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Forthcoming

ATLOMY is funded by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (GA 852550, PI: Orly Lewis)

The soul never thinks without an image.

Aristotle, On the Soul, III.7, 431a16–17

ATLOMY (Anatomy in Ancient Greece and Rome: An Interactive Visual and Textual Atlas) and the Centre for the Study of Medicine and the Body in the Renaissance invite scholars to join an international conference dedicated to the history of medicine and science at the intersection of text, image, and digital humanities.

The history of medicine and science in the Greco-Roman world has long been studied mainly through texts – ancient writings and their modern interpretations. Yet these writings were never independent from images and material objects and practices: the human body, its organs and fluids, votives, surgical tools, and illustrations all formed part of a shared epistemic culture.

This conference seeks to highlight the interplay of textual, visual, and practical dimensions in the transmission of technical knowledge (technai). It also aims to foster dialogue between disciplines such as philology, archaeology, art history, 3D modelling, and digital scholarship.

Building on five years of the ATLOMY project – dedicated to the study of ancient anatomy through classical philology, re-enacting ancient dissections and developing digital platforms for interactive multimodal research – the conference will address three thematic axes: Illustrations and Visualizations, Re-enactments and Replications, Digital Interfaces.

1. Illustrations and Visualizations

• • • The relationship between text and image in papyri, manuscripts, and early modern books.
    • Material culture: votives, sculptures, reliefs, and painted scenes depicting the body.
    • Modern visualizations as research tools for historical technai.

2. Re-Enactments and Replications

• • • The methodological and conceptual challenges of reproducing ancient practices.
    • Reconstructions as gateways to new avenues of research and experimental history.
    • Standards of scholarly rigor, accreditation, and publication of data arising from reenactments.

3. Digital Interfaces

• • • Interactive platforms for disseminating 3D models and digital tools.
    • Scholarly standards, peer review, and sustainability of digital research outputs.
    • Insights from ATLOMY’s own interactive atlas and dissections platform.