Stefan Heidemann, Universität Hamburg, “Technical and Aesthetic Innovations at the Abbasid Court”

Stefan Heidemann, Universität Hamburg, “Technical and Aesthetic Innovations at the Abbasid Court”

At the turn of the 9th c. CE, the period between the reigns of caliphs al- Mansur and al- Mutawakkil can be associated with significant changes in material and visual culture such as the re-invention of brass and plant-ash glass technology as well as the creation of what has been called “Samarra style.” Who were the agents of these changes, in what social milieu did they live, and in what locations did these innovations take place?

This lecture is co-sponsored by the History of Art Department, the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, the Middle East Center and the Graduate Group in the the Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World