Starting 23 OctoberThe Untold Stories of Written Artefacts

12 September 2023

Photo: Agnieszka Helman-Ważny

This winter semester, the Cluster holds its Equal Opportunity and Diversity Lecture Series again. Ten lectures by experts from a variety of fields start telling the stories of thus far neglected aspects of manuscript studies. The series is part of the public lecture schedule of Universität Hamburg.

Since 2019, the Cluster of Excellence ‘Understanding Written Artefacts’ at Universität Hamburg has investigated written artefacts (manuscripts, inscriptions, et cetera) originating in different times – from the beginning of writing up until today – and in different regions of the world. Artefacts studied range at present from Mesopotamian clay tables to the graffiti sprayed on Hamburg’s walls.

A new lecture series entitled ‘Understanding Written Artefacts: Untold Stories’ presents this research and by doing so explores the geographical, cultural, and historical diversity of written artefacts and of writing as a human practice. At the same time, it raises the question of which aspects of written artefacts, of the historical contexts from which they stem, and of the social contexts in which they are used we have as of yet failed to consider or account for. Which creators and users of written artefacts and which types of artefacts have we deemed (un)worthy of our attention? Whose perspectives on written artefacts have we incorporated into our research? What bodies of knowledge about written artefacts have we, instead, backgrounded? And what spoken and unspoken cultural and disciplinary norms have led to such marginalisations?

With this lecture series we would like to begin telling some of the still-untold stories about writing and written artefacts that questions such as these bring into view. The series consists of ten lectures (some in German, some in English), delivered by experts in a variety of different fields. Starting on 23 October, all lectures are held on Mondays from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm CET at Erwin-Panofsky Hörsaal (ESA C), main building, Edmund-Siemers-Allee 1. People from outside Hamburg are welcome to attend the lectures online. The full schedule of the lecture series as well as the registration form is available on the event's website:

• Schedule of and registration for the lecture series ‘Understanding Written Artefacts: Untold Stories’