GRK 1876: Early Concepts of Man and Nature: Universal, Local, Borrowed

GRK的目的是以示范性的方式掌握人与自然的概念及其起源，注重文化内和跨文化的理解，并以文本、图标和物质来源为起点。这些来源来自东北非、近东和欧洲，涵盖了从公元前100.000年到中世纪的一段时间。为了实现这一目标，已经确定了四个相互重叠的主要研究领域：a)宇宙的基本状态和基本元素的概念、宇宙运动和世界末日的概念B)自然现象、自然力和自然灾害的概念C)植物、动物和自然环境的概念D)人体、疾病、治疗和死亡的概念。GRK通过识别、分析和联系单个概念，然后在跨学科环境中讨论和验证它们，并将它们结合起来，提供在这四个领域产生相关成果的机会。在这个过程中(虽然我们假设从理论和方法的起点对“概念”有一个广泛的理解)，具体的问题将涉及到这些概念的种类、传播和发展，以及关于时间、文学类别、用于传播的媒体、语言、图像、材料、社会文化环境和个人影响的概念的形成。比较一种文化内外的概念将产生关于普遍性、特殊性和传播性的多种创新见解。通过更广泛地询问普遍性、特殊性和传播性的原因，我们将产生新的假设，即人类学因素是否以及如何也影响了早期的人和自然的概念。GRK支持一个广泛和结构化的计划的研究进程，该计划植根于单一学科，但也包括跨学科形式，如全体会议上的讨论、研讨会和跨学科会议。它为博士生提供了内容和方法方面的大力支持，美因茨良好的科学环境(例如，已建立的研讨会“Alte Medizin”和“antike Naturtwenschaften and ihre Rezept”、研究中心“hiorische Kulturwitenschaften”和“RöMisch-Germanische ZentalMuseum”)、著名的国内和国际合作伙伴以及结构良好的高级培训机会。

The aim of the GRK is to grasp concepts of man and nature and their beginnings in an exemplary way, focusing on an intra-cultural as well as a trans-cultural understanding and taking textual, iconic and material sources as a starting point. These sources come from North- East Africa, the Near East and Europe and cover a span from 100.000 BC to Medieval times. To achieve that aim, four overlapping main fields of research have been defined:A) Concepts of primary states of the cosmos and primary elements, cosmogony and theend of the worldB) Concepts of natural phenomena, natural forces and natural catastrophesC) Concepts of flora, fauna and natural surroundingsD) Concepts of the human body, sickness, healing and death.The GRK offers the opportunity to produce relevant results within these four fields by identifying, analyzing and contextualizing single concepts and afterwards discussing and verifying them in an interdisciplinary environment and combining them to gain overarching syntheses. During this process, (while we assume a broad understanding of "concept" as a theoretical and methodological starting point) specific questions will be tackled about the kinds, communication and development of such concepts as well as about the shaping of concepts in terms of time, literary genus, media used for transmission, language, iconography, material, socio-cultural environment, and individual influences. Comparing concepts within a culture and beyond will lead to manifold innovative insights regarding universality, specificity and transmission. By asking more generally for the reasons for universality, specificity and transmission we will generate new hypotheses about if and how anthropological factors have also influenced early concepts of man and nature. The GRK supports the process of research by a broad and structured program, which is rooted in the single disciplines but also includes interdisciplinary formats like discussion in a plenum, workshops and transdisciplinary conferences. It supplies the doctoral candidates with intense support regarding content and method, an excellent scientific environment in Mainz (e.g. the established workshops "Alte Medizin" and "Antike Naturwissenschaften und ihre Rezeption", the research-center "Historische Kulturwissenschaften", and the "Römisch-Germanische Zentralmuseum"), renowned national and international partners and well-structured opportunities for advanced training.