Events of Note

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Penn State 2004 Medieval Conference

Wind & Water: The Medieval Mill

The mill was central to communities in the middle ages as a source of flour, lumber, cloth, and, by the later middle ages, iron.  The humble wind- and watermill exerted a profound influence on the shape of communities, organization of labor, considerations over taxation, and establishment property rights and the engineering expertise developed by millwrights led to developments in water management, fine technology, and industrial production which fed the Industrial Revolution many centuries later.  Our international lineup of speakers offer insights on wind and water in the middle ages from archaeology, history, literature, art history, legal history, and millwrighting itself.

Hortus Sanitatis: The Universe of Medicinal Plants in the Late Middle Ages

Reproductions of illustrations from Greek, Latin, and Arabic manuscripts and early printed books illustrate how knowledge was accumulated about medicinal plants, from their mythological origins to their preparation and administration in medieval practice, both across the centuries and from one culture to another around the Mediterranean basin. Curated by AVISTA member Alain Touwaide (visiting scholar, History of Medicine Division, NLM; Research Associate, Smithsonian Institution, NMNH)

The exhibit is located in the lobby of the National Library of Medicine (Bld. 38), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD