New Releases

Manik Bajracharya, Christiane Brosius, Simon Cubelic, Rajan Khatiwoda (Eds.)

Heidelberg University Publishing, 2026

Every spring, the deity Buṅgadyaḥ — rainmaker, Buddhist savior, tantric master — is carried through Patan in the Kathmandu Valley on a towering wooden float, transforming streets, squares, and intersections into sacred spaces. This interdisciplinary volume brings together eight scholars from the fields of archaeology, architecture, cultural anthropology, Indology, and heritage studies, who examine the diverse aspects of this procession from the early Middle Ages to the present: from the earliest inscriptions to its revitalization following the 2015 earthquake, from royal patronage and the resilience of the Guthis to caste politics and photographic representation. Drawing on unique sources—epigraphy, legal and administrative documents, ethnography, architecture, and material culture—the contributions demonstrate how ritual, urban space, and the multitude of actors involved interact in a festival in which identity, authority, and belonging are continually renegotiated in contemporary South Asia. (Publisher’s text)

Malini Ambach

Heidelberg University Publishing, 2026

Multifarious Sacred Geographies provides an in-depth examination of the sacred geography of the South Indian temple city of Kanchipuram. Kanchipuram’s exceptionally diverse religious landscape, with its more than four hundred temples, is documented in numerous Sanskrit and Tamil texts that extol the city. Malini Ambach examines three of these celebratory Sanskrit Sthalamāhātmyas in detail for the first time, comparing them with one another in terms of their depictions of Kanchipuram’s literary geographies. The Sthalamāhātmyas link mythology with the local physical landscape and, each shaped by the perspective of a specific religious tradition, describe the same sacred space – while constructing both shared and contradictory conceptions of the temple city. (Publisher’s description)
 

Axel Michaels, Xu Yunheng

Heidelberg University Publishing, 2026

This book examines the history of the last war between Nepal and China-Tibet in 1791–1792. Drawing on a wealth of newly discovered texts from Nepal, China and Tibet – many of which have been published and translated for the first time – this volume serves as a handbook on the sources relating to this Sino-Nepalese war. The focus is on the controversial question of who won the war. In the light of the new material, the central thesis is developed that both sides were able to declare themselves the victors without this being strongly contested by the other side. This rare form of ending a war was made possible primarily by the cross-cultural complexity and the differing interpretations of the key terms used. (Publisher’s description)

Stefan Pfänder

Heidelberger Akademische Bibliothek
Stuttgart, Alfred Kröner Verlag, 2026

Conversations Don’t Have a Script: In meetings, counseling, or caregiving, solutions arise in the moment—they are “improvised”. Stefan Pfänder shows what conversation research has to say about improvisation—and how voice, eye contact, gestures, and rhythm help us navigate difficult situations. Six vivid case studies (ranging from children’s play to dementia and trauma) combine theory, illustrations, and the analysis of authentic conversation examples. A linguistically grounded, accessible guide for everyday life and work. (Publisher’s description)

Albrecht Winnacker

Heidelberger Akademische Bibliothek
Stuttgart, Alfred Kröner Verlag, 2025

“Silicon Valley” is the birthplace and headquarters of major technology companies such as Apple, Google, and Intel; “silicon technology” is the foundation of major technical innovations, including artificial intelligence, based on the spectacular development of “chips”; there is even talk of the “Silicon Age.” However, this one-sided emphasis on an electronic material does not do justice to the technical reality. While electronic silicon does indeed form the material basis for the key technologies of our time, it is becoming apparent that silicon-based electronics is by no means superior to other solutions in technology fields such as e-mobility, photovoltaics, or high-frequency communications technology; for important applications such as the generation of light for lighting or optical data transmission, it is in fact entirely unsuitable.
This booklet explores the issues surrounding electronic materials in today’s technological landscape under the motto: “Silicon isn’t everything!” (Publisher’s description)

Julia Burkhardt, Isabel Kimpel (Eds.)

Heidelberg, Heidelberg University Publishing, 2025

The Cistercian monk Caesarius of Heisterbach (ca. 1180–1240) is one of the best-known authors of the Middle Ages. His “Eight Books of Miracles” (Libri VIII miraculorum) are a collection of material intended for instruction, edification, and warning: tales of saints and demons, of people and animals, of small miracles and great misfortunes. In his stories, Caesarius takes the reader on a journey that leads from the Rhineland to the Baltic region and on to Jerusalem. The result is a multifaceted panorama of the political, social, and religious developments of the 13th century.
The new edition of the “Eight Books of Miracles” offers an annotated version of the Latin text, a German translation published for the first time, and an analysis of the work and its manuscript tradition. (Publisher’s description)

Michael Erler

Heidelberger Akademische Bibliothek
Stuttgart, Alfred Kröner Verlag, 2025

Anyone who studies ancient texts has likely been confronted at some point with the question of the relevance of such reading. Modern philology has given this a great deal of thought. The aim here is to recall that this question was also raised in antiquity—and how it was addressed. This is prompted by more recent evidence from the context of Epicurean philosophy, in which a philological engagement with texts is linked to the claim that one should consider not only the text itself but also the relevance of the reading for its audience. This attitude will puzzle modern philologists. One might be inclined to regard it as yet another distinctive feature of the Epicurean school. Upon closer inspection, however, it proves to be a facet of ancient reading culture that can be traced all the way to the Imperial period and whose characteristics are already discussed to some extent in Plato. This “active” mode of reading also deserves attention because structural elements of ancient texts apparently appeal to this reading attitude and gain definition in light of it. By presupposing and reflecting on the reader’s responsibility for the constitution and interpretation of texts, it provides a historical backdrop for modern positions (“the birth of the reader”) and may also contribute an ancient perspective to the modern debate on utility. (Publisher’s text)

What Can We Learn from Paleolithic Art?

Miriam Noël Haidle, Nicholas J. Conard, Sibylle Wolf, Martin Porr (Eds.)

Heidelberg, Heidelberg University Publishing, 2025

The concept of “Paleolithic art” and its study have undergone significant changes in recent decades. The modern concept of “art” is problematic across cultures and over time. The phenomenon cannot be reduced to material visual culture but also encompasses acoustic, haptic, and other dynamic aspects. It must be understood as a diversity of processes that can encompass both the everyday and the extraordinary. In this volume, archaeologists, philosophers, and anthropologists approach “Paleolithic art” from various perspectives, including its conceptualization, aesthetics, and relationships to art history and Art Brut. The contributions address the challenge posed by materiality, evolutionary aspects, physical reenactment by actors, and digital technologies as means of interpreting art objects, as well as the preservation of cultural heritage. The volume offers innovative insights into past practices and contemporary ideas and approaches related to Paleolithic art, based on careful empirical research combined with reflective and sophisticated theoretical approaches.