heiBOOKS

The institute for Papyrology of the University of Heidelberg  is the proud owner of one of the world’s most significant corpora of magical papyri. The small but excellent collection of Coptic parchments, most of which also include drawings, probably originating from around the beginning of the second millennium. Already in 1934, this collection was  presented together with a codex containing the legend of Cyprian in the volume “Griechische, koptische und arabische Texte zur Religion und religiösen Literatur in Ägyptens Spätzeit” edited by Adolf Grohmann and Friedrich Bilabel. This volume announced the then-recent acquisition of two unique grimoires – one of which had been considered lost since 1945. One of the most famous scholars in this domain, P. Angelicus Kropp, had previously been able to publish a text of an earlier version of the other grimoire, in 1966; P. Heid. Kopt. inv. 686 (before: P. Heid. inv. 1686); the second grimoire, however, had been believed to be lost forever, with no earlier versions known of.

"Art the Ape of Nature – the monkey motif in contemporary art" was the title of a middle seminar at the Institute of Art History in Heidelberg. The result can be seen in the exhibition "Art the Ape of Nature – An exhibition of contemporary art" in the University Museum in Heidelberg in 2013. In the seminar "Art the Ape of Nature – the monkey motif in contemporary art" we discussed the handling of monkeys and apes in art with respect to well-known representatives of recent history of art. Among them were the British postwar painter Francis Bacon, the polit-activist font photographer Barbara Kruger, the readymade kitsch artist Jeff Koons, the expressive "painter monkey" Jörg Immendorff, the feminist action and poster artists Guerrilla Girls or the Street "Artivist" Banksy. In addition, the role of gorillas, chimpanzees and baboons in Darwin caricatures of the 19th century has been studied, also in today's evolution cartoons or in music videos of the Bloodhound Gang, Peter Fox or Modeselektor. Also the Darwinist and spiritualist Gabriel von Max, the "naive" exotic monkeys painter Henri Rousseau or the Dadaist Francis Picabia were discussed in a session each, furthermore the lesser-known sculptor Hugo Reinhold (died 1900) or the Young British Artist Angus Fairhurst (died 2008).

For the exhibition we could convince artists from London, Munich and Vienna, which not only, as Anja Priska or   Gerd Dengler, made works for our exhibition available, but who also, like Larissa Kopp, Eva Blanché and Florian Aschka, created new works specifically for the exhibition.

Despite severe losses the distinctive early medieval translation originating in Mainz offers enough material to convey former quantity and quality. Based on its remains, the labels, the subproject A08 of SFB 933 “Material Text Cultures” organized a small exhibition. This was supported by the Cathedral Museum and grew into the special exhibition “In Gold geschrieben” (Written in Gold) to which a comprehensive catalogue was published. On the basis of these articles, this themed issue documents descriptions of artefacts and material concerning the Middle Ages until the Carolingian era. The selection offers a virtual tour around the early written culture in Mainz.            

Every year, the awarding of the Nobel Prize in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Economy and Peace is anticipated with great excitement. Often, the decisions of the Nobel Prize jury provoke emotional discussions. The Nobel Prize is more than just a science prize – it is the most desired and highest-profile award  of all. Scientists, who are handed a medal and a diploma by the King of Sweden in a magnificent and globally recognized Nobel Prize Award Ceremony, are considered outstanding representatives of their disciplines. In the history of ideas and science the Nobel Prize winners attain immortality.

A fortification extending over 15 hectares was built in the 4^th century AD in the Roman province of Pannonia at Keszthely-Fenékpuszta. The archaeological investigations undertaken so far on the western shore of Lake Balaton have revealed its defences and monumental buildings as well as numerous burials. Together they give us insights into the 300-year-long occupation of the site.

The publication accompanying the exhibition contains the results of the German-Hungarian excavation initiated in 2009. The potential for visualising the excavated buildings is given particular emphasis, in the shape of 3D reconstructions, evocations of daily life and models.

After the Arabic conquest of Egypt initially little changed for the local population. Using Greek, Coptic and Arabic papyrus and archaeological objects, this exhibition illustrated the changes and continuities within Egypt's Early Arabic period compared to the end of the Byzantine era. Differences and similarities in religious belief and concepts of the afterlife were covered. Unaltered aspects of everyday life such as nutrition and clothing were demonstrated. Changes in administrative structures were taken into account.

On the occasion of the University of Heidelberg’s anniversary in 1986, the artist and graphic designer Dénes v. Szebeny, born in Hungary and resident in Heidelberg since 1973, created an extensive series of drawn portraits of Heidelberg University professors. The series is laid in the 19^th and early 20^th century, the earliest being that of the natural law philosopher Samuel von Pufendorf (1661-1668), the youngest depicting the physicist Walther Bothe (1932-1957).

More than three decades ago, the Romano-Germanic Central Museum in Mainz presented the results of a perennial restoration of the remains of two royal statues which turned out to be almost two and a half meters high in a small exhibition. The statues stood in the classical contrapposto, arranged as if they were statues of heroes, and were signed by a Greek artist named Phokas. For most archaeologists and historians of the time, the discovery of these artifacts was the first discovery of evidence of an Old South Arabic kingdom in today’s Yemen, which had, been totally unknown until then. However, in later years this discovery was widely forgotten.

The exhibition "LEBEN DINGE TEXTE" (LIFE  OBJECTS TEXTS / LIVING TEXT) presents artefacts that are inscribed. The exhibits originate from societies before the invention of printing: cuneiform script clay tablets from Mesopotamia, ancient graffiti, magical papyrus amulets, stamped roofing tiles, a dog leash superscribed with gemstones. Such "script bearing" artefacts can help investigate how the writing material affects the meaning of the text and vice versa. Furthermore, they illustrate that writing was not only for reading, but also associated with acts and rituals.

With this exhibition, the Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 933 "Material text Cultures" presents intermediate results of its research. SFB 933 is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) and unites 50 researchers and scholars of Heidelberg University and Hochschule für Jüdische Studien Heidelberg.

An unusually large number of Roman lamps were discovered in one of the biggest Roman cemeteries excavated in Southern Germany, in Heidelberg. A description of these lamps is being published by Andreas Hensen. As he stated, almost two centuries ago the Heidelberg archaeologist and ancient
studies professor Friedrich Creuzer coined the term “Lychnologie” (study of artificial lighting). Thus, it is fitting that the International Lychnological Association (ILA) hosted its third international congress in September 2009 in Heidelberg, the native town of Lychnology. On this occasion, and in interdisciplinary cooperation, we prepared this short exposition of Classical, Provincial Roman and Medieval Archaeology in the course of a seminar in the winter semester of 2008/09.

For the first time ever, the exhibition memoria fotografica. Italienbilder aus der kunsthistorischen Fotothek offers a glimpse of the more than 75,000 photographs depicting architecture, paintings, drawings and sculptures  that are part of the photographic collection of the Institut für Europäische Kunstgeschichte (IEK, Institute for European History of Art) of Heidelberg University. "Italian topography" is by far the largest section within the collection and contains exquisit works by famous photographers such as the Alinari brothers, Carlo Naya, Giorgio Sommer and James Anderson, as well as a variety of different techniques such as albumen and gelatine prints.

This companion volume results from the exhibition Religion in Ex-Position (2014/2015), a teaching project, organised by lecturers of the Institute for Religious Studies at the University of Heidelberg (Germany) and museum experts in co-operation with the University Museum Heidelberg. It used various thematic key aspects and practical examples to address a multitude of approaches from the fields of Religious and Cultural Studies, e.g. a selection of approaches by historical and recent scholars of religion along with criticism of religion, the difficulty of defining religion and the different perspectives on religion. The result was a hands-on exhibition, focussing on theories and methods of the discipline of Religious Studies, whose history traces back to the early 20th century, illustrating the diversity and plurality of the study of religion.

The book consists of an exhibition catalogue, which presents the exhibits and installations on display including the accompanying texts, along with an essay collection, where different authors from a multitude of academic backgrounds discuss the exhibition as a whole or focus on certain aspects. The central question “How to research religion(s)?” invites readers to become acquainted with the scholarship of religion, to adopt different perspectives and to challenge views. At the same time it emphasises the importance of Religious Studies for culture and society nowadays.

Banksy is one of the most famous artists today. The origins of his preferred technique, stencil graffiti, have so far remained largely unexplored. “Stencil Stories” tells their story. Beginning in 1870, a line is drawn from stencils for use, through propaganda and resistance stencils before 1945, protest stencils from May 1968, Pop Art and Conceptual Art stencils, from punk stencils and pochoirists to street art stencils and Banksy. Featuring Blek Le Rat, John Fekner, David Wojnarowicz, Vhils, Alex Vallauri, C215, Banksy or punk bands like CRASS and The Clash. Students from the university and the PH Heidelberg contributed texts.

The catalogue is the accompanying booklet for the permanent exhibition of the University Museum of  Heidelberg as it was presented to the public in 2006. Since 1996, the University Museum has been located in the baroque building of the “Old University” built in 1712. Whereas the actual museum is situated in the ground floor of the old building, the Alte Aula can be found in the first floor; moreover, the Studentenkarzer can be visited in the adjoining building. Both the Alte Aula and the Studentenkarzer represent the highly traditional University’s history.

The three exhibits are described in the three rooms of the museum, in which the history of the University from the formation in 1386 to the anniversary in 1786 (room A), of the University in the 18^th and 19^th century (room B) and of the University in the 20^th century (room C) is represented. Furthermore, the catalogue includes information about the Alte Aula and the Studentenkarzer.

Art history teaching is unimaginable without pictures. Whereas reproductions on paper were passed through the rows of the audience in the 19th century, from around 1900 onwards diapositives on screens or walls made it possible for all viewers simultaneously to look at the pictures displayed. In art history, the parallel use of two projectors became common: comparative viewing was established as a central teaching method.

As part of a class at the Institute for European Art History (winter term 2022/23, led by Dr Alexandra Vinzenz), students studied the imaging devices in the institute's own collection. From the epidiascope to slide projectors from the 1910s onwards and to the 16mm film projector, a representative cross-section is shown in the exhibition and in this catalogue. 

The development of historical research in German universities over the last twenty years has been strongly influenced by the academic fields of cultural and social history, and by gender issues.  There exist, therefore, along with individual studies and several comprehensive comparisons of doctoral and the “Habilitation” (postdoctoral lecture qualification) qualifications as “specifically German”, also studies of gender-specific opportunities for access to university education and research careers. Until now, there has been no broad investigation into the work of early women in research and teaching in the context of Heidelberg University. The aim of this volume, developed by a small group of history students, is to close this gap.