CSMC
CSMCCentre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures
Girls’ Day and Boys’ Day at CSMC
15 April 2024
Photo: Girls' Day
Why do people write? What do they write with and on? How has writing shaped societies and cultures? And how has writing developed over time? On 25 April, our Centre is open to pupils who participate in the nationwide Girls’ Day and Boys’ Day.
For the second time, we will open our doors to students on this day and show them how we investigate what is known about writing, writing systems, and different writing cultures. Together, we will explore the scientific puzzles we are currently solving and how modern technology can help find new answers to old questions. In the process, our participants will experience the everyday work of researchers: what do you actually do when you do research? Who do you work with? What is difficult about it? What is exciting about it?
Our Girls’ Day programme includes a session on archaeometry. Historical manuscripts can consist of many different materials, the study of which can provide valuable information about their history and production. Our laboratory at the CSMC houses several instruments for analysing these materials and allows us to combine philological, historical, and codicological studies. Participants of the Girls’ Day will first get to know different writing supports such as paper, papyrus, parchment, and wax tablets, as well as with different writing media such as inks, pigments, and dyes. In the second part of the session, they get an overview of the different devices in our laboratory, which can be used for example be used to analyse the composition of materials, identify forgeries, or restore lost writing. We will also try out some of the equipment.
Our Boys’ Day programme features a session on modern Assyriology. Participants will get to know the oldest writing system of mankind and learn the basics to read the myths, epics, and rituals of the Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Hittites, and many other peoples of ancient Mesopotamia. They will also gain an insight into modern research, in particular the collaboration between the humanities and natural sciences, which makes it possible to gain new insights and unravel the mysteries of the past. We will also talk about the professional perspectives of people studying Assyriology or other small subjects. From academic research to museum work and archaeological excavations, there are many ways to explore the rich history of Mesopotamia and thus preserve it.
Moreover, both girls and boys will participate in a session on the cooperation between the humanities and computer science. They will gain insight into a research project on medieval magic and get to know some current language models such as ChatGPT and Perplexity.ai, their advantages and disadvantages, and what researchers can do to Fine-tune language models. We will also test different language models and compare their results.
More information is available on the websites of the Girls’ Day and Boys’ Day, respectively:
