The Crusades are often remembered as a force of destruction that laid waste to much of what they encountered.  But they also left behind a rich material legacy that will be the focus of a free, daylong seminar at DePaul University on Oct. 9.

“Archaeology, Material Culture, and Art History of the Crusades: A Symposium” will take place Oct. 9 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Schmitt Academic Center, 2320 N. Kenmore Ave., Room 254, Chicago.

“This seminar will offer a broad perspective on the arts and other physical legacies from one of history’s most tumultuous periods,” said Warren Schultz, associate professor and chair of the history department at DePaul. “Our four widely regarded speakers will provide insights for both serious scholars of the Crusades and those with just a passing knowledge.”

The keynote address, to be delivered at 2:30 p.m. by Jaroslav Folda, the N. Ferebee Taylor Professor Emeritus of the History of Art at the University of North Carolina, will be on “The Art Patronage of Queen Melisende, 1131-1161.” 

Other presentations include:

“‘For Want of a Battle the Kingdom was Lost’: The Landscape of Hattin and the Fate of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem,” by Rafael Lewis, Ph.D. candidate, Zinman Institute of Archaeology, University of Haifa in Israel, 9:30 a.m.

“Crusader-period Ceramics: The State of the Field and a Case Study of Transjordan” by Micaela Sinibaldi, Ph.D. candidate, Cardiff University in Wales, 10:45 a.m.

“Inventing’ a Monetary Tradition:  Coins, Ideology, and Culture in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem (1099-1291),” by Robert Kool, senior curator, coin department, Israel Antiquities Authority. 1:15 p.m.

The program is sponsored by DePaul’s Department of History and co-sponsored by DePaul University Research Council, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Catholic Studies Program, the Departments of History of Art and Architecture, and the Department of Religious Studies.

For additional information, contact Schultz, History at (773) 325-1561 or wschultz@depaul.edu