#37: The Map of Knowledge - A History in Seven Cities: Interview with Violet Moller

Book Talk Today with Aun Abdi

On Episode #37 of the Book Talk Today podcast we are joined by Violet Moller.

Violet is an independent historian with a particular interest in the history of ideas and how knowledge has been transmitted through the centuries. She has a Ph.D on the libraries in Early Modern Britain and is host of the Travels Through Time history podcast which asks a wide range of brilliant historians which year they would chose if they could travel back in time. Today we will be discussing her book, 'The Map of Knowledge: How Classical Ideas Were Lost and Found: A History of Seven Cities.'

We discussed the library of Alexandria, Baghdad, Cordoba, Toledo, Salerno, Palermo and Venice in relation to the transition of knowledge from 500 to 1500.

Timestamps

[0:00] - Intro

[1:07] - Violet's journey to writing this book

[6:27] - The founding of Alexandria and its library

[11:38] - How the library of Alexandria disappeared

[13:30] - The city of Baghdad

[18:27] - Knowledge and the relationship between the rich and poor

[23:17] - The city of Cordaba

[28:54] - The city of Toledo

[34:36] - The loss of knowledge through conflict

[36:13] - The latinization of Arab knowledge

[42:47] - Cities in Italy

[48:15] - The impact of the Gutenberg Press

[52:15] - The main takeaway from the book

[54:34] - If we were to return to any period of history…

[59:52] - Outro

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