Insular Latin Paleography (Workshop)

Harbour Centre 2200

Organizer: Lane Springer (University of Toronto)

This workshop offers an introduction to insular paleography and is aimed at graduate students who wish to be trained to read and research early medieval manuscripts written in an insular script or that may have insular influences. The early Latin scripts developed in Ireland and England and transmitted to the Continent are the focus of this workshop. Some knowledge of Latin will be helpful, but a full reading fluency is not required. Participants will learn how to identify the distinctive insular scripts, letterforms, abbreviations, and codicological features through practical exercises in reading and examining digitized images of manuscripts. There will be discussions on the historical background of these scripts, the corpus of medieval insular manuscripts, resources for paleographical learning and research, current manuscript research projects, digital initiatives, and problems a researcher might encounter when examining a manuscript. Examples of texts will be offered from a variety of subjects, such as medicine, poetry, hagiography, historical sources, and religious texts, which provides an opportunity for students to broaden their experience beyond their own subject area. Upon completion, participants should be able to recognize different aspects of insular Latin paleography and should be familiarized with the resources and current scholarly initiatives surrounding this topic. This workshop is open to all participants and early registration is not required.