EMPIRECLASICS
"Empire, classical history and world discoveries. Uses of classical scholarship in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Portuguese expansion."
| Coordinatore | UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA
Organization address
address: CAMPUS DE CAMPOLIDE contact info |
| Nazionalità Coordinatore | Portugal [PT] |
| Totale costo | 144˙847 € |
| EC contributo | 144˙847 € |
| Programma | FP7-PEOPLE
Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) |
| Code Call | FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IEF |
| Funding Scheme | MC-IEF |
| Anno di inizio | 2012 |
| Periodo (anno-mese-giorno) | 2012-06-01 - 2014-05-31 |
Partecipanti
| # | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA
Organization address
address: CAMPUS DE CAMPOLIDE contact info |
PT (LISBOA) | coordinator | 144˙847.20 |
Mappa
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Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)
'This project will investigate the uses of classical antiquity in the discovery, perception and incorporation of the extra-European realities of the early modern Portuguese empire. It will analyse the phenomenon from a markedly broad perspective, comparing it to the Spanish, British, and Dutch experiences overseas. The project will analyse the presence and meanings of classical referents in both written and visual representations of worlds overseas (historical accounts, geographic descriptions, images of “conquerors” “natives” and ultramarine territories...). Three specific areas of interest will be examined. The first is the utilization of the classics for anthropological description, and for reflecting on social institutions and customs. The second concerns their use as a narrative model, a pattern for personal action, and a rhetorical resource. The third is the influence of classical sources in developing an overarching political and historical interpretation of the discoveries, and the ways in which this contributed to a reassessment of the Portuguese and European past and historical consciousness.'
Introduzione (Teaser)
Examining the role of classical models within various contexts provides insight into misunderstandings and shortcomings of European worldviews.
Descrizione progetto (Article)
Having a better understanding of overseas European expansion is in part due to the role of classical history. Geographers, philosophers, military leaders and historians alike have been influenced by the classical history of Greek and Roman times. Yet, early modern uses of classical scholarship have had their share of contradictions, paradoxes and over-interpretation. This is especially true in the case of how soldiers, sailors and rulers have been represented.
An EU-funded project, http://cham.fcsh.unl.pt/pr_descricao.aspx?ProId=18 (EMPIRECLASICS), took a different approach to examining early modern uses of classical scholarship in order to explore such disparities. The main sources were chronicles, histories and travel accounts from the period 1500 to 1700, together with the translations, editions and commentaries on classical authors. The project focused on the Portuguese expansion specifically at a time when a broader world was in discovery.
Using a layered approach to examine the ways in which Europeans perceived their world, the project sought to uncover misconceptions, stereotypes and fallacies that predominate in modern cultural communication. As a result of emphasising the centrality of military activity in early modern empires, the notion of the Portuguese monarchy can be better understood. Additionally, early modern uses of Greek and Roman ethnography were analysed to draw conclusions on the narratives of Portuguese authors.
The work provides a better understanding for past as well as current modes of cultural communication across Europe.