“Introduction to the Archive of the Crown of Aragon (documents in Latin to ca. 1350)”
4th Mediterranean Studies Summer Skills Seminar (Online)
Date & Location: 17-20 May 2021 • University of Colorado Boulder
Faculty: Prof. Brian A. Catlos (Religious Studies, CU Boulder/ Humanities, UC Santa Cruz)
This four-day intensive skills seminar was intended to provide participants with an overview of the collections of the ACA, including access to online resources and reproductions, and focus on a hands-on introduction to reading unedited documents from a variety of the archive’s fonds. Other topics included: manuscript abbreviations, dating systems, place and personal names, and research resources and techniques. As much as possible the content was catered to participants’ interests and needs. The goal was to provides participants with a solid preparation in paleography and diplomatics, as well as on the organization of the ACA so that they could move straight to conducting work remotely via the PARES web portal or on-site at the ACA — skills and techniques useful not only at the Archive of the Crown but at other medieval archives across Spain and Europe.
The Skills Seminar was held remotely via ZOOM. Participants included 19 faculty members, post-doctoral scholars and graduate students from universities across the US, and from Canada, the UK, Germany, Turkey, and Israel.
Registered Participants:
• Nicole Archambeau (Colorado State University Fort Collins)
• Paul Aste (Brown University)
• Alexandra Atiya (University of Toronto)
• Jeff Baron (Rochester University)
• Ilil Baum (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
• Erich Böhme (University of Konstanz)
• Eleanor A. Congdon (Youngstown State University)
• Yunus Doğan (Bilkent University)
• Rodrigo García-Velasco (Cambridge University)
• Emily Graham (Oklahoma State University)
• Annabel Hancock (Oxford University)
• Yanay Israeli (Hebrew Univeristy)
• Alex Korte (University of Minnesota)
• Andrew Kurt (Clayton State University)
• Yoav Levinson-Sela (Tel Aviv University)
• Nicholas Nogueira (Providence College)
• Emily (Li) Parrent (McGill University)
• Christina Rhein (San Diego State University)
• Dillon Webster (Brown University)
Some comments from participants:
“Professor Catlos was very encouraging and his openness about his experiences and research was really useful, especially as I am new to archival research. Advice about how to approach archival documents, store archival information, and overcome the challenges that come with it was particularly important for me.”
“Prof. Brian A. Catlos was knowledgeable, helpful and energetic during the seminars, creating a great atmosphere both in theory and in practice.”
“Professor Catlos was informative, patient, and pleasant. He kept the group focused.”
“Brian's deep knowledge of the archive and the region was critical to making sense of the documents. I especially appreciated how he used direct encouragement when reading difficult documents, and provided context on how reading skills develop throughout an academic's career. I also appreciated that he kept to time while moving through so much material, and that the reading sessions were kept short - they're intense but so rewarding!”
“Really great overview of the kinds of documents held in the ACA and a great deal of palaeography practice and advice.”
“The skills seminar provided excellent knowledge of the historical context, the structure of the Archive of the Crown of Aragon, as well as the development of practical skills in the field.”
“Studying with Brian was illuminating. The integration between analysis, practical advice and rigourous reading was enriching and really helped me get a new grasp at things in a fun and exciting way.”
“Superb mix of background, categories of coverage, practice, Q&A, and sharing of deep experience.”
“The course was a great introduction to archival work generally, and ACA specifically, for grad students. I wish I had had something similar when I was doing my PhD! I was impressed that it was also pitched at a level that benefitted faculty who had either been away from archival work for some time, or weren't familiar with the ACA and its hands. I would absolutely recommend it for people at various career stages.”