[Maybe the conference advertised below needs some contributions on ancient occult sciences? Note that some travel/accommodation bursaries are available]

just a reminder of the upcoming deadline at the end of this month (November) for the SCIENTIA conference organized by the SCIENTIA Research Group, formed by scholars on Greek and Roman science (C. Tolsa), Arabic medicine (M. Forcada) and astronomy (E. Calvo, M. Díaz-Fajardo, J. Casulleras) among others, based at the University of Barcelona.

We expect contributions from scholars in the variegated fields of fields of classics, history of science and ideas, medieval history, or philology, working on the pre-modern Mediterranean area. Please see the details of the proposal below.

We have secured funding for stays and possibly for travel (depending on the number/place of contributors).

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Non-expert dealings with science in the ancient and pre-modern Mediterranean

The sociology of science, including explorations of its audiences and the interactions with other knowledges and actors, has been an extremely productive area in the historiography of modern science in the last decades. The research group ‘SCIENTIA-Scientific Texts and Ideas in the pre-modern Mediterranean area’ (Universitat de Barcelona) aims to bring to the fore discussions of these topics in the domain of the ancient, medieval, and pre-modern sciences, in which historiography has been traditionally centered on authors. Papers are welcome on the variegated themes related to these issues, comprising (not exhaustively):

    demarcation of scientific and mathematical discourses by philosophical and religious scholars
    establishment of curricula
    circulation of specialized, scientific knowledge and works in more general milieux
    discussion of the epistemological value of scientific disciplines and subdisciplines
    interactions between science and literature
    degrees of specialization/vulgarization in ancient scientific texts
    scientific compendia
    scientific intrusion (unqualified scientists acting as such)
    satire and humor on scientific topics

Language: English

Place: University of Barcelona

Dates: 26-27 June 2025

Sending of abstracts: until November 30th

Prospective speakers are asked to send a title and an abstract of up to 250 words to Cristian Tolsa (ctolsa@ub.edu). Please use the same address for requesting more information.