred to as Mosteiro da Batalha (Monastery of the Battle). It is the largest example of Portuguese late Gothic art and houses the tombs of João I and Philippa of Lencastre, and those of their offspring, including Prince Henry the Navigator.
Transportation
For those who intend to extend the visit and explore the region, there are several interesting sites in the area, such as the lovely medieval town of Óbidos, the Monastery of Alcobaça, and the Castles of Leiria, Porto de Mós, Ourém, and Tomar (headquarters of the Templar Knights).
Lodging
There are several options for accomodation in the village center:
Organization:
Helena Avelar, CIUHCT
Luís Campos Ribeiro, CIUHCT
Joaquim Ruivo, Batalha Monastery
Pedro Redol, Batalha Monastery
Henrique Leitão, CIUHCT
Attendance to the conference is 10€
Registration will be open until the first of May 2020.