Ps-Ptolemy’s Ὁ Καρπός and Byzantine Astrological Practice
The collection of astrological aphorisms that circulated under Ptolemy’s name raises a number of questions about the practice of astrology in the later Byzantine empire. The form and the content of the collection points to a thriving culture of astrology, one that possibly included social performances. In this lecture I will explore the various facets of this text — e.g., its material history and circulation, the aphorism as a form of authority and knowledge making, the arrangement and content of individual aphorisms and their sequence — in order to articulate some of those questions about the culture of astrology and to suggest some possible answers. Parts of this lecture will be speculative, but I hope generatively so.
Sponsored by the Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture and Harvard University Standing Committee on Medieval Studies.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS LECTURE IS CLOSED.
This lecture will take place live on Zoom, followed by a question and answer period. Please register to receive the Zoom link. Registration closes at 11:00 AM (EST) on April 1, 2021.
