"Arabia Felix" / "Glückliches Arabien"

Carsten Niebuhr, Peter Forsskål and the Expedition to Arabia, 1761-1767
Carsten Niebuhr, Peter Forsskål und die Expedition nach Arabien, 1761-1767

Friday, 6th and Saturday, 7th November 2015 – Lichtenberg-Kolleg

An international symposium on the "Arabian Journey" is taking place on 6th and 7th November 2015 to mark the unveiling of commemorative plaques for Carsten Niebuhr and Peter Forsskål.

Due to limited seats available prior registration until 27th October is mandatory. Contact: E-mail

The unveiling begins on Friday 6th November 2015, 5.00 p.m. at Groner Straße 1 for Carsten Niebuhr, followed by an unveiling at Obere Maschstraße 5 for Peter Forsskål.


    Friday/Freitag, 6 November 2015


    09:00 – 09:15
  • Welcome Greetings / Begrüßung
    Martin van Gelderen, Jürgen Schlumbohm
  • Panel/Sektion 1: The Expedition and its Background / Die Expedition und ihr Hintergrund
    Chair/Moderation: Jürgen Schlumbohm (Göttingen)

    09:15 – 10:15
  • Lawrence J. Baack (Berkeley, CA)
    Polymaths and Empiricists: The University in Göttingen and the Royal Danish Expedition to Arabia, 1753-1778
  • 10:15 – 11:15
  • Avi Lifschitz (London)
    From ancient Hebrew to modern Arabia: J. D. Michaelis's expedition plans and his oriental scholarship
  • 11:15 – 11:45
    Refreshments / Pause

    11:45 – 12:45
  • Michael Harbsmeier (Copenhagen)
    What more do we need to know about Carsten Niebuhr and his Expedition?
  • 12:45 – 13:45
    Lunch / Mittagspause

    Panel/Sektion 2: Peter Forsskål: Radical Enlightenment and Natural History / Peter Forsskål: radikaler Aufklärer und Naturforscher
    Chair/Moderation: David Goldberg, London

    13:45 – 14:45
  • Dominik Hünniger (Göttingen)
    Shells, Spiders and other Insects: Peter Forsskål and 18th Century Natural History
  • 14:45 – 15:45
  • Ere Nokkala (Helsinki/ Göttingen)
    Radical Enlightener and Linne's Apostle? Peter Forsskål in Swedish and International Historiography

  • 17:00
  • Unveiling of the commemorative plaques



    Saturday/Samstag 7 November 2015


    Panel/Sektion 3: Carsten Niebuhr: Astronomy, Ethnography, Oriental Studies / Carsten Niebuhr: Astronomie, Ethnographie, Orientwissenschaften
    Chair/Moderation: Martin Gierl (Göttingen)

    09:30 – 10:30
  • Anne Haslund Hansen (Copenhagen):
    Agents and Artefacts: Collecting during the Arabian Voyage 1761-1767
  • 10:30 – 11:30
  • Michel-Pierre Detalle (Paris):
    Carsten Niebuhr, Astronom, Kartograph und Zeichner-Kopist
  • 11:30 – 12:00
    Refreshments / Pause

    12:00 – 13:00
  • Josef Wiesehöfer (Kiel):
    Carsten Niebuhr and Ancient Iran