Maps and images have provided a unique access to many scholarly domains as well as diverse literary and visual genres. The conference participants will investigate the topics related to the transmission of representation of space along the Silk Road.

Date and Venue: May 14-15, 2004, University of Zurich, Kollegiengebäude 2, Room KO2-F-152, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, CH-8006 Zurich (Switzerland).

Description: Maps and images have provided a unique access to many scholarly domains as well as diverse literary and visual genres. The conference participants will investigate the topics related to the transmission of representation of space along the Silk Road. "Visual knowledge" has been chosen as the central theme to encourage comparisons in methodological approaches across disciplines such as art history, Asian studies, astronomy, cartography, cultural studies, geography, history of religion, history of science, Islamic studies, Medieval studies, travel literature, etc. While scholars have thoroughly studied the transmission of texts across cultures, a lot remains to be discovered on the ways in which visual representations have been copied, forged, or adapted to new circumstances. For two thousand years, the Silk Road has been the most important connection between the Far East, the Middle East and Europe. This network of commercial routes and prosperous states has allowed the diffusion of uniquely complex representations, such as city and country maps, landscape paintings and drawings that have shaped the perceptions of space and time. Astronomical and mathematical sketches have deeply influenced our understanding of the cosmos. Texts and images of deities and holy men have merged into many religious traditions. The Silk Road can therefore offer fascinating examples for the study of the transmission of visual knowledge. A selection of the conference papers will be published with an academic publisher of international reputation.

Schedule: Twenty-four communications and four panels are scheduled: Friday morning, May 14, Panel A: Paintings and Drawings Friday afternoon, May 14, Panel B: Maps up to the 15th Century Saturday morning, May 15, Panel C: Maps since the 16th Century Saturday afternoon, May 15, Panel D: Science and Techniques The conference program includes not only Chinese and Islamic, but also Mongol and Tibetan, Central Asian, Byzantine, Western-Medieval and Western travel studies. Each panel will have a chair. Social events and time-breaks will facilitate informal exchange during the conference.

The precise schedule will be ready after February 1, 2004. Please check the conference website for paper titles, abstracts and updates. To encourage discussion, the paper drafts will be forwarded to speakers and registered participants after April 15, 2004.

Registration of participants: The participants who register before April 15, 2004 (maps@oriental.unizh.ch) will receive the paper drafts and may join the conference social events. Registration fees are 50 Swiss Francs for non-students and 15 Swiss Francs for students. Support: Generous support from the Cogito Foundation and the Zürcher Hochschulstiftung has helped to make this conference possible. The University of Zurich has kindly provided the conference room.

Conference Conveners: Philippe Forêt, PhD, Associate Researcher, Institute of Cartography, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Zurich (ETHZ), Switzerland, and PD Dr. Andreas Kaplony, Institute of Oriental Studies, University of Zurich, Switzerland. For registration and more information, please write to: Conference "Maps and Images", c/o Institute of Oriental Studies, University of Zurich, Wiesenstrasse 9, CH-8008 Zurich, Switzerland, maps@oriental.unizh.ch.

Or visit: www.ori.unizh.ch/maps