The Science of Natural Properties: Knowledge, Transmission, and Practice, 6th – 15th century (Bologna, Italia)

Call for Papers

International Conference  

The Science of Natural Properties

Knowledge, Transmission, and Practice  
(6th – 15th century) 
 
University of Bologna, 17-19 June 

Organisers: Alessandra Scimone & Amine Xhakoni with the participation of Lucia Raggetti (UseFool Project, University of Bologna)  

The useful and occult properties of mineral, vegetal, and animal substances permeate various genres and traditions, laying at the intersection of theoretical and experimental science. The lack of a theoretical dimension has traditionally developed into a derogative argument to consider this knowledge a second-class lore, more superstitious than technical. Recent research has overturn this negative image, and aims to reconstruct the bodies of knowledge implicit in the technical procedures described in the sources. Over the centuries and across borders, this body of knowledge intertwined with a wide spectrum of applications, all rooted in an empirical principle: properties manifest through their effects, whether the causal mechanism is evident or remains silent. The science of properties proved endlessly adaptable. For example, magic extensively employed these principles in the production of talismans, while medicine and pharmacology developed therapeutical applications, such as those found in the dynamidia genre, and sometimes relying on ingredients whose power was symbolic rather than strictly therapeutical. These same theoretical foundations also informed more technical and artisanal applications, such as ink-making, metalwork, and leatherworking.

The science of natural properties is rooted in Antiquity (e.g., Galen, Dioscorides, Pliny, Corpus Hermeticum) and underwent a profound transformation from the sixth and seventh centuries onwards. Its ancient legacy led to reworkings and new compilations in late antiquity, and provided the foundation for further developments within the Byzantine Empire (e.g., Geoponica, Cyranides); later, the variety of cultural spheres and social contexts that characterized the Arabo-Islamic milieu contributed to the theoretical elaboration and practical applications of natural properties (e.g., medical encyclopaedias, magic and astrological compilations, alchemical treatises, artisanal handbooks). This shared knowledge continued to spread throughout the Latin Middle Ages, in response to new intellectual and practical frameworks (e.g., Liber aggregationis, Liber vaccae, De mirabilibus mundi).  

This conference aims to explore how theoretical and technical knowledge of natural properties was shaped through transmission, translation, and adaptation, as well as the impact of its practical applications in crafts and artisanal practices. By tracing these trajectories across time (6th – 15th century), space (Mediterranean area, Near East, Iran and Central Asia), as well as cultures and languages (Greek, Latin, Arabic, Middle Persian and Persian, Hebrew, Syriac, and Turkish), the conference seeks to illuminate the pathways of transmission through which mediaeval understanding of natural properties and their applications was shaped and circulated. 

Suggested (Non-Exhaustive) Thematic areas and Topics

Theories of properties: explicit formulations or implicit theories, encoding, the conceptual space of properties within the study of nature. 
Properties across genres and fields of knowledge: the technical side and application of properties in different textual genres (medicine, magic, alchemy, agriculture, crafts, fraud, etc.), its application to various purposes, erudite and popular circulation, the combination of technical and literary elements. 
Practical and artisanal applications and techniques: technical knowledge applied to the manipulation of nature, examined in connection with professionals or with specific social and intellectual groups and contexts, and from different perspectives (erudite physicians, street physicians, root cutters, apothecaries, etc.); techniques, instruments, and materials; practices of counterfeiting and adulteration; the role of replication in the study of premodern natural properties. 
Clues of transmission: Manuscripts and manuscript traditions; textual criticism (variant analysis and its impact, the study of fluid traditions); multilingual traditions; corpora, lines and clusters of transmission; authorship, and pseudo-epigraphy. 

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Contributions are warmly encouraged from both established and early-career scholars from an interdisciplinary framework, with a philological, linguistic, and historical background, or an expertise in premodern material culture. Poster presentations are also welcome and may be included in a dedicated session, providing participants with an alternative format suited to different work methodologies and contexts.

The conference will feature a special event for the launch of the edition of The Book of Occult Properties by Abū al-ʿAlā ibn Zuhr, as a collective research endeavour of the UseFool Project.    

Submission

a) Abstract Submission 

We invite candidates to submit abstracts for papers in Italian, English, French, Spanish or German, to be sent to alessandra.scimone@unibo.it and amine.xhakoni2@unibo.it.  
Abstract proposals must be no longer than 300 words and should include the following details: author(s)’ full name(s); title of the contribution, institutional affiliation; abstract; three to five keywords. 
Presentation format: 20 minutes + 10 minutes (Q&A)  
 
b) Poster Submission 

We invite candidates to submit abstracts for posters in Italian, English, French, Spanish or German, to be sent to alessandra.scimone@unibo.it and amine.xhakoni2@unibo.it. 
Poster proposals must be no longer than 200 words and should include the following details: author(s)’ full name(s); title of the contribution, institutional affiliation; abstract; three keywords. 
Posters will be on display for the entire duration of the conference (Poster format: A1 size, vertical orientation). The posters will be presented and discussed in a dedicated session of the conference. 
 
Submission deadline: 15th January, 2026 

Accepted papers and posters will be announced by mid-February 2026.

Registration Fee 

Conference activities will be free of charge both for speakers and for attendees. For the speakers, travel and accommodation expenses are to be covered by the UseFool project.

Currently, no publication of papers is planned. Presenters may be contacted at a later stage regarding potential editorial opportunities. 

For any further information, please contact the Organising Committee.