![\"View](\"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/IMG_3876-Alternate-View-to-the-Fetzer-Patio-at-AZO-2017-300x225.jpg\")
View from Fetzer Lounge at the 2017 Congress. Photography \u00a9 Mildred Budny.<\/p><\/div>\n
Here we list the Program of Activities of the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence (RGME) at the 2026 International Congress on Medieval Studies<\/a> (ICMS).<\/p>\n First we collaboratively designed a suite of Sessions (Panels of Papers) to sponsor or co-sponsor at this year’s Congress and, when they were accepted for the Congress, issued the Call for Papers<\/strong>:<\/p>\n With the completion of the Call for Papers<\/strong>, the next stages followed: selecting among the proposals received, designing each session (assigning the presider, sequence of papers, etc.), and submitting the session programs to the ICMS. Upon the formation of the full Congress Program (see link below), we announce the RGME Program of activities at the 2026 Congress\u2014including the Sessions and our annual Open Business Meeting. We describe the activities one by one in the assigned sequence in which they will occur. In addition, we publish the Abstracts for the Papers.<\/p>\n The Program and information for the 2026 Congress appears on the Congress website.<\/p>\n There, to find the RGME Business Meeting <\/strong>and Sessions<\/strong>, search under Sponsoring (or Co-Sponsoring) Organization<\/strong><\/p>\n The participation by the RGME at the Annual ICMS over the years is chronicled in our blog<\/p>\n Now we turn to the 2026 Congress and invite you to join our activities. We invite you also to visit the Pop-Up Exhibition of their Posters.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n We announce five co-sponsored sessions for 2026.<\/p>\n The co-sponsors for our ICMS Sessions are:<\/p>\n For our co-sponsorships for the Congress over the years, 2026 marks<\/p>\n Year 22<\/strong> of our co-sponsorship with the Societas Magica<\/strong> 2014 Congress Medieval Writing Materials Poster<\/p><\/div>\n The Session co-sponsored with Postal History at Kalamazoo<\/strong> continues the tradition of our long-term series of RGME Sessions at the ICMS on “Medieval Writing Materials”<\/strong>, which began in 2014.\u00a0 See, for example,<\/p>\n Our Activities take the following sequence, with<\/p>\n 3 events on Day 1 (14 May, with 2 sessions flanking the business meeting), Most events are hybrid, with 4 Hybrid Sessions and 1 In-Person session. On the Congress Program, our Business Meeting occurs in-person, with catering. For convenience, the RGME customarily provides online access for this meeting by its own optional Zoom Meeting (for Congress registrants). See below.<\/p>\n ****************<\/p>\n In-Person Session Private Collection, Courier delivering letter. German translation of Petrarch (1559).<\/p><\/div>\n In a world in which long-distance communication was necessarily through the written word, getting it from sender to recipient could be a complicated process. While important correspondence could be sent “post-haste,” ordinary letters were typically much less speedy, and while royal dispatches might go through an efficient royal system, ordinary mail received a very much less efficient, more ad hoc, treatment. This session is intended as a means of examining the means through which mail moved, whether in Europe or elsewhere.<\/p>\n * Ralph W. Mathiesen<\/strong> (University of Illinois at Urbana\u2013Champaign)<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n For this Business Meeting, an online option to attend will be provided by the RGME, open to registrants of the Congress.<\/p>\n Please register for the Business Meeting. Whether you plan to attend in person or online, your registration will allow us:<\/p>\n To register, whether for IN PERSON or ONLINE participation, visit the RGME Eventbrite Collection<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Like previous Annual Business Meetings, the Agenda and Annual Report<\/strong> will be circulated both in person and online. This year it comprises a 2-page or double-sided sheet. It can be downloaded here:<\/p>\n For previous years, please see:<\/p>\n Companion to the Agenda + Report is our double-sided guide (2026 version):<\/p>\n London, British Library, Cotton MS Julius A. VI, fol. 4v, detail.<\/p><\/div>\n *********<\/p>\n Magic mirror of Floron. Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. Via Creative Commons.<\/p><\/div>\n Papers in this session will investigate the relationship(s) between manuscript descriptions of magical and\/or alchemical rituals, implements, and other materials, the illustrations in those manuscripts, and archaeological evidence based on surviving artifacts. We will seek to further our understanding of how tools were used in physical rituals, as well as how practitioners procured, made, stored, used, and cared for the tools of their trade. We will also seek to understand where and how the evidence provided by worded descriptions, illustrations, and material artifacts corresponds with, conflicts with, or serves to mutually enrich the other evidence.<\/p>\n Mildred Budny *****<\/p>\n Societas Magica logo<\/p><\/div>\n In the middle ages astrology and other esoteric topics were part of the university curriculum. How is magic, in its most broad sense, taught or engaged with today and in what ways does it appear in both the classroom and public humanities outreach? Magic is an increasingly attractive topic for both students and the general public. As such, scholars, educators, and librarians\/curators have vast opportunities to weave in clever methodologies to teach occult subjects from practical divination to collaborative compendiums. How can teaching magic jumpstart learning, increase engagement or interest, and propose solutions for perennial concerns among the occult-curious?<\/p>\n Veronica Menaldi<\/strong><\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n While often considered categorically separate, it is typically the case in premodern manuscript cultures that no significant separation is made between chronology, astrology, and divination, with texts, tables, and diagrams related to these often appearing together in manuscripts. This phenomenon has drawn a meaningful amount of attention in research focused on the European and other intertwined manuscript traditions, but it continues to be overlooked with respect to traditions on the \u201cperiphery,\u201d such as the Ethiopic, Syriac, Coptic, or Indic traditions. This session would bring together papers focused on these traditions while encouraging cross-disciplinary discussion with scholars working in other fields.<\/p>\n Princeton University Library, Ethiopic Manuscript No. 42, fol. 47v. The Cycle of Kings (Aw\u0259d\u00e4 N\u00e4g\u00e4\u015b\u0259t), Collection of Divination Texts. Image via https:\/\/dpul.princeton.edu\/msstreasures\/catalog\/nc580r397.<\/p><\/div>\n Mildred Budny (Director, Research Group on Manuscript Evidence)<\/p>\n David Porreca<\/strong> (University of Waterloo)<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n Societas Magica logo<\/p><\/div>\n Solomonic magic is a transhistorical and transcultural phenomenon, with texts attributed to King Solomon appearing in Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and other traditions. While often studied in isolation, their shared vocabularies and interconnected histories remain understudied. This session takes a cross-cultural approach to Solomonic magic, inspired by recent publications like Solomonic Magic: Methodology, Texts, and Histories<\/a>. We invite contributions that explore new sources or methodologies\u2014from ritual manuals and talismanic compendia to demonological treatises and polemical texts\u2014and encourage interdisciplinary dialogue to better understand the development and reception of these traditions.<\/p>\n Matthew Melvin\u2013Koushki<\/strong>\u00a0(University of South Carolina\u2013Columbia<\/em>)<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n Don’t forget to register for the Congress. See its website for details.<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n Wien, \u00d6sterreichische Nationalbibliothek (\u00d6NB), Cod. 1224. Cutbercht Gospels. Salzburg circa 790. Portrait of the Evangelist Matthew at work on writing his text. Image via Image Public Domain via http:\/\/data.onb.ac.at\/dtl\/7365239.<\/p><\/div>\n For questions about the individual sessions, please contact the organizers of the sessions or the RGME itself.<\/p>\n\n
Congress Program<\/h2>\n
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![\"Logo](\"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Heavy-LOGO1-150x138.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\nRGME Sessions for the 2026 ICMS<\/h1>\n
Co-Sponsors<\/h2>\n
\n
\nYear 5<\/strong> with P.-O.M.o.N.A.<\/strong>
\nYear 3<\/strong> with Postal History at Kalamazoo<\/strong>
\nYear 1<\/strong> with Rossell Hope Robbins Library and Koller\u2013Collins Center for English Studies<\/strong> at the University of Rochester
\nYear 1<\/strong> with\u00a0B\u0101\u1e25ra \u1e25ass\u0101b: Knowledge Transmission in Ethiopia and Eritrea from Antiquity to Modern Times<\/strong>\u00a0at the University of M\u00fcnster<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/2014-Congress-Medieval-Writing-Materials-Poster-with-border-232x300.png\")
Series<\/h2>\n
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RGME Activities for the Congress:
\nSessions and
\nOpen Business Meeting<\/h1>\n
\n1 session on Day 2 (15 May), and
\n2 sessions on Day 3 (16 May), spanning all three days of the Congress.<\/p>\nSchedule<\/h1>\n
I. Congress Day 1. Thursday 14 May 2026<\/h1>\n
1. Moving the Mail: Letters, Couriers, and Post Offices in the Medieval World<\/a><\/h2>\n
RGME Session 1 = Congress Session 42
\n10:30 am \u2013 12:00 pm EDT (GMT-5)<\/h2>\n
\nSangren Hall 2130<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Sorenson-courier-deliv-letter-germ-transl-petrarch-1559-300x187.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
Co-sponsors<\/h3>\n
\n
Organizers<\/h3>\n
* David W. Sorenson (Independent Scholar<\/em>)
\n* Mildred Budny (Research Group on Manuscript Evidence<\/em>)<\/h4>\nAim<\/h3>\n
Presider<\/h3>\n
Speakers<\/h3>\n
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\n“The Livery of Delivery:
\nSome Depictions of Letter-Carriers in Seventeenth- and Sixteenth-Century Paris”
\nAbstract of Paper<\/a><\/li>\n
\n“How Fifteenth-Century Italian Merchants Shared Information”
\nAbstract of Paper<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n2. RGME Open Business Meeting
\n12:00\u20131:30 pm EDT (GMT-4)<\/h2>\nIn Person Event (hybrid functionality provided by the RGME)
\nStudent Center 2207
\nwith Catered Lunch (provided by Donation)<\/h3>\nRegistration<\/h4>\n
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\n\u2014 to know numbers for the catering (and any dietary restrictions you wish to let us know about) and<\/li>\n
\n\u2014 to send you the RGME-Zoom Link ahead of time
\nNote<\/em>:
\nFor security, after you register to attend ONLINE, you would receive the Zoom Link a few days before the event by email from the RGME, not Eventbrite or Zoom.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
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\n(with catered lunch)<\/strong><\/li>\n
\n2026 Open Business Meeting: Reservation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nAgenda and Annual Report<\/h4>\n
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![\"Below](\"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/BL-Cot-Jul-A-VI-calendar-etc-fol-4v-diners-4-Eventbrite-Symp-vdc_100056427828-1024x512.jpg\")
3.\u00a0 Magic, Manuscripts, and Material Culture<\/a>
\nCongress Session 80
\n1:30\u20133:00 pm EDT (GMT-4)<\/h2>\nHybrid Session
\nSangren 2730 (Hybrid)<\/h2>\nSponsors<\/h3>\n
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![\"Magic](\"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Magic-mirror-of-Floron-Mathematisch-Physikalischer-Salon-Staatliche-Kunstsammlungen-Dresden-300x300.jpg\")
Organizers<\/h3>\n
* Anna Siebach\u2013Larsen (University of Rochester<\/em>)
\n* Mildred Budny (Research Group on Manuscript Evidence<\/em>)
\n* Phillip Bernhardt\u2013House (Research Group on Manuscript Evidence<\/em>)
\n* Derek Shank (Research Group on Manuscript Evidence<\/em>)<\/h3>\nAim<\/h3>\n
Presiders<\/h3>\n
\n<\/strong>and
\nAnna Siebach\u2013Larsen<\/strong><\/p>\nSpeakers<\/h3>\n
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\n“Factors Determining Occult Sciences:
\nText\u2013Image Signifiers in the Persian Manuscript of Zakh\u012bri-i Iskandar\u012b”
\nAbstract of Paper<\/a><\/li>\n
\n“Three Kinds of Gentildecht<\/em> in Medieval Ireland”
\nAbstract of Paper<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nII. Congress Day 2. Friday 15 May 2026<\/h1>\n
4. The Alchemy of Learning:
\nMagic, Pedagogy, and Public Engagement<\/a>
\nCongress Session 223
\n1:30\u20133:00 pm EDT (GMT-4)<\/h2>\nHybrid Session
\nSangren 2730 (Hybrid)<\/h3>\n![\"Logo](\"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/SocMaghead21.png\")
Co-sponsors<\/h3>\n
\n
Organizer<\/h3>\n
Veronica Menaldi (Independent Scholar \/ Societas Magica<\/em>)<\/h4>\n
Aim<\/h4>\n
Presider<\/h3>\n
Speakers<\/h3>\n
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\n“Gateway to the Occult: Magic, Public Engagement, and Special Collections”
\nAbstract of Paper<\/a<\/a><\/li>\n
\n“From Inquisition Records to Public Humanities:
\nTeaching the Medieval Roots of Italian Witchcraft and Vernacular Healing”
\nAbstract of Paper<\/a<\/a><\/li>\n
\n“Magic as a Pedagogical Crossroads”
\nAbstract of Paper<\/a<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIII. Congress Day 3. Saturday 16 May 2026<\/h1>\n
5. Chronology and Divination Beyond the Medieval West<\/a>
\nCongress Session 286
\n8:30\u201310:00 am EDT (GMT-4)<\/h2>\nHybrid Session
\nSangren Hall 1312 (hybrid)<\/h3>\nCo-Sponsors<\/h3>\n
\n
Organizer<\/h3>\n
Augustine Dickinson (University of M\u00fcnster<\/span><\/em>)<\/h4>\n
Aim<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PUL-Ethiopic-fol-47v-694x1024.jpg\")
Presider<\/h3>\n
Speakers<\/h3>\n
\n
\n“Astrological Knowledge in Ethiopic Manuscript Culture:
\nOrigins and Interconnections”
\nAbstract of Paper<\/a><\/li>\n
\n“Magic and the Intellectual Tradition in Ethiopia”
\nAbstract of Paper<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nRespondent<\/h3>\n
6.\u00a0 Grimoires of the Greater West: Conversations on Solomonic Magic<\/a>
\nCongress Session 338<\/h2>\nHybrid Session
\nSangren Hall 2730 (hybrid)<\/h3>\nCo-sponsors<\/h3>\n
\n
Organizers<\/h3>\n
Gal Sofer (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev<\/em>)
\nMatthew Melvin\u2013Koushki (University of South Carolina\u2013Columbia<\/em>)<\/h4>\nAim<\/h4>\n
Presider<\/h3>\n
Speakers<\/h3>\n
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\n“Sympathy or the Shock of the Strange?
\nThe Magic of the Amniotic Sac in Medieval and Early-Modern Hebrew Grimoires”
\nAbstract of Paper<\/a><\/li>\n
\n“The Book on the Four Rings of Solomon
\n(Liber de quattuor anulis Salomonis<\/em>):
\nOrigins, Sources, and the Problem of Definining the ‘Solomonic Corpus’ ”
\nAbstract of Paper<\/a><\/li>\n
\n“From Circle to Marketplace:
\nThe Early-Modern Career of the Solomonic Pentacle”
\nAbstract of Paper<\/a><\/li>\n
\nand Sharday C. Mosurinjohn<\/strong> (Queen’s University Kingston)
\n“Practicing Solomonic Magic Without Means or Mentor:
\nImprovisation and Trial in the Modern Age”
\nAbstract of Paper<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nInstructions<\/h2>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Cuthbert-Gospels-fol-17v-digital-frame-46-00000046-reduced-231x300.jpg\")
Questions? Suggestions?<\/h2>\n