Omar Khayyam is generally known as the author of “The Rubaiyat”, a poem which he never wrote. So who was this 12th century astronomer, mathematician, philosopher, and poet? How was this anti-clerical and anti-establishment figure able to contribute so much to so many fields during his lifetime? In a presentation richly illustrated with historical documents, Michael Hillmann explores the world of Khayyam’s poetic forms, known as “quatrains”, and what they reveal about Khayyam as a philosopher and a poet. “Sit on the grass, drink wine, green will spring from your dust and mine”