MAX-PLANCK-INSTITUT FÜR WISSENSCHAFTSGESCHICHTE Max Planck Institute for the History of Science

Event

Dec 4, 2024
Another Day at the Office: Tracking Epistemic Change in the Minutiae of Daily Work-Life in Ancient Mesopotamia

A tablet dealing with brick deliveries
YBC 03171, a tablet dealing with brick deliveries.
Photographed by Klaus Wagensonner.

 

Ever wondered how small changes can ripple into big shifts? Join us as we delve into the world of ancient Mesopotamia and uncover a fascinating tale of administrative
innovation.

During the Old Babylonian period (1800–1700 BCE), a nameless middle manager, working in a brick production bureau, sparked a change in the way brick deliveries were recorded. This seemingly minor adjustment was, in fact, a testament to a larger, ongoing transformation in mathematical reasoning. By examining a collection of sixty tablets and bullae, we'll explore the cognitive leaps that led to this administrative innovation. What challenges did our administrator face? How did they approach problem-solving in an era of epistemic change?

Come witness the innovations of this anonymous administrator from Southern Iraq and discover the power of small actions in effecting epistemic changes with profound consequences.

 

Speaker's Biography

  • 2024-TrackingEpistemicChangeMesopotamia-rgastra-PortraitMiddekeConlin-AMisra
    Robert Middeke-Conlin
    Scholar's Profile

    Robert Middeke-Conlin is a historian of knowledge and Assyriologist specializing in ancient southern Mesopotamian knowledge systems, particularly mathematics. Following his MA from Yale University and PhD from the SPHere laboratory in Paris, he has held prestigious fellowships at the University of Copenhagen, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, and Yale University. His research has resulted in two books: The Making of a Scribe: Errors, Mistakes, and Rounding Numbers in the Old Babylonian Kingdom of Larsa (2020) and Knowledge, Literacy, and Elementary Education in the Old Babylonian period (2023). Currently, as a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology in Jena, he is investigating epistemic change in ancient Mesopotamia and organizing the legacy of Peter Damerow, a seminal historian of science, foundational figure at the MPIWG, and co-founder of the Cuneiform Digital Library project. 

 

Event Poster. You can find the poster as a PDF download by following the link below.
You can find the poster as a PDF download by following the link below.

 

Organizer(s)
Address
Institute for the Study of Knowledge in the Ancient World, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Room
Room 010
Contact and Registration

This event event will take place in person and is open to both MPIWG members and interested members from the public.

About This Series

The Institute for the History of Knowledge in the Ancient World and the
ERC-project “ZODIAC - Ancient Astral Science in Transformation” Annual Colloquium Series, in association with the Max-Planck Research Group
Astral Science in Trans-Regional Asia.

Every Wednesday, 18:00–20:00, see:
https://www.geschkult.fu-berlin.de/en/e/wissensgeschichte/colloquium/index.html

Download the event poster as a PDF file.
2024-TrackingEpistemicChangeMesopotamia-rgastra-Poster-AMisra.pdf
2024-12-04T18:00:00SAVE IN I-CAL 2024-12-04 18:00:00 2024-12-04 20:00:00 Another Day at the Office: Tracking Epistemic Change in the Minutiae of Daily Work-Life in Ancient Mesopotamia YBC 03171, a tablet dealing with brick deliveries. Photographed by Klaus Wagensonner.   Ever wondered how small changes can ripple into big shifts? Join us as we delve into the world of ancient Mesopotamia and uncover a fascinating tale of administrative innovation. During the Old Babylonian period (1800–1700 BCE), a nameless middle manager, working in a brick production bureau, sparked a change in the way brick deliveries were recorded. This seemingly minor adjustment was, in fact, a testament to a larger, ongoing transformation in mathematical reasoning. By examining a collection of sixty tablets and bullae, we'll explore the cognitive leaps that led to this administrative innovation. What challenges did our administrator face? How did they approach problem-solving in an era of epistemic change? Come witness the innovations of this anonymous administrator from Southern Iraq and discover the power of small actions in effecting epistemic changes with profound consequences.   Speaker's Biography Robert Middeke-Conlin Scholar's Profile Robert Middeke-Conlin is a historian of knowledge and Assyriologist specializing in ancient southern Mesopotamian knowledge systems, particularly mathematics. Following his MA from Yale University and PhD from the SPHere laboratory in Paris, he has held prestigious fellowships at the University of Copenhagen, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, and Yale University. His research has resulted in two books: The Making of a Scribe: Errors, Mistakes, and Rounding Numbers in the Old Babylonian Kingdom of Larsa (2020) and Knowledge, Literacy, and Elementary Education in the Old Babylonian period (2023). Currently, as a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology in Jena, he is investigating epistemic change in ancient Mesopotamia and organizing the legacy of Peter Damerow, a seminal historian of science, foundational figure at the MPIWG, and co-founder of the Cuneiform Digital Library project.    You can find the poster as a PDF download by following the link below.   Institute for the Study of Knowledge in the Ancient World, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany Room 010 Anuj MisraMathieu OssendrijverCale Johnson Anuj MisraMathieu OssendrijverCale Johnson Europe/Berlin public