Maps – Britain and the World in the Middle Ages: Image and Reality

21 April 2022
6:00 – 7:30 pm
The third in a six-part public lecture course on Britain and the World in the Middle Ages: Image and Reality.
Paul Mellon Centre and Online

Medieval maps have a great deal to tell us about the ways in which Britain and its place in the world were understood in the Middle Ages. To show the British Isles on a map not only made a statement about where they were situated in the world, but also entered into a debate about what they should be called, where the borders between kingdoms lay, and – since medieval maps were also forms of historical commentary – what the past of these islands was. This lecture will offer an overview of world and regional maps from late antiquity to the fifteenth century with two questions in mind. How did the representation of Britain in spatial terms change during the Middle Ages? And can maps help us to understand the relationship between the British Isles, its regional neighbours and the wider world?

No prior art historical knowledge is necessary.

Registration is required. Please book tickets in the link above.

Please note this event will take place in our Lecture Room, located on the First Floor. Full accessibility information is available here. The event will also be live-streamed via Zoom Webinar.

Guidance for Events

We are delighted to welcome you back to the Paul Mellon Centre in London for in-person events. We would like to make your visit as safe and enjoyable as possible and have put in place several measures to protect you and our staff.

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If you or anyone you live with displays symptoms associated with COVID-19, please stay at home even if you have made a booking for one of our events.

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Ventilation

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Social Distancing

We will offer a reduced seating capacity to ensure space between seats so that event attendees can feel safe and comfortable. All our events will be hybrid and there will be a live-stream option available for those who cannot be in the building.

Eating and Drinking

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Cleaning

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Assisting the Test and Trace Scheme

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Facilities

The ground floor toilets will be dedicated for visitor use only. Lockers will be available to store your belongings, but we ask that you do not bring any bulky items with you.

About the speaker

Alfred Hiatt is Professor of Medieval Studies in the Department of English at Queen Mary, University of London. His research focuses on maps and geographical writing in medieval Europe, with an emphasis on the reception of classical traditions. Most recently he has been engaged in developing comparative approaches to the study of medieval Latin and Arabic geography. He is the author of Terra Incognita: Mapping the Antipodes before 1600 (2008), Dislocations: Maps, Classical Tradition, and Spatial Play in the European Middle Ages (2020) and the editor of Cartography between Christian Europe and the Arabic-Islamic World, 1100–1500: Divergent Traditions (2021).