Our webinar for May is Bees in the Medieval Mediterranean on 17 May at 5pm (UTC + 1)
Speakers: Dr Alexandra Sapoznik (King's College London) and Lluis Sales Fava (Bee Project) (IEM-Universidade Nova de Lisboa).
Chaired Dr Roser Salicrú
Register: https://theofed-cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LtA0xK7FTGqSfE0RcJENmw
Bees and bee products were of tremendous cultural significance in the later middle ages. Wax was necessary for many aspects of Christian religious devotion, while honey held a particular importance in medieval Islam. In this session we will examine how these cultural preferencesdrove a lucrative and far-reaching trade in beeswax, combining the products of domestic apiculture and large-scale imports to support increasingly costly and spectacular forms of Christian devotion, demonstrating interconnections of economy, environment and culture in the pre-modern world.
