The Sixteenth Kenneth Nebenzahl, Jr., Lectures in the History of Cartography

Ancient Perspectives: Maps and Their Place in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, 8-10 November 2007

Organized by Richard Talbert (University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill) for the Smith Center.

The Newberry Library’s Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography is pleased to announce the Sixteenth Kenneth Nebenzahl, Jr., Lectures in the History of Cartography, to be held at the Newberry Library on November 8-10, 2007. This year’s series examines recent trends in the study of the mapmaking by the ancient cultures ringing the ancient Mediterranean Sea. The series has been organized for the Smith Center by Dr. Richard Talbert (University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill), and will include seven papers on topics ranging from urban to cosmological mapping. In honor of the occasion the Newberry Library is mounting an exhibition titled “Ptolemy’s Geography in the Renaissance,” featuring the Newberry’s stellar collection of early printed editions of the great 2nd-century geographical manual by the Claudius Ptolemy. For 41 years the Nebenzahl Lectures series has been dedicated to its mission to present current scholarship in the history of cartography to general audiences thanks to the ongoing support of Kenneth and Jocelyn Nebenzahl.

Please note: due to room capacity, registration for the Nebenzahl Lectures is now closed. All future registrants will be placed on a waiting list and will be contacted should space become available. To inquire about the status of your registration, to withdraw, or to request a place on the waiting list, please contact the Smith Center at 312-255-3659.

Those planning to attend the Nebenzahl Lectures who will be traveling to Chicago are advised to make advance arrangements for accommodations. The Newberry is holding blocks of rooms at nearby hotels for attendees of the Nebenzahl Lectures and the Society for the History of Discoveries Meeting. To take advantage of these room blocks, contact the hotels below and mention that you will be attending either or both events.

• The Talbott Hotel (20 E Delaware Place). $179/night for a King suite; upgrade to a Queen double for $199/night. Call 1-800-621-8506 to make reservations. Please note: the room block at the Talbott Hotel is now full. The hotel is still accepting reservations, but at the best available price on the day the reservation is placed.
• The Seneca Hotel and Suites (200 E Chesnut). $159/night for a Queen room; upgrade to a King suite for $179/night. Call 1-800-800-6261 to make reservations.
  
• Best Western-River North (125 W Ohio Street). $109/night per room. Call 1-800-704-6941 to make reservations.

Prices do not include 15.4% hotel tax. Detailed information about the hotels is provided on the Society for the History of Discoveries website.

Those planning to attend the Nebenzahl Lectures are encouraged to attend the 48th Annual Meeting of the Society for the History of Discoveries, which will be held at the Newberry Library from Sunday, November 11 to Tuesday, November 13, 2007. A registration fee will be required to attend the Society’s meeting. Further information is available on the Society’s website.

The Nebenzahl Lectures and the Meeting of the Society for the History of Discoveries form part of the Festival of Maps, Chicago 2007 . Headlining the Festival is Maps: Finding Our Place in the World (November 2, 2007 to January 27, 2008), a major cartographic exhibition at the Field Museum jointly organized by the Museum and the Newberry Library. The Newberry will also host two exhibits from November 3, 2007 to February 16, 2008, of which Ptolemy's Geography and Renaissance Mapmakers complements the theme of the Nebenzahl Lectures.

Please direct all inquiries about the Nebenzahl Lectures to the Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography by email (smithctr@newberry.org ) or by phone (312-255-3659).