Merchants of Knowledge: Intellectual Exchange in the Ottoman Empire and Renaissance Europe

Speaker

Robert G. Morrison

Affiliation

Bowdoin College

Details

Event Description

Between 1450 and 1550, a remarkable century of intellectual exchange developed across the Eastern Mediterranean. As Renaissance Europe depended on knowledge from the Ottoman Empire, and the courts of Mehmed the Conqueror and Bayezid II greatly benefitted from knowledge coming out of Europe, merchants of knowledge—multilingual and transregional Jewish scholars—became an important bridge among the powers. With his work, Robert Morrison is the first to track the network of scholars who mediated exchanges in astronomy, astrology, Qabbalah, and philosophy. Professor Morrison will conclude with some broader reflections on scientific exchange.