Welcome to Beyond Borders,
As this is our very first blog post, we decided to pop the corks and introduce our little project, instead of immediately hitting it off with what goes on in our medievalist minds.
Beyond Borders is the result of four people from differing backgrounds connected by their passion for medieval studies. This passion led us to our graduate program at the University of Edinburgh. Here, not only did we receive a deeper insight into the idea of the Global Middle Ages, but we also met and were able help each other develop intellectually due to constant discussions and the sometimes necessary motivational speech. Since we will soon part ways, each of us heading into a different corner of the world, we decided to keep our academic exchange alive by creating a blog dedicated to our studies. Of course this would also be possible via mail or chat, but by creating a public platform, we hope that others can join our conversation on global medieval perspectives. We hope not only to provide thought-provoking posts, but encourage them as well, as we welcome guest posts and opinions. It is our intention that this platform becomes a place for academic exchange that not only extends the borders of our fields, but also the physical borders between each of us.
What's the instrument in the picture top right on your blog?
ReplyDeleteHello! Thank you for you interest! The instrument is an astrolabe, a device used to calculate the movement of the stars and planets. In the Medieval era, it was used by astronomers and astrologers in their calculations, but also by navigators as they traveled according to the placement of the stars. This particular astrolabe is housed at the Museum of History and Science in Oxford.
ReplyDeleteWelcome. Although I'm not an academic - I'm a tourism guide on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia where we have several 13th & 14th century stone churches with apotropaic frescoes and carvings. In addition my passion is the development of the early Christian church in the 4th & 5th centuries and its struggle with paganism. - I'm so looking forward to your posts.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! We look forward to your comments and hope to create a dialogue within the academic community. We hope to have guest bloggers in the future and would love to hear more from our readers. A new blog will posted shortly and we do love to have feedback!
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