Microhistories Retold : Insects in the Premodern World / Przemysław Marciniak.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Marciniak, Przemysław, editor.

Series:

Münchner Vorlesungen zu Antiken Welten , 2198-9664 ; 8

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (X, 272 p.)

Place of Publication:

Berlin Boston De Gruyter, [2026]

Language Note:

In English.

Biography/History:

Przemysław Marciniak , The University of Silesia in Katowice (Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach), Poland.

Summary:

Insects provide a distinctive lens through which to explore premodern conceptions of the natural world. Often perceived as unchanging across time and space, they nevertheless elicited diverse emotional responses and fulfilled a wide range of symbolic, practical, and discursive functions in different cultures and historical contexts. While animal studies have become well established in classical philology and medieval studies, small animals-and insects in particular-have received comparatively little scholarly attention. This volume addresses this gap. Emerging from a conference held at LMU Munich in 2022, it brings together contributions by specialists working on a broad spectrum of premodern cultural traditions. The essays examine how insects were perceived, conceptualized, and instrumentalized in literature, thought, and cultural practice. Adopting an innovative approach grounded in what may be termed cultural entomology, the volume critically reflects on the historical semantics of insects.Its comparative perspective extends beyond classical antiquity to include other cultural spheres, notably China and Egypt. Featuring contributions by both established scholars and early career researchers, the volume is aimed at classical philologists, Byzantinists, medievalists, historians of culture, and all those interested in the cultural history of insects in the premodern world.

Contents:

Frontmatter

VContents

VIIEditorial Note

1I Am a Multitude: Premodern Insects / Przemysław Marciniak

11Up Close but from a Distance / Linda Evans

27Insekt sein in der Welt Platons / Tatjana Aleknienė

39"Yearning for gore": Leeches and Love in Theocritus and Nicander / Phoebe Lakin

59Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ μυίας ποιεῖν: On Lucian's "Encomium of the Fly" / Thorsten Fögen

79Calamitous Insects in Early Imperial China: Human Agency in the Lunheng 論衡 by Wang Chong 王充 / Marco Pouget

101Nullum est animal altero doctius: Insects in Seneca's philosophical texts / Dominik Berrens

115Lords and Flies - Emperors Interacting with Muscae / Moa Ekbom

131Virgil's Bees in the Late Antique Classroom / Frances Foster

149Baptismal Cicadas: Insects in Asterios the Sophist's Homily / Przemysław Marciniak

157Insekten als Materia Medica / Isabel Grimm-Stadelmann

185Peut-on parler d'« insecte » dans les textes médiévaux ? / Isabelle Draelants

225Sulle tracce dello scarabeo / Lorenzo M. Ciolfi

251A Sumptuous Insect: Extraction and Trade of Grain in the Setúbal Peninsula at the End of the Middle Ages / Ana Cláudia Silveira

Notes:

This eBook is made available Open Access under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed August 05 2026)

ISBN:

9783111426112