The boards of the Histechnica Association and of the KIVI Historyof Technology Section are pleased to invite you to attend a lecture to be given by Mr Drs B. van de Ven on the topic:

Technology in the Middle Ages; decline, stagnation or progress?

on Saturday 27 January 2024

Location: Science Centre, Bouwcampus 26, entrance 'C', Van der Burghweg 1, 2628 CS Delft

Cathedral construction

Programme

10.30 hrs: Walk-in with coffee and tea

11:00: Welcome and introduction

11.05:00: Lecture by Mr Bert van de Ven

12:00: Break

12:15: Continuation of lecture and closing discussion

12:45: End of meeting.

Summary of the lecture

The Middle Ages have a bad reputation when it comes to technology. For a long time, the impression was given that engineering collapsed after the fall of the Roman empire and only recovered somewhat during the Renaissance. But is this justified? In this lecture, technical fields will be reviewed. From Foundation Engineering to Medical Engineering and from Construction to Mechanical Engineering. But above all, the situation of culture, nature and society between the year 500 and 1500 will be analysed and sometimes hard-to-see transitions will be revealed.

Medieval hoist

Information about the speaker

Bert van de Ven is attached to KIVI's office as Event Manager, but is originally a historian. He studied history at Leiden University and Hogeschool Rotterdam (teacher training) and obtained a master's degree at the Open University's General Cultural Studies programme. He is also a board member of the KSSF foundation, for which he organises historical events and gives and coordinates lectures. Although his official specialisation is transnational history and state formation, the Middle Ages have his great interest.

To attend this lecture, please register:

  • KIVI members should register via the KIVI website
  • Members of Histechnica should register through the secretary hotzeboonstra@gmail.com.
  • Interested parties who are not members can also register through the above channels. There will then be a charge of ā‚¬5.00.

The lecture will be broadcast live; you should also register for this through the above channels. There is no charge for this.

The link for online participation can be found below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKlGBAR1NVA

Upcoming activities in Science Center Delft

  • Saturday 24 February 2024 at 11:00 lecture by Dr Karel van der Mast: "The origin and development of electron microscopy".
  • Saturday 23 March 2024 at 11:00 a.m. lecture by Drs G. Moeyes: "Towing devices and tow tanks in the Netherlands - Maritime hydrodynamic research since the 18th century".

On Saturday 20 April 2024, Histechnica will celebrate its 10th anniversary at Gebouw X, Mekelweg 8, 2628 CD Delft. It will be a day-filling programme with the theme: "Getting progress out of failure". KIVI/GDT members are also welcome, see histechnica.nl for the programme and to register.

Study trip to the Basque Country at the end of May 2024: The survey held shows that there is a lot of interest in this seven-day trip with 6 nights within the programme, in addition to the round trip. For practical reasons, details will not be finalised before mid-February. Travel commissioner Ton Boele will be present 27 January and will be able to answer any questions immediately.

On the occasion of KIVI's 175th anniversary in 2023, the History of Engineering Department has published a book highlighting the three founders of KIVI in the times in which they lived. The book will be available for free to members of Histechnica and members of the KIVI History of Engineering department during the lecture.

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