§ [0] The Museum Conservatorium of Parchment and Illumination (Musée Conservatoire du Parchemin et de l’Enluminure de Duras, France, Lot-et-Garonne -47120 : http://www.museeduparchemin.com/colloque.htm), situated in the peaceful south-western Aquitanian region of France, in the town of Duras (F-47120) organizes, under the high patronage of the city of Duras, the Conseil Général of Lot-et-Garonne, the Conseil Régional of Aquitania, the DRAC of Aquitania, the Communauté de Commune de Duras, its second annual interdisciplinary scientific Symposium, Colloquia Aquitana II, scheduled for the 3rd, 4th and 5th of August 2006. The Colloquia Aquitana II will focus upon the Italian Pythagorean, Platonist and Christian Philosopher Boethius (Roma, ca. 480 – Pavia, ca. 524), who, within to context of the scientific-philosophical Tradition of Knowledge of western Europe, was in all respects the powerful hyphen between Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The Colloquia Aquitana II – 2006 is entitled : Boèce : l’homme, le philosophe, le scientifique, son œuvre et son rayonnement (Boethius : the Man, the Philosopher, the Scientist, his Work and its Outreach). This theme, which, “ita sponte ac naturaliter”, implies interdisciplinary and integrated research, such as : the philosophy of numbers and proportions (quadruvium or quadrivium : ars arithmetica • ars musica ars geometrica • ars astronomica), the philosophy of grammar (trivuim : ars grammatica • ars dialectica • ars rhetorica), philosophy of moral ethics (Latin : « summa bona » or « quattuor uirtutes animæ »), the philosophy of image painting (Iconography), the faculty of the five senses (Latin : sensorium), the philosophy of sense perception (Latin : perceptio • perceptio sensuum), the philosophy of the cognitive process (Latin : cognitio), proto-philology (the interrelated critical study of, and the respect for, the primary characteristics of texts, their glosses and their “notae sentenciarum”, of “notae tironianae”, of punctuation, palæography, codicology, etc.), language, poetry, literature, theology, prosopography, hagiography, history, etc., clearly covers the full gamut of interrelated fields of research which interested Boethius indeed, and in most of which he demonstrated, at times only by short passages or parenthetical allusions, full conceptual understanding.

§ [1] In the last 25 years, there have been three major Symposiums on Boethius, the first two of which, dating back to 1980, may be considered as complementary and twin-symposiums, both having been published in 1981. The first one, Boethius. His Life, Thought and Influence, was organized and edited in Oxford (Basil Blackwell Press) by Margaret T. Gibson, the very first president of the International Boethius Society, bringing together 18 studies spanning the millennium from the 6th to the 16th century, in 427 pages, plus manuscript Index and general Index. The second was held in Pavia on the 5th – 8th of October, 1980 and edited in Rome by Luca Obertello and Giovanni Scanavino, Atti Congresso internazionale di Studi Boeziani (Editrice Herder), bringing together 28 studies divided into two distinct parts : 20 « Relazioni » (p. 15-283) and 8 « Communicazioni » (p. 287-375), contains 386 pages without Index. The third Symposium, of equal interest, organized in Paris in 1999, was edited in 2003 by Alain Galonnier, Boèce ou la chaîne des savoirs, Actes du colloque international de la Fondation Singer-Polignac, Paris, 8th – 12th of June, 1999 (Peeters Publishers), Philosophes médiévaux 44, XVIII-789 pages, 36 Studies, cf. http://chspam.vjf.cnrs.fr/Boece.htm ; http://www.peeters-leuven.be/boekoverz.asp?nr=7495.

§ [2] In light however of the most recent interdisciplinary research on Boethius during the last five to ten years, spearheaded in the United States of America by the members of the International Boethius Society, and in Europe by the members of the newly-formed French Aquitanian Mediæval Research Team of the Museum Conservatorium of Parchment and Illumination in Duras, the Colloquia Aquitana II seek to take up where these three excellent Symposiums left off, and to widen the chronological scope of Boethian Studies, incorporating into them the 33 generations of scientific-philosophical research leading up to Boethius, as well as the 50 odd generations of research which have followed Boethius, that is to say all the way from the philosophy of numbers and proportions (characterized by the very fundamental study of the “Octave Regime” ; cf. Boethii De arithmetica, II : 2 ; I. Humphrey ; K. Barlow ; etc.), to the philosophy of learning through sense perception (characterized by the very complex study of the “Cognitive Process” ; cf. Boethii De musica, I : 1 ; A. Beck ; J. Beck ; J. Cottraux ; etc. ).

§ [3] The main objectives then of the Colloquia Aquitana II – 2006 are to take into account all the most recent integrated research on Boethius and to bring together on the beautiful Aquitanian mediæval site of Duras, in perfect diapason harmony, specialists from all over the World, who will contribute to a new, comprehensive and updated 21st-century publication on the Platonist Anicius Manlius [Torquatus] Severinus Boethius, the scientific philosopher who was indeed one of the most powerful hyphens between Antiquity and the Middle Ages, as well as between the Middle Ages and the present modern World. The Acts of the Colloquia Aquitana II – 2006 will be published by the Éditions Le Manuscrit-Université : http://www.manuscrit-universite.com/universite/, which is at present the official editorial partner of the Musée Conservatoire du Parchemin et de l’Enluminure de Duras (France, Lot-et-Garonne - 47120).

§ [4] The announcement of the theme of the Colloquia Aquitana II – 2006 has already given rise to great enthusiasm by its partners and by those who do research on subjects related to Boethius. As of the 23rd of October 2005 (Festum Ticino [i.e. Papiæ], Mediolano Brixiæque sancti Severini Boethii, decimo kalendas novembris), the Musée Conservatoire du Parchemin et de l’Enluminure, via its Web Site : http://www.museeduparchemin.com/colloque.htm, began its call for Abstracts, giving detailed indications which will guide the potential participants in their choice of subject matter. The organizers will allow full scientific and creative liberty and encourage them even to prepare several papers on different selected topics, according to his or her different fields of specialization and interest. The announcement on the Web Site contains also practical information concerning the TGV travel time-table, as well as information concerning room and board accommodations in the city and surroundings of Duras. • Explicit • (IH : ih) •

• Festum Ticino sancti Severini Boethii• die dominico decimo kalendas novembris• anno Domini B bis millesimo quinto • (Feast in Pavia of St. Severinus Boethius, Sunday october 23rd 2005) •