[#AnOxfordDiary]

Ever wonder what a Good Friday procession felt like in Renaissance Italy?
My article explore what people seemed to feel, hear and smell
brill.com/edcollchap-o...

@oxfordhistoryofart.bsky.social @royalhistsoc.org @discoxford.bsky.social
#arthistory #Renaissance #SensoryHistory

More on #Roman water, here is a video showing just how LOUD some of these features could be in ancient Roman gardens 🎧

Catch up in our latest episode ’Water water everywhere!’

🎥Us, Villa D’Este, Tivoli

#classicsbluesky #ancienthistory #historypodcast #sensoryhistory #classicalstudies #ancientrome

As promised in our latest episode on ancient #Roman water, here is a video of the monumental summer dining room at Emperor Hadrian’s Villa.

Dishes floating around while you recline surrounded by💧

🎥Us, Villa Adriana

#classicsbluesky #ancienthistory #historypodcast #sensoryhistory #classicalstudies

AAC (CFP) « Savoirs olfactifs : Connaître par l'odorat du XVIIIe siècle à nos jours » / "Olfactory knowledge: Learning through smell from the 18th century to the present day" (22-23/10/2026) - Chaire Santé SHS Appel à communication pour le colloque « Savoirs olfactifs : Connaître par l'odorat du XVIIIe siècle à nos jours ».« Dis-moi ce que tu sens, je te dirai ce que je sais ». Organisé du 22 au 23 octobre 2026 à la Maison française d'Oxford (Royaume-Uni), le colloque « Savoirs olfactifs : Connaître par l'odorat du XVIIIe siècle à nos jours » propose d'interroger la place de l'odorat dans la constitution des savoirs au cours de l'époque contemporaine en s'intéressant à ses rapports avec les usages et les pratiques.Les savoirs olfactifs font partie partie intégrante de nombreuses pratiques qu'elles soient savantes, médicales, artisanales ou encore domestiques. Le recours aux expertises organoleptiques et aux appréciations olfactives est déterminant dans la caractérisation des matériaux, des espèces végétales et fongiques ou encore à l’élaboration d’un diagnostic médical. Dans le domaine des artisanats, l’olfaction constitue le plus souvent un savoir tacite, mais les documents tels que les traités techniques rappellent que l’odeur a aussi bien souvent été convoquée pour signaler une matière frelatée ou l’état d’avancée d’un processus de transformation chimique. Malgré ces usages, l'odorat reste considéré comme un sens inférieur aux autres dans l'économie générale des savoirs : il ne permettrait d'accéder qu'à une connaissance approximative. L'expertise olfactive devrait être complétée par l'instrumentation pour accéder à la connaissance. Cette conception reste profondément ancrée jusque dans la langue où le flair demeure une métaphore privilégiée pour désigner une connaissance intuitive.En questionnant ce lieu commun, ce colloque interdisciplinaire ambitionne de reconsidérer la place ambivalente accordée à l'odorat dans la constitution des savoirs. Les nombreuses pistes de recherche empruntées - la respiration, la physiologie, l'olfactométrie, les méthodes d'enseignement ou les enjeux de genre, - doivent permettre de stimuler une riche réflexion collective. La mobilisation de différentes disciplines - depuis les arts, les sciences humaines et sociales jusqu'à la médecine, la chimie, les neurosciences ou encore l'architecture - doit quant à elle permettre de multiplier les angles d'approches en plus d'élargir le champ des objets étudiés, depuis les textes (traités, ouvrages...), les images (illustrations, photographies) jusqu'aux objets (olfactomètres, etc...).Le comité d'organisation attend les contributions de jeunes chercheurs et chercheuses comme celles des spécialistes confirmés dans leur domaine. Les propositions de communication en français ou en anglais, d’environ 3 000 signes, accompagnées d’une courte bio-bibliographie, sont à adresser à Rémi Digonnet (remi.digonnet@univ-st-etienne.fr) et Érika Wicky (erika.wicky@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr) avant le 15 avril 2026. Ce colloque international est organisé par la Chaire de Professeure junior « Olfactions » (Université Grenoble-Alpes / LARHRA). Il sera accueilli par la Maison française d’Oxford (CNRS). Il bénéficie du soutien du Centre Alexandre Koyré (CNRS/EHESS/MNHN, Paris), du laboratoire ECLLA (Université Jean-Monnet de Saint-Etienne), de la Chaire Santé-SHS de Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne et de l’Institut universitaire de France.(Informations-clés au bas de l'actualité) Call for papers :  "Olfactory knowledge: Learning through smell from the 18th century to the present day" (English)Held on October 22-23, 2026, at the Maison française d'Oxford (United Kingdom), the international conference "Olfactory Knowledge: Learning through smell from the 18th Century to the present day" will examine the role of smell in the constitution of knowledge in the contemporary era, focusing on its relationship with customs and practices.Olfactory knowledge is an integral part of many scholarly, medical, artisanal, and domestic practices. The use of organoleptic expertise and olfactory assessments is crucial in the characterization of materials, the classification of plant and fungal species and even in the development of medical diagnoses. In the field of crafts, olfaction is most often tacit knowledge, but documents such as technical treatises remind us that smell has also often been used to indicate adulterated materials or advanced chemical transformation processes. Despite these uses, smell is still considered inferior to the other senses in the general economy of knowledge: it is thought to provide only approximate knowledge. Olfactory expertise must be supplemented by instruments in order to access knowledge. This conception remains deeply rooted even in language, where flair remains a favored metaphor for intuitive knowledge.By questioning this commonplace, this interdisciplinary conference aims to reconsider the ambivalent place accorded to smell in the constitution of knowledge. The numerous avenues of research explored (breathing, physiology, olfactometry, teaching methods, and gender issues...) should stimulate rich collective reflection. The involvement of different disciplines, from the arts, humanities, and social sciences to medicine, chemistry, neuroscience, and architecture, should make it possible to multiply the angles of approach and broaden the field of objects studied, from texts (treatises, books, etc.) images (illustrations, photographs) to objects (olfactometers, etc.).The organizing committee welcomes contributions from young researchers as well as established specialists in their field. Proposals for papers in French or English, approximately 3,000 characters in length, accompanied by a short bio-bibliography, should be sent to Rémi Digonnet (remi.digonnet@univ-st-etienne.fr) and Érika Wicky (erika.wicky@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr) before April 15, 2026.This international symposium is organized by the Junior Professorship Chair “Olfactions” (University of Grenoble-Alpes / LARHRA). It will be hosted by the Maison française d’Oxford (CNRS). It is supported by the Alexandre Koyré Center (CNRS/EHESS/MNHN, Paris), the ECLLA research laboratory (Jean Monnet University of Saint-Etienne), the Health-SHS Chair of Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, and the Institut Universitaire de France. Contributors’s travel and accommodation expenses will be covered.- Informations-clés / Key information :Organisateur·trices / Organizers : Rémi Digonnet, Université Jean Monnet de Saint-Étienne / ECLLAJudith Rainhorn, Paris 1 / CHSMarie Thébaud-Sorger, CNRS / CAKÉrika Wicky, Université Grenoble-Alpes / LARHRALieu / Location : Maison française d’Oxford (Royaume-Uni / United Kingdom)Date :  22/10/2026 - 23/10/2026

#CFP #conference: "Olfactory Knowledge: Learning through smell from the 18th Century to the present day" (Oxford, 22-3/08/26)

Deadline: 15/04/26

Info: champ.ly/he8yqe3p

#smellstudies #olfactorystudies #sensorystudies #sensoryhistory #hstm #histsci #sciencestudies

A man covering his mouth with a handkerchief, walking through a smoggy London street

My paper on spatial segregation, class, air and smell in 19th c Paris has been published OA by the amazing team at Venti Journal!
And here it is: www.venti-journal.com/manon-raffard

#smellstudies #sensoryhistory #classinequality #envhum #envhist #urbanhistory

#newbook: Scents of Arabia: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Ancient Olfactory Worlds, edited by Barbara Huber and Arnulf Hausleiter

Book available #openaccess here: champ.ly/rycqV09_

#smellstudies #olfaction #sensorystudies #chemicalsenses #academia #archeologynews #archeology #sensoryhistory

Coming soon…🏛️

#HistoryPodcast #AncientHistory #history #skystorians #ancientrome #roman #classicsteacher #imperialrome #romanempire #classicsbluesky #sensoryhistory #classicalstudies

#CallForPapers #MedievalStudies #ArtHistory #ReligiousStudies #SensesAndElements #MedievalMediterranean #CulturalHistory #MaterialCulture #MedievalArt #SensoryHistory #AcademicCFP #MedievalReligion #HistoriadelArte #Brepols

#smellstudies #olfaction #sensorystudies #chemicalsenses #academia #sensoryhistory #perfumery

Image credits: zh:北角 香花徑, Aroma Walk, North Point, Hong Kong, Taode3namry, 17 December 2013, CC3.0

#newpublication: Special issue of the journal "Renaissance and Reformation" titled "Death and the Senses in the Early Modern World" (ed. McIlvenna, Christ & Brunner).

Info: champ.ly/yl2ImwIE

#smellstudies #olfaction #sensorystudies #chemicalsenses #sensoryhistory #academia

Still a Silent World: Fish Ears, Whale Politics, and the Science of Ocean Noise, 1941–1990 | Environmental History Abstract This article brings together a history of more-than-human sensory life across the multitude of underwater environments that shaped knowledge of and concern about the effects of anthropogenic ...

Ahead of new print alert! You can now read Max Chervin Bridge's "Still a Silent World: Fish Ears, Whale Politics, and the Science of Ocean Noise, 1941–1990" from the October 2025 issue. #envhist #envhum #oceanhistory #sensoryhistory #animalhistory

www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

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🖼️ Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, Female Figure (Sibyl with Tabula Rasa), c. 1648.
Meadows Museum, SMU, Dallas. MM.74.01.

#CallForPapers #RSA2026 #RenaissanceStudies #EarlyModern #HistoryOfTouch #SensoryHistory #Velazquez #MeadowsMuseum #MaterialCulture #ArtHistory

What did ancient Rome smell like? BO, rotting corpses and raw sewage for starters ... We can probably safely assume Rome, in many areas, was likely pretty dirty and rank-smelling. That said, there's evidence of perfumes, incense and even deodorants.

What did ancient Rome smell like? BO, rotting corpses and raw sewage for starters ... #Science #Culture #AncientRome #SensoryHistory #HistoricalSmell

#newarticle: "Pschitt!: A Cultural History of the Perfume Vaporizer" by Erika Wicky for Dix-Neuf Journal!

Read article through your institution here: champ.ly/hfu1xCOo
#smellstudies #olfaction #sensorystudies #chemicalsenses #sensoryhistory #academia
@erikawicky.bsky.social

#sensoryhistory #anthropocene #airpollution #climatechange #historicalresearch

📸 Corner of Liberty and Fifth Avenues in Pittsburgh. Image courtesy of the Smoke Control Lantern Slide Collection, c.1940–1950, AIS.1978.22, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System.
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The ‘seeing ear’: multi-sensory diagnostics in pre-modern medicine Birgit Näther examines how historical medical diagnostics relied on multisensory methods—seeing, smelling, tasting, hearing—while medical terminology and instruments like uroscopy and the stethoscope ...

👂👁 Tasting urine? Hearing disease?
We at the Network of Early Modern Senses are excited to share Birgit Näther’s new article on multi-sensory diagnostics in pre-modern medicine — from uroscopy to the ‘seeing ear’ of the stethoscope.
👉 nemos.hypotheses.org/2773
#HistoryOfMedicine #SensoryHistory

NEMoS - Network of Early Modern Senses #SensoryHistory @lucowitz.bsky.social

From London Fog to Frankfurt Smog: Sensing Anthropogenic Weather Conditions from a Transurban Perspective in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries Part 1—Shades of Yellow, Black, and Grey: The London ‘Pea Souper’, The ‘Manchester Entire’, and Sooty Hamburg around 1900 In London, a mysterious weather phenomenon clouded the fin de siècle. For eight consecutive winters from October 1893, large parts of the city were repeatedly engulfed in a mixture of smoke and fog which were perceived … Continue reading From London Fog to Frankfurt Smog: Sensing Anthropogenic Weather Conditions from a Transurban Perspective in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

exploring the new issues arising from fog and smoke. 🔍

Read it now:

ghil.hypotheses.org/...

#sensoryhistory #environmentalhistory #londonfog #anthropocene #anthropogenicweather #skystorians #historysky
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Sensory Public History Conference 2025 The Inaugural Sensory Public History Conference explores Public History through the senses. The event is open to all. Events: Conference Day 1: Friday 30 May Conference Day 2: Saturday 31 May Historic...

30-31 May, next week, 2-day conference on sensory public history ant UCL East in London including, on the Friday, me talking about Jorvik Viking Centre’s smells. Free registration here: www.eventbrite.com/cc/sensory-p... #sensoryhistory #smellstudies #smellheritage

If anyone is in Montreal for Uncommon Senses this week, @drandyflack.bsky.social and I will be about so give us a shout for drinks/ dinner/ sensory chats!

#sensoryhistory #skystorians

#smellstudies #histSTM #sensoryhistory #frenchstudies #19cfrenchstudies

Oh wonderful, tomorrow’s coffee break read. Thanks for the work. #SensoryHistory

The #Viking museum in Stockholm is an absolute delight.
We did a quick mead tasting experience after the Viking train-ride (yes)!

#Sensoryhistory #vikings #stockholm #historypodcast

🏺Irgendwelche Pläne fürs Wochenende? Wie wäre es mit einer Ausstellung zur sensorischen Erfahrung von Glauben im Spätmittelalter?

www.rijksmuseumtwenthe.nl/rubriek/3912...

#medievalsky #fnzfreunde #emhfriends #sensoryhistory

Network of Early Modern Senses NEMoS is a network for exploring sensory history in the early modern period. We understand studying the history of the senses as analyzing how historical contexts shape the interpretation of sensory e...

We’re delighted Elena chose to publish on NEMoS - Network of Early Modern Senses! If you’d like to share a short source 'Finding' or longer 'Article' (post-MA), get in touch: l.wodzicki@fu-berlin.de (both come with review + DOI). Explore: nemos.hypotheses.org. #SensoryHistory #skystorians

Celebrating the upcoming weekend with these wonderful #Roman finger cymbals for #FindsFriday 🎶

📸 Us, Roman Museum in Nice

#Archaeology #Skystorians
#AncientBluesky #Classicsbluesky #Sensoryhistory

#SensoryHistory

Fragrant Attraction: Aromatics in Premodern Chinese History This essay surveys the history of aromatics in China from antiquity to the 17th-century. Compared to the extensive study of the spice trade that has shaped world history, much less has been explored ...

New History Compass piece by Yan Liu looking at the work that has been done thus far on aromatics in pre-modern China: compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1... #smellhistory #smellhistory #smellstudies #sensoryhistory #sensorystudies

Network of Early Modern Senses NEMoS is a network for exploring sensory history in the early modern period. We understand studying the history of the senses as analyzing how historical contexts shape the interpretation of sensory e...

We’re delighted Pamina chose to publish on NEMoS - Network of Early Modern Senses! If you’d like to share a short Finding (advanced students) or longer Article (post-MA), get in touch: l.wodzicki@fu-berlin.de (both come with review + DOI). Explore: nemos.hypotheses.org. #SensoryHistory #skystorians

“Lavender for Lads”: Smell and Nationalism in the Great War | Journal of British Studies | Cambridge Core “Lavender for Lads”: Smell and Nationalism in the Great War - Volume 62 Issue 4

You can read more about it in my recent JBS article "Lavender for Lads."

It tracks the transport of lavender sachets to white English soldiers on the western front.

#smellhistory #sensoryhistory