IMC 2026: Sessions
Session 736: Medieval Fragments, III: Beyond the Written Page
Tuesday 7 July 2026, 14:15-15:45
| Sponsor: | Invisible East, University of Oxford / Middle East Medievalists / Institute of Medieval & Early Modern Studies (IMEMS), Durham University |
|---|---|
| Organisers: | Arezou Azad, Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INaLCO), Paris / Oxford Lifelong Learning, University of Oxford Manuel Muñoz García, Institute of Medieval & Early Modern Studies (IMEMS), Durham University |
| Moderator/Chair: | Manuel Muñoz García, Institute of Medieval & Early Modern Studies (IMEMS), Durham University |
| Paper 736-a | Fragments of Feline Figures: Rethinking the Romanesque North of Lugo Cathedral through a Displaced Capital (Language: English) Index terms: Archaeology - General, Architecture - Religious, Art History - Sculpture |
| Paper 736-b | Fragmented Cults: The Division of Relics in 10th-Century Italy (Language: English) Index terms: Archaeology - Artefacts, Architecture - Religious, Manuscripts and Palaeography, Religious Life |
| Paper 736-c | Printing Power: An Autocratic and Apotropaic Textile Print from the Mamluk Sultanate (Language: English) Index terms: Archaeology - Artefacts, Art History - Decorative Arts, Islamic and Arabic Studies, Printing History |
| Abstract | Fragments, whether of parchment, paper, textiles or architecture, are unique and tantalising windows to the past. The use, reuse, dispersal, creation and collecting of fragments across the medieval world give us unique opportunities to engage with and question the past. From identifying fragments to understanding their original and later purpose(s); from the survival of unique texts to evidencing multiculturalism and to patterns of gathering, collecting and disseminating, Fragmentology has emerged as an interdisciplinary discipline that analyses the minute without losing sight of the bigger picture. In these sessions – sponsored by Invisible East at the University of Oxford; Middle East Medievalists and the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies (IMEMS) at Durham University – we explore Fragmentology in a wide sense, from methodology applied to manuscripts to case-studies on textile fragments or pieces of relics. From Latin to vernacular, early to late medieval, East to West, the papers in these sessions offer exciting glimpses of new discoveries, attributions and re-attributions, and reconstructions, across different materials and across time and space. Session III will explore textile, architectural and relic fragments through case-studies that highlight the interdisciplinary and wide-ranging nature of the field. These fragments, far from being just witnesses to everyday life and devotion, can yield eye-opening insights into power, politics, economy, the material and the immaterial. Starting with an Romanesque architectural fragment in Lugo cathedral in North-West Spain, we will continue our journey with a deep-dive into the division of relics in Italy and will culminate in an exploration of the meaning(s) of block-printed Egyptian textiles. |