The memory of the past, with its processes of appropriation, revisiting, and visualization is a key aspect in the construction of European identity. But how is the memory of the past built within a “cosmopolitan” and “multicultural” reality? And in which ways do the needs of such a reality condition the visualization of the past? This project aims to provide answers to these questions by adopting an ideal case study – 14th-century Venice – and by analysing a particular type of objects – illustrated manuscripts of ancient history. Within this process, these manuscripts have a major role as the cross-point of visual, textual, and material discourses. They represent an ideal material to reconsider the complexity of Venetian historical identity-building. The project’s outputs – including publication of a monograph and a series of papers in peer-reviewed journals, as well as organization of an international conference – will serve as a model for the development of a new framework to investigate the construction of alternative past realities in the medieval and post-medieval world.

Sustainable Development Goals

Masaryk University is committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to improve the conditions and quality of life on our planet by 2030.

Publications