CSMC News

3 March 2026|CSMC News

Ajami Lab Continues Research in Kaduna

Photo: CSMC

Researchers from the Ajami Lab have continued their work on the Jos Museum manuscript collection deposited at the Kaduna Museum in Nigeria. This February, they established cataloguing and research procedures for identifying Ajami, and reviewed conservation principles relevant to the entire collection.

25 February 2026|CSMC News

CSMC Researchers Appear on Terra X

Photo: ZDF

A new episode of the popular science programme on ZDF is devoted to ‘magical symbols’ and their deciphering. Several researchers from the CSMC are featured in it.

24 February 2026|CSMC News

Stephan Seifert Completes Tenure Process

Photo: Private

Congratulations to Stephan Seifert! The UWA researcher recently completed his tenure process and will take up a regular professorship in the Department of Chemistry on 1 March.

20 February 2026|CSMC News

Schoenberg Institute and CSMC Launch Joint Fellowship Programme

Photo: SIMS/CSMC

The Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies (SIMS) at the University of Pennsylvania and the CSMC are launching a new joint fellowship that gives researchers the chance to work intensively with manuscript collections in both Philadelphia and Hamburg.

16 February 2026|CSMC News

CSMC Invites Applications for its MA Programme

Photo: UHH/vonWieding

The application period for our international Master’s programme ‘Manuscript Cultures’ has started and runs until 31 March. The programme begins in October and is now, for the first time, offered as a two-year course.

10 February 2026|CSMC News

CSMC Researchers Look Deep into Georgian Manuscripts

Photo: Digital Kartvelology

The latest volume of ‘Digital Kartvelology’, an open‑access journal devoted to digital approaches in Georgian studies, features several contributions by CSMC researchers. Using a range of methodological tools, they illuminate various aspects of early literacy and textual production in the Caucasus.

4 February 2026|CSMC News

Online Exhibition Presents Archival Excursions ‘Between Hamburg and Jerusalem’

Between Hamburg and Jerusalem: Archival Excursions

Photo: IGdJ/CSMC

The estates of German-Jewish intellectuals held at the National Library of Israel bear wit-ness to the migration of people and archives in a turbulent era. In a new online exhibition, developed jointly by CSMC and IGdJ, visitors can follow some of these intricate paths.

30 January 2026|CSMC News

Vacant Position: Project Coordinator DREAMSEA

Photo: CSMC

The position is part-time (50% of standard work hours per week) and fixed-term, with a duration of four and a half years. Applications can be submitted until 13 February.

22 January 2026|CSMC News

The Future of UWA Has Many New Faces

Photo: CSMC

The Cluster of Excellence Understanding Written Artefacts (UWA) is the backbone of the CSMC. Following its success in the DFG’s Excellence Competition in 2025, it will continue for at least another seven years. With numerous new colleagues, UWA has now entered its second phase.

20 January 2026|CSMC News

Marlen Börngen Successfully Defends PhD Dissertation

Photo: CSMC

Congratulations to Marlen Börngen on defending her doctoral dissertation and completing her PhD in Archaeometry! The viva voce examination took place on 19 January 2026.

18 December 2025|CSMC News

Missing Evidence in the Study of Ancient Cultures

Photo: De Gruyter

When it comes to the history of ancient cultures, we know that there is much we do not know. The new volume of ‘Studies in Manuscript Cultures’ explores the many forms and implications of missing evidence and examines how researchers can engage productively with these gaps when reconstructing the past.

17 December 2025|CSMC News

Vacant Research Associate Position

Photo: CSMC

The UWA Cluster of Excellence is looking for a doctoral researcher with a background in psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, or a related field, to conduct an independent research project.

16 December 2025|CSMC News

Accumulating Notes

Photo: De Gruyter

Everyday writings, often following no fixed plan, are likely to account for the majority of all handwritten production in human history. The new volume of ‘Studies in Manuscript Cultures’ explores how the practice of taking notes shapes written artefacts and vice versa.

15 December 2025|CSMC News

Mahdi Jampour Wins Award at ISCMI 2025

Photo: ISCMI

The CSMC Computer Scientist has won an Excellent Oral Presentation Award at the 12th IEEE International Conference on Soft Computing & Machine Intelligence (ISCMI) 2025, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

12 December 2025|Logbook: The CSMC Blog

Toward a Bottom-Up History of the Silk Road

Fragment of a manuscript where the Chinese words of a so-called Āgama-text (collection of early Buddhist texts) are translated into Uyghur (black) and the Uyghur text is transcribed in Brāhmī-script (red).

Photo: STAATSBIBLIOTHEK ZU BERLIN - Preussischer Kulturbesitz Orientabteilung

In the historiography of the Silk Road, Central Asian peoples such as the Uyghurs have so far played only a minor role. Wrongly so, argues historian Márton Vér. In his ERC project, he challenges Eurocentric and Sinocentric perspectives and turns the history of the complex supra-network on its head.

11 December 2025|CSMC News

Remembering Bruno Reudenbach

Photo: CSMC

We are deeply saddened by the death of our colleague, Professor Dr Bruno Reudenbach (1952–2025). Bruno Reudenbach was one of the longest-standing members of the CSMC, having shaped and supported it since its very beginnings with great expertise, commitment, and passion.

10 December 2025|Logbook: The CSMC Blog

‘What drew me in was the linguistic challenge’

Photo: Suganya Anandakichenin

‘Pearls and corals’ – the meaning of the Manipravalam language’s name is as poetic as the language itself is important to the history of South India. Still, it has hardly been researched. Suganya Anandakichenin has received a prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant to gain a better understanding of it.

9 December 2025|CSMC News

Two CSMC Researchers Awarded ERC Consolidator Grants

Photo: Private/Erika Jakab

Great success for two of our researchers: the Indologist Suganya Anandakichenin and Márton Vér, a historian specialising in Central Asia, have each been awarded the prestigious five-year grant to carry out ambitious research projects.

8 December 2025|CSMC News

New Manuscript Preservation Efforts in Maiduguri

Dmitry Bondarev with the Kanuri Ajami team

Photo: CSMC

During his recent trip to Nigeria, CSMC researcher Dmitry Bondarev visited the University of Maiduguri and the Centre for Kanuri Ajami and Qur’anic Studies to pave the way for future initiatives to enhance the conservation and study of written heritage in North East Nigeria.

5 December 2025|CSMC News

Material Cultures of Archiving

Photo: De Gruyter

The new volume of ‘Studies in Manuscript Cultures’ takes its readers to the places where large quantities of written artefacts are stored, organised, and preserved: archives. Their physical nature is the focus of this cross-cultural analysis.

2 December 2025|Logbook: The CSMC Blog

From Manuscripts to Witchcraft

Photo: CSMC

A journey right into the heart of Mexico’s material writing culture: CSMC researchers Małgorzata Grzelec and Laura Gallardo Domínguez are back from a field trip during which they not only presented their recent work but also got to experience local papermaking and dye production traditions first-hand.

1 December 2025|CSMC News

Janine Droese Takes Up Professorship in Munich

Photo: Janine Droese

The CSMC researcher will move to the University of Music and Theatre Munich on 1 December, where she will take up the professorship in historical musicology with a focus on early music history.

28 November 2025|CSMC News

Ajami Lab Fieldwork in Kaduna

Photo: CSMC

Researchers from the Ajami Lab regularly travel across West Africa to catalogue and study manuscripts that contain African languages written in Arabic script. This month, the team was in Kaduna, Nigeria, to initiate new projects.

26 November 2025|CSMC News

A Complete History of 65 tsakali Cards

Photo: De Gruyter

The latest volume of the ‘Studies in Manuscript Cultures’ book series aims to provide the complete history of Tibetan tsakali cards, unique ritual artefacts that remain little known outside specialist circles.

18 November 2025|CSMC News

Duo Xu Successfully Defends Her PhD Dissertation

Photo: CSMC

Congratulations to Duo Xu on defending her doctoral dissertation and completing her PhD in Sinology! The viva voce examination took place on 18 November 2025.

17 November 2025|Logbook: The CSMC Blog

‘As digital methods prove useful, more scholars become open to what’s possible’

Photo: Elisa Barney Smith

Renowned researchers regularly come to the CSMC as Petra Kappert Fellows. Elisa Barney Smith is the first computer scientist in this programme, which she participated in for the second time this fall. In our interview, she talks about the growing connection between her field and manuscript research.

14 November 2025|CSMC News

The Transmission of Sacred Texts in the Medieval Middle East

Photo: Open Book Publishers

The interconnections between oral and written traditions have played a pivotal role in shaping the transmission of sacred texts among the three major religions of the Middle East: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. A new book sheds light on the ways in which orality and manuscript culture interacted.

12 November 2025|CSMC News

Partnership with the Georgian National Centre of Manuscripts Extended

Photo: Korneli Kekelidze Georgian National Centre of Manuscripts

Together with the Centre, the CSMC is researching Georgia’s vast manuscript heritage. Both institutions have now formally concluded an agreement to prolong their collaboration.

10 November 2025|CSMC News

Announcing the J.P. Gumbert Dissertation Award 2025

Photo: J.P. Gumbert

We are delighted to invite nominations for the J. P. Gumbert Dissertation Award 2025. This award honours the best doctoral thesis in any field related to the study of manuscripts and other written artefacts, defended between 1 September 2024 and 31 December 2025.

7 November 2025|CSMC News

CSMC Sets Up a New Partnership in China

Huang Dekuan and Michael Friedrich during the signing ceremony

Photo: RCCUT

At the ‘Second International Academic Forum on Paleography and Chinese Civilization’, held at Tsinghua University in Beijing, the CSMC and the Research and Conservation Center for Unearthed Texts ratified a Memorandum of Understanding to further deepen academic exchange between the two institutions.

5 November 2025|CSMC News

CSMC and Matenadaran Continue Their Partnership

Photo: Gor Navoyan

The CSMC and the renowned Armenian institution have been working together on the preservation and study of manuscript heritage since 2021. The partnership has now been officially extended for five years.

4 November 2025|CSMC News

Khaoula Trad Honoured at Fujairah for Research on Timbuktu Manuscripts

Photo: FICCO 25

At the FICCO 25 conference, CSMC researcher Khaoula Trad was credited by Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, the Crown Prince of al-Fujairah, for her presentation on visual expression in the Timbuktu collection.

3 November 2025|Logbook: The CSMC Blog

Mon Papermaking among the Tai Lü of Laos

Photo: Agnieszka Helman-Ważny/Volker Grabowsky

The Tai Lü of Ban Nayang, Laos, continue the traditional craft of handmade mon paper, using local lianas to produce distinctive manuscripts. Agnieszka Helman-Ważny and Volker Grabowsky describe an ancient technique that endures despite the challenges posed by changing environments and modernisation.

27 October 2025|CSMC News

Vacant Research Associate Position

Photo: CSMC

The UWA Cluster of Excellence is looking for a doctoral researcher for the project 'Written artefacts as evidence-based systematic lenses into history: From dataset references to vivid argumentation support with AI technology'. The deadline for applications is 10 November 2025.

20 October 2025|CSMC News

Erasing and Rewriting in Manuscript Cultures

Photo: De Gruyter

The new volume of ‘Studies in Manuscript Cultures’ systematically explores the fascinating intersection between the potential ephemerality of the written word and the reusability of its supports.

17 October 2025|CSMC News

Vacant Research Associate Position

Photo: CSMC

The UWA Cluster of Excellence is looking for a doctoral researcher in the field of X-ray phase-contrast imaging to work on deciphering writings composed of carbon-based inks. The deadline for applications is 2 November 2025.

16 October 2025|CSMC News

ENCI Returns from Türkiye

Photo: Charles Steitler

After its second deployment at the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations in Ankara, the mobile CT scanner, used by CSMC researchers to examine cultural artefacts around the world, was also in operation this time at the Archaeological Museum in Kayseri.

13 October 2025|CSMC News

CSMC Signs Two New Memoranda of Understanding

Photo: Karsten Helmholz

The CSMC has signed Memoranda of Understanding with the National Library and Archives of Bhutan and the National Library of Peru in Lima. The latter was formally concluded this week during a meeting between Peru’s Consul General in Hamburg, Sandra Pinto La Fuente, and CSMC Director Konrad Hirschler.

8 October 2025|CSMC News

Humanities-Centred Artificial Intelligence

Photo: Gwen Melzer

The ‘Humanities-Centred Artificial Intelligence’ workshop is a forum that brings together researchers from the humanities and computer science to explore how artificial intelligence can both benefit and learn from the humanities. The proceedings of the 5th edition of this workshop are now available.

29 September 2025|CSMC News

Ann-Lauren Osthof and Jenny Gabel Win the Peter Haber Prize for Digital History

Photo: CC-BY 2.0 (Mareike König)

The two early-career researchers have been awarded the prestigious prize, presented by the Working Group for Digital History (AG Digitale Geschichtswissenschaft), for a poster presentation on their research project ‘Immersive City Scripts’ at the 55th Historikertag in Bonn.

24 September 2025|CSMC News

Data Linking Team Wins Best Young Research Paper Award

Photo: FedCSIS

Thomas Asselborn, Magnus Bender, Ralf Möller, and Sylvia Melzer from the ‘Data Linking’ research field at the CSMC have been honoured with one of the Best Young Research Paper Awards at the renowned Conference on Computer Science and Intelligence Systems (FedCSIS) in Kraków.

23 September 2025|CSMC News

Casting a New Light on Ancient Inscriptions

Photo: CSMC

The Epigraphic Database for Ancient Asia Minor is an innovative digital resource for the study of Greek and Latin inscriptions. Developed by an interdisciplinary team consisting of Ancient Historians and Computer Scientists, it represents a significant step forward in making the epigraphic heritage of ancient Asia Minor accessible.

22 September 2025|Logbook: The CSMC Blog

Unveiling Connections

Photo: Giorgi Gagoshidze

How did Christianity spark the rise of written Georgian culture? In our PhD Research Series, Sandro Tskhvedadze explores the evolution of Georgian Gospel lectionaries and the pivotal legacy of George the Athonite in shaping liturgical traditions.

17 September 2025|CSMC News

Vacant Research Associate Position

Photo: CSMC

The UWA Cluster of Excellence is looking for a doctoral researcher in the field of microbiology and molecular biology to work on a project entitled 'Investigation of the autochthonous microbiota of parchment and identification of potential microbial reasons for decay'.

16 September 2025|CSMC News

Silpsupa Jaengsawang Appointed Assistant Professor in Venice

Photo: Silpsupa Jaengsawang

A long-term member of the CSMC, Silpsupa Jaengsawang leaves Hamburg to join the Department of Asian and North African Studies (Dipartimento di Studi sull'Asia e sull'Africa Mediterranea) at Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, which is renowned for its exceptional diversity in language teaching.

15 September 2025|Logbook: The CSMC Blog

‘One of the big surprises has been just how widespread Ajami writing is’

Photo: Nicolas Réméné

What role did local languages play in West African Islamic scholarship? Dmitry Bondarev and colleagues explore this in ‘African Voices in the Islamic Manuscripts from Mali’, focusing on rarely studied Ajami manuscripts. At the project’s halfway mark, we discussed their achievements and next steps.

10 September 2025|CSMC News

Vacant Research Associate Position

Photo: CSMC

The Cluster of Excellence ‘Understanding Written Artefacts’ (UWA) is looking for a doctoral researcher in the field of Geosciences to work on a project on ‘Non-destructive Material Profiling of Clay Tablets: Thermal Stability of Mineral Constituents and Conservation History.

9 September 2025|Logbook: The CSMC Blog

From Medieval Biblical Exegesis to Modern Linguistics

Photo: Patricia Elena Suárez

Centuries before modern linguists, Andalusi scholar Isaac ibn Barūn laid the groundwork for comparative Semitic linguistics with his pioneering 12th-century Judaeo-Arabic grammar. Carlos Jacobo Puga Medina introduces his influential work in our PhD Research Series.

8 September 2025|Logbook: The CSMC Blog

‘I hereby let you know that I am doing well so far’

Photo: Rainer Krumsiek

A soldier in WWI writes a postcard to his family; the handwriting fades over the decades. In 2025, his grandson wishes to read the message. The story of an encounter in the Artefact Lab of the CSMC.

1 September 2025|CSMC News

Vacant Research Associate Position

Photo: CSMC

The Cluster of Excellence ‘Understanding Written Artefacts’ (UWA) is looking for a doctoral researcher in the field of Computer Science for the Visual Manuscript Analysis Lab (VMA). The position is full-time and fixed-term, with a duration of three and a half years (1 January 2026 to 30 June 2029).

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