IMC 2011: Sessions
Session 426: Monkeys: Attractive and Repelling - A Round Table Discussion
Monday 11 July 2011, 19.30-20.30
| Sponsor: | M(edieval) A(nimal) D(ata Network), Central European University, Budapest |
|---|---|
| Organiser: | Gerhard Jaritz, Institut für Realienkunde, Universität Salzburg, Krems / Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest |
| Moderator/Chair: | Gerhard Jaritz, Institut für Realienkunde, Universität Salzburg, Krems / Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest |
| Abstract | Monkeys and apes are humankind's closest relatives. They look like us and yet are utterly different – the ultimate 'other'. This ambiguity of form and behavior relative to people made them good mirrors of much that was good and bad in their human owners. Monkeys appear as emblems of vanity and lust but they can also appear as symbols of status. Even when they are more or less portrayed in a good way there is usually an element of mischief and maliciousness in the image. Bones of monkeys and apes are also found in archaeological contexts, mostly, but not always, associated with an elite lifestyle. This year, the animal round table seeks to explore the many ways monkeys, both real and imagined, were woven into the lives of medieval people. Participants include Emma-Rose Barber (University of Kent), Thierry Buquet (Institut français du Proche Orient - IFPO, Damascus), Alice Choyke (Central European University, Budapest), Gerhard Jaritz (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Krems / Central European University, Budapest), Brigitte Resl (University of Liverpool), and Mónica Ann Walker Vadillo (Universidad Complutense de Madrid). |