Time and History in the Medieval World (c. 800-1300)
26-28th June 2019 Aberystwyth University
‘Quid est ergo tempus? Si nemo ex me quaerat, scio; si quaerenti explicare velim, nescio.’
What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know’.
Augustine, Confessions, Book XI
The question ‘what is time?’ is an old one and many have sought to answer it. Time is a fundamental element of human existence. Culture, religion, society are all shaped by a society’s ideas of time, and thus these ideas profoundly shaped the medieval world view. Time is also at the heart of the perception of History. To experience time was to remember the past and anticipate the future. Both of these are key to conceptualising history. The third Aberystwyth Medieval Conference for postgraduates will seek to explore the integral relationship between history and time, how those who wrote about the past engaged with time, and conversely how history influenced how time was conceived.
Keynote papers will be given by:
Robert Ireland (Aberystwyth University)
Hans-Werner Goetz (Universität Hamburg)
Anne Lawrence-Mathers (University of Reading)
Brett Whalen (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill).
The workshop takes place under the auspices of the Centre for the Study of Historiography and Historical Culture (Aberystwyth) and the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies (Aberystwyth & Bangor), and is funded by the Graduate School, Department of History and Welsh History, Aberystwyth University, and the Royal Historical Society.
Conference main organiser 2019: Caitlin Naylor.