Mappae Mundi: Who needs a mental palace when you have a world?

About

Medieval world maps were not just about representing geographical information. They recorded histories, both factual and mythological, biology including ordinary creatures and the monsters of the south and east, and there they allowed the observer to use them as mnemonic device or two break down complex thought.

Join Dr Esser-Miles for a talk about the fascinating history behind the Mappae Mundi. Medieval world maps recorded factual and mythological histories including ordinary creatures and monsters of the south and east. Hear about incredible feats of memory and meet wonderful people such as the dog-headed Christopher, who got a human face and a sainthood out of carrying a child across a river!

Dr Carolin Esser-Miles began her life as a medievalist, specialising in Old English poetry and prose as well as Middle English drama. During her twenty-year career in academia, she branched out into more modern aspects of linguistics, such as language and the mind and forensic linguistics. Her research passion remained the meeting point between cognition and text, both linguistic and physical. Her fascination with that space of the medieval embodied mind has transferred well into her new career as a mosaicist, and a series of monsters or marvels of the east in mosaic is only a matter of time.