Ille operum custos

From ancient Egypt, through pagan and Christian antiquity, to the mediaeval and modern west – the bee has been for all cultures and ages one of the most richly symbolic animals, yet until now has seldom been the subject of a diachronic and interdisciplinary study from the various relevant branches of cultural history. This collection of essays, based on an internal research project organised by the Historical Institute at the RWTH University Aachen in 2006-7, brings together fifteen contributions from the disciplines of oriental studies, classical philology, ancient history, early Christian theology, mediaeval studies, English, German and Hispanic studies, modern history, and psychology. Together they create a chronologically representative picture, based on specialist subject knowledge, of the central cultural associations of bees in the history of Mediterranean and western societies. The volume is also dedicated in celebration of his 65th birthday to Prof. Raban von Haehling who provided the stimulus for an examination of the theme.