Pittsburgh Theological Seminary will host archaeologist Richard Talbert, William Rand Kenan Professor of History at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Thurs., May 10, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. Talbert will address “The Magnificent Peutinger Map: Roman Cartography at its Most Creative.” The lecture is free and open to the public. Additionally, the Kelso Museum will be open from 5:00 to 7:15 p.m. and after the event.
Romans came to realize that maps could be designed to promote and reinforce values, from peace and civilization to unashamed pride in conquest and entitlement to world rule. Scholars have recently developed new approaches to interpreting the cartographic products of pre-modern societies; this lecture will provide insight into the particular case of the Romans.
Talbert will discuss the thinking behind the immense Marble Plan of the city of Rome and go on to examine powerful meaning and purpose in the so-called “Peutinger Map,” an elongated, astonishingly rich, Roman world-map, a masterpiece that is 22 feet long. He will explore its role in Western cartography as an inspirational awakening with a long-term cultural impact that would influence Christian mapmaking through to the Renaissance.
Talbert’s path-breaking Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World was followed by the establishment of UNC’s unique Ancient World Mapping Center. His latest major study is Rome’s World: The Peutinger Map Reconsidered (Cambridge University Press, 2010). He is a contributor to the forthcoming Highways, Byways, and Road Systems in the Pre-Modern World.
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is a graduate professional institution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Founded in 1794, the Seminary is located in Pittsburgh, Pa. and approximately 310 students are enrolled yearly in the degree programs. The Seminary prepares leaders who proclaim with great joy God’s message of good news in both word and deed. PTS is rooted in the Reformed history of faithfulness to Scripture and commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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