Artefact of the Month
Welcome to Artefact of the Month, the CSMC’s series illuminating the stories behind written artefacts.
Every written artefact has a unique and fascinating story to tell, be it about the materials and tools used to produce it, its contents, the significance attached to it, or its ‘biography'. Artefact of the Month unearths these stories and shares them with a general audience in an approachable and compelling fashion. In every entry, an expert in the respective field presents an artefact of his or her choosing and explains what makes just this particular piece so significant and exciting. All of the featured artefacts are hand made in some way, shape, or form; beyond this shared trait, Artefact of the Month, just like the CSMC at large, works across traditionally held boundaries of geography, historical periods, and disciplines. Pieces covered may have their origin in Africa or Asia just as well as Europe or the Middle East; they may be ancient or contemporary; they may be incised on palm-leaves, hewn in stone, or applied with a brush in calligraphy.
All editions will be compiled in a digital archive and eventually also be made available as compendiums in print form. New entries to the archive will be added as they are completed; work on the preceding series, Manuscript of the Month, has demonstrated that staying true to the eponymous month is no small feat. Editorial duties for this publication are overseen by Karin Becker and Leah Mascia. Should you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, both would be happy to hear from you at leah.mascia@uni-hamburg.de( leah.mascia"AT"uni-hamburg.de) and karin.becker@uni-hamburg.de( karin.becker"AT"uni-hamburg.de).
If you wish to present your research in one of our publications, please contact the editors. Please refer to the CSMC stylesheet for publications and the guidelines for AoM articles.
In addition to thanking all authors involved, we would also like to express our gratitude to the various editors who have worked on this project: Wiebke Beyer (2020 to 2022).