The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML) and HMML’s Malta Study Center at Saint John’s University invites guests to experience the Mediterranean and its people through its new exhibition, “Mediterranean Travel: People, Places, Encounters.” Drawing on HMML’s diverse digital and physical manuscript and rare book collections, the exhibition provides insights into the history of mapmaking, navigation, pilgrimage, travel and war as spatial encounters transforming the early modern Mediterranean.

“Mediterranean Travel” explores more than travel narratives and journals: it develops a narrative that sees travel in various human activities, from the voluntary and involuntary migration of peoples due to exploration and slavery, or the mass movement of peoples during military campaigns. Mapping the Mediterranean both textually through narrative and visually through mapmaking demonstrates how Mediterranean travel created both a real and imaginary space to understand the sea and its people.

The exhibition “Mediterranean Travel: People, Places, Encounters” runs from June 12-August 15, 2018 and was designed in conjunction with the 2018 NEH Summer Institute, Thresholds of Change: Modernity and Transformation in the Mediterranean 1400-1700 that is currently in session at HMML through July 14, 2018. The Institute aims to help present and future higher education instructors of humanities (history, languages, and literature), as well as art, geography, and environmental studies, to gain insights from the Mediterranean past for use in undergraduate surveys or topical courses.

"HMML is currently preserving manuscript collections in many global sites, including Croatia, India, Lebanon, Iraq, Jerusalem, Egypt, Mali, Malta, Montenegro, Ukraine and Yemen."

Those wanting more information about visiting HMML should visit www.hmml.org or call 320-363-3514.

The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library’s mission is to identify, digitally photograph, catalog and archive endangered manuscripts belonging to threatened communities around the world. Having formed partnerships with over 540 libraries and archives, HMML has photographically preserved over 250,000 manuscripts from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India.

HMML is currently preserving manuscript collections in many global sites, including Croatia, India, Lebanon, Iraq, Jerusalem, Egypt, Mali, Malta, Montenegro, Ukraine and Yemen. These resources are available through the recently launched vHMML, at www.vhmml.org, HMML’s new online environment for manuscript research. See more at www.hmml.org.