Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Studies

Conferences

FEMINISM AND CLASSICS VI: CROSSING BORDERS, CROSSING LINES

Brock University, St Catharines, Ontario, Canada May 24-27, 2012

Ancient Mediterranean society was crisscrossed by multiple boundaries and borders. Firm boundaries between male and female, slave and free, gods and mortals (to name just a few) defined social identities and relationships, even as these lines were regularly crossed in religious ritual, social practices and artistic imagination. In current scholarship, Feminism is now Feminisms, encouraging multiple - and even transgressive - approaches to the study of women, gender and sexuality in the ancient world. But has Feminism itself become a boundary, dividing fields of study or generations of scholars? Or is it a threshold, encouraging crossings between literary, historical and archaeological evidence? What new approaches are scholars using to push the boundaries of the evidence and the limits of our knowledge of the ancient world?

This conference will focus on boundaries, liminality and transgression. What kinds of crossings did ancient people experience and what control did they have over such crossings? How did borders and border crossings differ in relation to gender, ethnicity, age or legal status? If the masculine and feminine were clearly demarcated categories of being, how do we interpret homosexual, transvestite and gender-labile aspects of the ancient world? What points of contrast and connection exist between different types of gendered space (literal or metaphorical) and do they change when geographic or national boundaries are crossed?

www.brocku.ca/conferences/feminism-classics-vi

For inquiries, please contact FCVI@brocku.ca.

The Department of Classics at Brock University is pleased to host Feminism and Classics VI. Brock University is the only Canadian University to be located in a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve. It is within an hour's drive of Toronto, Ontario and Buffalo, NY and thus easily accessible and close to major attractions, shopping and airports. The Niagara region is framed by Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and the Niagara River and is in the heart of Ontario's vineyard country and visitors can enjoy the culinary and wine trail. More information about Brock University and its location can be found at http://www.brocku.ca/about/why.

MANUSCRIPT IDENTITIES AND THE TRANSMISSION OF TEXTS IN THE ENGLISH RENAISSANCE

Friday 25 and Saturday 26 May 2012, Humanities Research Institute, Sheffield University

As part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project ‘Early Modern Manuscript Poetry: Recovering our Scribal Heritage’, this conference will explore the role of manuscripts in the production of individual and corporate identities in early modern culture, including the commissioning, copying, circulation, and collection of manuscripts. The conference welcomes multidisciplinary approaches and is keen to consider the relationships between manuscript and print identities in the period.

Topics might include: ownership and commissioning; selection criteria (authorial, thematic, generic, miscellaneous); scribal identities; collection and donation; manuscripts and place; the construction of poetic, religious, political, and regional identities in manuscript; coteries; circulation and dissemination; manuscript afterlives; editing.

Speakers include: Julia Boffey (Queen Mary, London), Arthur Marotti (Wayne State University), Steve May (Sheffield University), Mary Morrissey (Reading University), Fred Schurink (Northumbria University), Jeremy Smith (Glasgow University) and Henry Woudhuysen (University College, London).

Details from Alan Bryson (a.bryson@sheffield.ac.uk) and Cathy Shrank (c.shrank@shef.ac.uk).

CONFERENCE ON "THE CHRISTIAN MOSES"

The Catholic University of America, Washington DC, May 31-June 3 2012

The University's Center for the Study of Early Christianity will host a conference on the above dates on the topic of the "Christian Moses".  Speakers will investigate how early Christians (to the seventh century CE) used traditions associated with Moses, along with significant Jewish traditions and early Islamic references to Moses.  The conference will have a single-session format to encourage maximum interaction among all participants: speakers, local and visiting scholars and graduate students.  Check the Center web site for more details, including the names of invited speakers and the titles of their papers.

Scholars interested in presenting a paper are asked to submit titles and abstracts.  The abstracts should be limited to 300 words, reflect very closely the theme of the conference and demonstrate explicitly either an engagement with primary sources in the original languages or an interest in relevant material culture (artistic or archaeological).  The time for delivery will be 25 minutes.  Participants willing to do so are also welcome to suggest panels or other types of group presentation.  All papers delivered at the conference will be considered for inclusion in a volume published by the Catholic University of America Press.  The deadline for submission of abstracts is December 31 2011 but we would welcome expressions of interest and likely titles as soon as possible.  Send submissions (by email attachment) and inquiries to Philip Rousseau (rousseau@cua.edu) or Janet Timbie (jtimbie@att.net).

WAR AS SPECTACLE

Open University Milton Keynes 15 June 2012

This one-day symposium will explore the theme of war as spectacle in classical antiquity and its reception in subsequent centuries, down to the present day. We are hoping to stimulate debate and address the following issues:

We are looking for papers or panel submissions which will engage in innovative and exciting ways with this theme. These can include, but are not limited to the way the theme was explored:

Abstract length: up to 500 words
Deadline: 15 December 2011
Contact: Dr Anastasia Bakogianni a.bakogianni@open.ac.uk

EDITING EARLY TEXTS: PRACTICE AND PROTOCOL

15-16 June 2012, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

This symposium is for scholars and postgraduate students involved in the editing of early literary and non-literary texts, c. 1500-1800. Speakers so far have editing interests in Shakespeare and early modern drama, early modern poetry and prose, eighteenth-century fiction, early modern women’s writing and early modern historical texts. Papers on the digital humanities and online editing are also strongly encouraged, and papers on using digital editions are also welcome.

Keynote speaker: Professor Paul Salzman, La Trobe University. Professor Salzman is a Chief Investigator on The Material Cultures of Early Modern Women’s Writing: Editing, Reception, Mediation. He is the editor of the innovative online edition of Lady Mary Wroth (http://wroth.latrobe.edu.au/); and of two Oxford World’s Classics editions, Early Modern Women’s Writing, and An Anthology of Elizabethan Prose Fiction.

Speakers include:
Tom Bishop (Auckland, Internet Shakespeare)
Jennifer Clement (Canterbury, using digital editions)
Karen Jillings (Massey, editing Gilbert Skene)
Ingrid Horrocks (Massey, editing Wollstonecraft’s A Short Residence)
Brett Hirsch (UWA, Digital Renaissance Editions)
Mark Houlahan (Waikato, Internet Shakespeare)
David McInnis (Melbourne, editing Dekker)
Patricia Pender (Newcastle, Australia, The Material Cultures of Early Modern Women’s Writing)
Sarah Ross (Massey, Women Poets of the English Civil War and The Material Cultures of Early Modern Women’s Writing)
Paul Salzman (La Trobe, The Material Cultures of Early Modern Women’s Writing)
Elizabeth Scott-Baumann (Oxford, Women Poets of the English Civil War)
Rosalind Smith (Newcastle, Australia, The Material Cultures of Early Modern Women’s Writing).

Contact Sarah Ross with paper proposals and abstracts (150-200 words), before 30 April 2012: S.C.Ross@massey.ac.nz.

Further information available on the ANZSA Bulletin site: http://bulletin.anzsa.org/

ATTENDING TO EARLY MODERN WOMEN: REMAPPING ROUTES AND SPACES

Milwaukee, Wisconsin  June 21-23 2012

Attending to Early Modern Women, which has been held seven times at the University of Maryland since 1990, is moving to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, thanks to the generous support of the College of Letters and Science at UWM. The conference will retain its innovative format, using a workshop model for most of its sessions to promote dialogue, augmented by a keynote, and a plenary session on each of the four conference topics: communities, environments, exchanges, and pedagogies. It will be held at the UWM School of Continuing Education Conference Center in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, within easy walking distance of the lakeshore, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Milwaukee Public Museum and the Amtrak station. Attendees will stay in the near-by and newly-renovated Doubletree Hotel. The conference will run from Thursday June 21 through Saturday June 23 2012 and attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in a special pre-conference seminar on Wednesday June 20 at the Center for Renaissance Studies at the Newberry Library in Chicago.

www.atw2012.uwm.edu

How did women situate themselves in the early modern world and how did they move through it, in both real and imaginary locations? How did gender figure in understandings of spatial realms, from the inner space of the body to the outer spaces of the cosmos? How do new disciplinary and geographic connections shape the ways in which we think, write and teach about the early modern world? Taking as our inspiration the move of Attending to Early Modern Women from Maryland to Milwaukee, we will consider these issues in relationship to the following topics:

Communities
Women¹s actions in neighborhoods, villages, cities, states and empires; family and kinship networks; establishing and breaching boundaries in sexual and gender expression; religious communities; exclusions, exiles and expulsions.

Environments
Gendered landscapes and soundscapes; the body and its borders; built and invented realms and frontiers; cartographic spaces; gender and the new cosmology and anatomy.

Exchanges
Travel, migration, and displacement; imagined spatial crossings; new interdisciplinary connections; the circulation of manuscripts, books, objects and ideas; consumerism and material culture; transnational and transoceanic links.

Pedagogies
Traveling new routes in teaching; the virtual spaces of technology and teaching; early modern women in the realm of museums and galleries for adults and children; issues in academic institutions and in publishing.

For further information, please contact Merry Wiesner-Hanks, Chair of the Organizing Committee: merrywh@uwm.edu.

ENVISIONING LANDSCAPES: ADAPTATION AND RENEWAL

22 June 2012, University of Liverpool

Landscape features prominently in perceptions and interpretations of the past. Whether depicting a specific location in its own right or providing a backdrop for historical action, the physical environment pervades modern reconstructions of past places, peoples and events.  Thus, just as rural and urban landscapes are active in the construction of memory in the lived environment, historical landscapes play a crucial role in shaping present-day conceptions of the past.  It is the purpose of this colloquium to investigate how newly envisioned landscapes shape our understandings of the past and how these understandings impact upon and transform physical landscapes in turn.

We welcome contributions that address - but are not limited to - one or more of the following questions:

Please submit 200-word abstracts for 25 minute papers by email to Dr Fiona Hobden (f.hobden@liv.ac.uk) and Dr Damien Kempf (kempf@liv.ac.uk) by the deadline of 15 February 2012.

We have funds available to cover local accommodation and conference costs.

This interdisciplinary colloquium is supported by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Liverpool.

CONTROLLING SPEECH IN LATIN LITERATURE

Pacific Rim Roman Literature Seminar, 27-29 June, 2012

Convenors: Han Baltussen, Peter Davis, Ioannis Ziogas

The University of Adelaide will host the twenty-sixth meeting of the Pacific Rim Roman Literature Seminar on 27-29 June, 2012. For 2012 the proposed theme, 'Controlling Speech in Latin Literature', arises from the involvement of all three convenors in an ARC-funded project entitled 'Banning Ideas, Burning Books: The Dynamics of Censorship in Classical Antiquity'.

The seminar will concern Latin literature in the period from the middle republic to the early empire or, in more literary terms, the period from Plautus to Tacitus. We envisage papers on a broad range of literary topics including such issues as the reality and extent of free speech under the republic, formal and informal censorship under both republic and empire, authorial self-censorship, the use of coded speech and the restrictions imposed upon female speech.

As is normal at Pac Rim seminars we are calling for papers of about forty-five minutes in length, with each session lasting for about an hour.

Please submit a title and an abstract of 150-200 words to by 10 February 2012 to Peter.Davis@adelaide.edu.au.

Please direct any inquiries to Peter Davis (Peter.Davis@adelaide.edu.au).

ORALITY AND LITERACY IN THE ANCIENT WORLD X:  TRADITION, TRANSMISSION AND ADAPTATION

The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, June 27-30 2012

When oral theory first entered classical studies, it concerned itself mostly with the transmission of narratives in verse and one of its first concerns was the accuracy of this process. It is time to think about transmission in a wider context. Information traveled by a variety of mechanisms in antiquity. Texts, ideas and practices were all transmitted through time and space. Sometimes both form and content were retained, but were placed in a new context; often both were profoundly transformed. This iteration of the biennial conference on Orality and Literacy will consider the differences between oral and written transmissions, as well as their interactions. When knowledge crosses cultural and linguistic boundaries, does it matter whether it is transmitted orally or in writing? Are written texts always less fluid than oral performances? How should we think about the different kinds of writing as methods of transmitting information, from the wax tablet to the monumental inscription?

The conference will include an excursion to Detroit and a session introducing Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) oral tradition and an opportunity to visit the University of Michigan's renowned papyrus collection.

Inquiries to rscodel@umich.edu.

THE BRITISH WORLD: RELIGION, MEMORY, CULTURE AND SOCIETY

University of Southern Queensland, 2-5 July 2012

Call for Papers

Proposals are now invited for 'The British World Conference', to be held at the University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, in conjunction with the Public Memory Research Centre and the Anglican Historical Society of Australia. The conference seeks to increase scholarly understandings of the religious and cultural adjustments that accompanied British political change and expansion.

This conference is an exciting regional and international opportunity for the convergence of scholars in a range of disciplines, from history, religious studies, literature, e-pedagogies, education, post-colonialism, anthropology, legal studies, sociology and indigenous studies. This conference will provide a stimulating forum for the latest research into a range of disciplines and will feature addresses by a number of internationally renowned plenaries.

Abstracts are welcome on any aspect of history and or place where the government, religion, people and cultures of the British Isles have been of influence. The time period is open and may extend from the medieval to the modern period. From a teaching perspective, the landscape in which we teach history has clearly changed over time. In recognition of such developments, under our 'Precious Past and Digital Future' stream, we invite papers which investigate the digital dimension of teaching history and religious studies.

We especially welcome paper proposals from early career researchers and postgraduates.

Plenaries

Christopher Haigh, New College, Oxford
Alison Wall, New College, Oxford
Peter Goodall, University of Southern Queensland
Lynette Olson, University of Sydney
Helen Farley, Australian Digital Futures Institute

Possible themes include (but are not limited to):

The British World

Precious Past and Digital Future

Abstracts of 250-300 words for a 20 minute paper should be sent to british.history@usq.edu.au by May 25 2012. Abstracts should be accompanied by a brief (100 word) CV of the presenter.

For the registration form (including early bird rates) please see http://www.usq.edu.au/oac/Research/bwc.

Digital Futures: A particular dimension of this conference will include the digital future of British studies and will include workshops on the use of Second Life technologies in teaching history and religious studies. A plenary address by Dr Helen Farley and expert workshops on Second Life resources will be a feature of this conference.

Proceedings: Prospective contributors are invited to submit a written version of their paper for review for inclusion in the conference proceedings, which will be e-published. For guidance on length, format and style, please go to http://www.usq.edu.au/oac/Research/bwc.

Contact details:

Web site: http://www.usq.edu.au/oac/Research/bwc

Please email us on: british.history@usq.edu.au

Written correspondence can be addressed to:
Dr Marcus Harmes Faculty of Arts Open Access College University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba Q 4350 Australia

A CONFERENCE ON OLYMPIC ATHLETES: ANCIENT AND MODERN

Friday-Sunday 6-8 July 2012, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia\

Papers are invited for a conference on 'Olympic Athletes: Ancient and Modern', which will be held at the University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia, from 6-8 July 2012.

The theme can be interpreted fairly broadly, but there is a particular desire to assemble papers which analyse the Olympic experience of athletes from the ancient and the modern games. What was/is special about Olympic competition and Olympic athletes? Who were/are the great Olympic athletes? Why?

All speaking slots will be 30 minutes in duration (20 for paper, 10 for questions). Please send offers of papers, plus a 100-word abstract, to the organizers by Friday 1 June 2012.

Further details will be available at http://www.uq.edu.au/hprc.

Anyone who would like to offer a paper or attend the conference should contact Tom Stevenson (t.stevenson@uq.edu.au) for the organizers.

LEEDS INTERNATIONAL MEDIEVAL CONGRESS 2012

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/ims/imc/imc2012_call.html

The nineteenth International Medieval Congress will take place in Leeds, from 9-12 July 2012.

HINCMAR OF RHEIMS AT IMC 2012

The nineteenth International Medieval Congress will take place in Leeds from 9-12 July 2012. We are hoping to put together several sessions on Hincmar, Archbishop of Rheims (845-882), whose text De Divortio Lotharii regis et Theutbergae reginae we are currently translating. Hincmar is a central figure for historians working in a great number of fields and to a great degree shapes our vision of the later Carolingian empire. However, though he and his writings have never been short of students, there has been no attempt to provide an overarching study since Devisse's book, published in 1976.

For further details please contact Dr Rachel Stone (magistra@hotmail.co.uk) or Dr Charles West (c.m.west@sheffield.ac.uk).

CONNECTIONS

The Australian Historical Association National Conference, 9-13 July 2012, University of Adelaide, South Australia.

http://www.theaha.org.au/connections/

We are interested in proposals for papers and panels exploring historical connections – past, present and future. The conference seeks to explore the myriad ways in which human societies have connected over past centuries and the ways these interactions in time, space and cultures inform present historical debate. We welcome papers from historians of all times and places.

Deadlines

Submission of Abstracts opens: January 23 2012
Registration opens: February 6 2012
Close Submission of Abstracts: March 30 2012
Notification to Abstract submitters: April 28 2012

Keynote Speaker

Professor Sir Christopher Bayly, Vere Harmsworth Professor of Imperial History, University of Cambridge. Author of The Birth of the Modern World: Global Connections and Comparisons 1780-1914 and most recently Recovering Liberties: Indian Thought in the Age of Liberalism and Empire.

EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS AT THE AHA CONFERENCE

The ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions, Europe 1100-1800 (CHE) invites proposals for relevant papers at the Australian Historical Association Conference (University of Adelaide, 9-13 July 2012).

Papers and panels relating to CHE’s research interests (see http://www.emotions.uwa.edu.au/) and which address the AHA conference theme of ‘Connections’ are welcomed, but need not be limited by the AHA theme.

We are particularly interested in new theoretical approaches to emotions in the past. Please submit abstracts of 300 words or panel proposals to the AHA Conference website (http://www.theaha.org.au/connections) by 30 March 2012.

Keynote Speaker

Dr David Lederer, Department of History, National University of Ireland, Maynooth. Dr Lederer’s work on madness and suicide is highly acclaimed, and he has also researched fear during the Thirty Years War and the history of despair in a transnational context.

Postgraduate and Honours Students

Please note that CHE will be offering a number of travel bursaries to students presenting papers on an emotions topic. Bursaries are not limited to papers on European history between 1100 and 1800, although preference will be given to those aligned with the Centre’s programs and timeframe. To apply for a travel bursary, please download the application form from the AHA conference website and send to Dr Tanya Tuffrey (tanya.tuffrey@uwa.edu.au).

Any queries about the Emotions strand at the AHA should be directed to Dr Claire Walker, ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions, School of History and Politics, The University of Adelaide (claire.i.walker@adelaide.edu.au).

AMPHORAE VI

Abstract submissions are invited for the second Annual Meeting of Postgraduates in Hellenic Or Roman Antiquities and Egyptology (AMPHORAE), to be held at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, from Wednesday 11 July until Friday 13 July 2012. This conference has run successfully for the last five years as AMPHORA I, II, III, IV and in 2011 as AMPHORA(E) V. AMPHORAE is a conference designed for Postgraduate and Honours students from Australia and New Zealand to interact and share their current work among peers in a friendly and stimulating environment. We also invite graduate students worldwide to submit an abstract.

The theme of this year's conference, "Continuity and Change: Identity in the Ancient World", is intended to accommodate research from (but not limited to) all of the fields of Classical Philology, Classical Art and Literature, Ancient History, Archaeology, Late Antiquity Studies and all other areas of Ancient World Studies. Abstracts addressing any interpretation of the topic are welcome.

Organisation is currently underway for a keynote speaker. Details will be available shortly on our web site, which will be up and running by the end of March.

Abstract submissions of 200-300 words for papers of 20 minutes duration are requested. Please send your submissions and a brief biography by Friday 1 June to amphoraevi@gmail.com. If you would like to attend the conference, but will not be presenting a paper, please inform us of your attendance, as well as any dietary requirements, by Monday June 11.

Conference registration is free but there will be a fee to attend the conference dinner on the Friday evening. If you are interested in attending the dinner, more details will be available shortly on our website. ASCS is providing a grant to allow for small bursaries to be available (upon application) for students who will be travelling from Australia or other parts of New Zealand.

For more information contact AMPHORAE VI at amphoraevi@gmail.com.

Brought to you by the Australasian Society for Classical Studies (http://www.ascs.org.au/) and the Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of Auckland, New Zealand.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF INTER-HUMAN RELATIONS AND THE RELATIONS WITH OTHER NATURAL BEINGS IN THE GLOBAL ERA

The International Association of Greek Philosophy (IAGP), the International Center Of Greek Philosophy & Culture and other academic and cultural institutions are pleased to announce the 24th International Conference of Philosophy.

The Conference will take place in the famous inland of Samos (Pythagorion-a sea-side resort in the Aegean) in Greece 15-25 July 2012.

The Conference intends to provide a broad forum for exploring crucial issues concerning the philosophy of inter-human relations and the relations to other beings in our age. This means that all legitimate fields of study and philosophical research are included in the scope of the conference, provided that the authors of conference papers concentrate on the main issues of the conference. We are particularly interested in all branches of philosophy and of course we pay special attention to academic research papers relevant to the burning moral issues and problems concerning inter-human bonding and other relations and our stance to the world at large in our global era.

The aim of the Conference is to open discourse and to promote the exchange of ideas on the following issues:

  1. Inquiry into the ontology of relations.
  2. Examination and assessment of theories and means regarding kinds of communication among persons, institutions and states (ancient and modern).
  3. Review and evaluation of theories (or conceptions) of friendship, love, eros agape and enmity (ancient and modern).
  4. Inquiry into theories that have (a) been put forth and implemented as bases for human bonding, (b) what conclusions can be drawn from these experiences and (c) to examine the influence of these concepts on such aspects of human intercourse and on social institutions such as community cohesiveness, communication, social dialogue, political change and stability and psychological well-being. (How do people get together at a time when individualism, alienation, loneliness and fragmentation are on the rise and how can the technological character of our global era help to bridge the gap or reinstate the real communication and bonding among people?)
  5. Investigation of the kind of relations that man has developed and adopted towards other beings in the world and evaluation of the results of these relations for humanity and the world itself in our global era.

For full information please see the First Circular which will be posted on our web sites: http://www.iagp.gr; http://www.hri.org/iagp/.

Contact person: Prof. Konstatine Boudouris, President of the Organizing Committee, kboud714@ppp.uoa.gr.

SOUTH ITALY, SICILY AND THE MEDITERRANEAN: CULTURAL INTERACTIONS

17-21 July 2012, La Trobe University

http://www.latrobe.edu.au/humanities/about/events/cultural-interactions-conference/

Hosted by the Centre for Greek Studies and the A.D. Trendall Centre for Ancient Mediterranean Studies at La Trobe University in Melbourne Australia, this conference will focus on the movement of people and interactions of culture in the region of Southern Italy and Sicily from antiquity until the present. The program will include exhibitions at the Hellenic Museum and the Museo Italiano of ancient Greek vases from Southern Italy and Sicily as well as other pieces from the collection of the Trendall Research Centre. It will also include a tour of the world-class resources held at the A.D. Trendall Centre for Ancient Mediterranean Studies at La Trobe University. The inter-disciplinary nature of this conference seeks to foster critical analysis of geographical and chronological interconnections in Southern Italy and Sicily. It is intended that consideration of cultural interaction, population movements, and changing religious and philosophical ideas over a period of approximately 3000 years will prompt scholarly discussion of continuity and change over time in this region of the Mediterranean.

Confirmed Keynote Speakers

Professor David Abulafia
Professorial Fellow of Gonville and Caius College and Professor of Mediterranean History at Cambridge University. Prof. Abulafia is the author of the recently published The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean. This book has been described as a ‘magnificent and quite stunningly compendious history of the Mediterranean' in the Observer and the Guardian.

Professor Roger Wilson
Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Empire and Director of the Centre for the Study of Ancient Sicily at the University of British Columbia. His Sicily under the Roman Empire was described as 'a monumental contribution to the archaeology and history of Sicily' by American Journal of Archaeology. His most recent excavation, the Kaukana project, has investigated a proto-Byzantine village on the south coast of Sicily.

Associate Professor Mia Fuller
Associate Professor of Italian Studies at the University of California, Berkely. Assoc. Prof. Fuller is the author of Moderns Abroad: Architecture, Cities, and Italian Imperialism. This book was described as 'a methodologically complex, richly illustrated and extremely well researched study' by European Quarterly.

Please submit abstracts no longer than 300 words to Sarah Midford at s.midford@latrobe.edu.au before 6 February 2012. Papers will be programmed into 30-minute timeslots and should be no longer than 20-minutes. 10-minutes will be scheduled for questions. Papers that focus on the region of Southern Italy and Sicily are invited from any discipline. Some themes may include, but are not limited to:

For more information please contact:
Sarah Midford, Centre for Greek Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe University
t: +61 3 9479 2355
e: s.midford@latrobe.edu.au

BYZANTIUM, ITS NEIGHBOURS AND ITS CULTURES: DIVERSITY AND INTERACTION

AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION FOR BYZANTINE STUDIES XVIITH BIENNIAL CONFERENCE

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~byzaus/conferences/17th2012/

20-21 July 2012, Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia

Our understanding of Byzantium's external and internal interactions has shifted significantly as a result of recent scholarship. The significance of this state to a millennium of developments throughout Eurasia has been examined; more importantly, the nature of contacts between Byzantium and its Eurasian neighbours has been reconceived. Models for understanding Byzantium's interactions with its neighbours have moved from imperial centre and periphery, to 'commonwealth', to 'overlapping circles', to parallel and mutual developments in political and cultural identity. The Byzantine millennium now seems more connected, by commerce, diplomacy and common cultural heritage, than before. Artefacts and ideologies were acquired, appropriated or mediated amongst Byzantium and its neighbours in the Latin West, southeastern and central Europe, Iran and Dar al-Islam; even prolonged conflict did not preclude exchanges and indeed sometimes sprang from shared developments. At the same time, what we think of as the distinctively Byzantine milieu of Constantinople also interacted with regional cultures that at various times formed part of its empire. Coptic and Syriac cultures in Late Antiquity, Latin and Arabic regions in later periods, displayed both ambivalence and engagement with the culture of Constantinople and with its imperial and ecclesiastical leaders. As with Byzantium's external connections, 'centre and periphery' models of internal interactions are giving way to more dynamic models seeing metropolis and regions as parts of broader, common developments. The conference aims to explore these developments.

Keynote Speaker:
Professor Jonathan Shepard, University of Cambridge, former Lecturer in History at the University of Cambridge, Fellow of Selwyn College and of Peterhouse; his major publications include inter alia: Jonathan Shepard and Simon Franklin, The Emergence of Rus, 750-1200 (1996), Jonathan Shepard and Simon Franklin (eds), Byzantine Diplomacy (1992), Jonathan Shepard, 'Byzantium's Overlapping Circles', Proceedings of the 21st International Congress of Byzantine Studies (2006), Jonathan Shepard (ed.), The Expansion of Orthodox Europe: Byzantium, the Balkans and Russia (2007), Jonathan Shepard (ed.), The Cambridge History of the Byzantine Empire c. 500-1492 (2008).

The Biennial General Meeting of the Association will be held during the conference.

Postgraduate and Post-doctoral Conference Bursaries

The AABS committee will give a limited number of bursaries of $500 each to postgraduate and postdoctoral members of AABS from outside Sydney who wish to present a paper. Please send an application letter with details of your circumstances along with your abstract to AABS2012@mq.edu.au.

Conference Organisers

Andrew Gillett
Danijel Dzino
Ken Parry

Email: AABS2012@mq.edu.au

This conference is sponsored by the Macquarie University Ancient Cultures Research Centre.

THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON PATRISTIC STUDIES

The First International Congress on Patristic Studies will be held in the city of San Juan in Argentina, from 8 to 10 August 2012, under the topic "Jesus Identity".

During Patristic times, Jesus as a person has raised not only feelings of devotion, but also questions about his identity, his message/ speech and his relation with the entire humanity. During the last decade of the last 20th and the first years of the present century, there are innumerable/countless works on Jesus de Nazaret and his historical and social environment. An approach to the first centuries of Christianity proves that the identity of Jesus can be dealt from a paradigm that considers the unity and diversity of perspectives. This pluridormity is verified in theological, philosophical, social and cultural levels, among others. As has been pointed out by different specialists, it has been the formulation of questions on the human and/or divine nature of Jesus and his message/speech what determined in general terms the division of different doctrinal trends and positions. The Congress aims to clarify and elucidate, through the analyses of different sources, the unity and diversity of theological, philosophical, historical, social, liturgical, artistic positions, etc. about the identity of Jesus in the Patristic times.

Deadline for abstracts is 13 April 2012.

For more information visit the Congress' web site: http://laidentidaddejesus.com/index.php/en/

RECEPTIONS: MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN CULTURAL APPROPRIATIONS

http://www.pmrg.arts.uwa.edu.au/2012_conference

UWA Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies & Perth Medieval and Renaissance Group XVIIIth Annual Conference, 17–18 August 2012, St Catherine’s College, The University of Western Australia, Perth

This conference will explore cultural appropriations in, by and of the medieval and early modern world, across a range of disciplines. Three sub-themes are envisaged. They are:

  1. The appropriation of earlier cultures by the medieval or early modern world;
  2. Cultural exchanges and frontier encounters within the medieval and early modern world; and
  3. The reception or appropriation of the medieval or early modern by later periods.

Within these fields, paper proposals on any relevant subject and from any relevant areas of study are welcome. Possible approaches and themes may include, but are not limited to:

Plenary Speakers

Professor David Konstan (Brown University)

Professor Jacqueline Van Gent (The University of Western Australia)

Associate Professor Louise D’Arcens (The University of Wollongong)

Call for Papers

Abstracts of c.300 words for 20-minute papers addressing one or more of the conference sub-themes are encouraged. The subthemes are:

  1. the appropriation of earlier cultures in the medieval or early modern world;
  2. cultural exchanges and frontier encounters within the medieval and early modern world; and/or
  3. the reception of the medieval or early modern world by later periods.

Proposals for panels are also welcome. Abstracts and a brief 2-3 sentence bio should be emailed to Andrew Lynch (andrew.lynch@uwa.edu.au) or Joanne McEwan (joanne.mcewan@uwa.edu.au) by 16 March 2012. Decisions will be made and notifications sent promptly thereafter.

Postgraduate Travel Bursaries

A limited number of bursaries are available on a competitive basis to honours students, postgraduate students and unwaged early career researchers who will be presenting papers at the conference. The bursaries are intended to partially reimburse costs associated with attending the Conference. Bursaries of up to AUS$500 may be awarded, on the basis that the applicant is

Please see the Bursary Application Form (a copy will be made available on the PMRG and CMEMS web sites) for more information, or to apply.

Public Lecture

A free public lecture by Professor David Konstan, sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Studies, will be presented on 16 August 2012. Please visit the IAS web site for more details.

Sponsors

The Perth Medieval and Renaissance Group

The UWA Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies

The Institute for Advanced Studies, The University of Western Australia

Enquiries

Please email Andrew Lynch (andrew.lynch@uwa.edu.au) or Joanne McEwan (joanne.mcewan@uwa.edu.au).

PASSAGES FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE MIDDLE AGES V

Infirmitas: Social and Cultural Approaches to Cure, Caring and Health

23-26 August 2012

University of Tampere, Finland
Department of History and Philosophy
Trivium Centre for Classical, Medieval and Renaissance Studies

The fifth international conference on Passages from Antiquity to the Middle Ages will focus on social and cultural approaches to health and illness, cure and caring and notions of ability and disability. These topics are of major importance for communities and societies both in Antiquity and during the Middle Ages, yet research is still fragmentary and more synthetic and interdisciplinary approaches are rare.

The registration fee is 100 € (post-graduate students: 50 €).For further information, please visit http://www.uta.fi/trivium/passages/ or contact the organizers by e-mailing to passages@uta.fi. The registration opens in November 2011.

Organizing Committee:
Prof. Christian Krötzl, Prof. Katariina Mustakallio, Dr. Sari Katajala-Peltomaa and Dr. Ville Vuolanto

PREMODERN CITY AS COMMUNITY

European Association for Urban History, 11th International Conference on Urban History Cities and Societies in Comparative Perspective, Prague, 29 August-1 September 2012.

http://www.eauh2012.com/

FOURTH BRITISH PATRISTICS CONFERENCE

The Fourth British Patristics Conference will be held at Exeter University (St. Luke's Campus) 5-7 September 2012.

http://humanities.exeter.ac.uk/research/conferences/patristics/

The aim of the conference is to foster the study of early Christianity broadly considered in its social, historical and theological context and to cultivate a community of scholars of the subject in Britain.  We particularly welcome participation by and applications for papers from current graduate students studying at British Universities.

We are delighted to announce that two plenary speakers have already been confirmed:
Sebastian Brock, formerly Reader in Syriac Studies, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford
Alastair Logan, Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Theology and Religion, University of Exeter.
The conference will begin after lunch on Wednesday 5th September and will close after lunch on Friday 7th September.

The call for papers is now open.
Please submit your proposal for a short paper (15-20 minutes long) to Morwenna Ludlow by 31 January 2012:
- preferably by email: britishpatristics@gmail.com
- or by post: Dr. Morwenna Ludlow
Department of Theology and Religion
University of Exeter
Amory Building, Rennes Drive
Exeter, Devon  EX4 4RJ.

The conference committee will select proposals and inform all applicants in mid-February.

Attendance is not formally restricted to those studying or working in the British Isles, although the committee will take the above aim of the conference into account when selecting papers from submitted proposals.  Please send queries about conference papers and proposals to Morwenna Ludlow at britishpatristics@gmail.com.

We look forward to receiving your proposal and to welcoming you to Exeter.

With best wishes on behalf of the Conference committee:
Morwenna Ludlow
Siam Bhayro
David Horrell
Alastair Logan
Stephen Mitchell

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH: LAW, POWER AND THE SOCIAL ORDER IN LATE ANTIQUITY

13-16 September 2012, Manchester, England

We welcome proposals for an international conference co-sponsored by the International Late Antiquity Network (ILAN) and the Constantine's Dream Project, University of Manchester and organized by Kate Cooper (Manchester) and Sebastian-Schmidt-Hofner (Heidelberg).

Deadline for proposals: 15 March 2012

Our conception of Roman justice has changed dramatically over the last few decades. There has been a decisive shift away from the constitutionally based paradigm, toward an idea of the administration of justice as a heuristic process through which Roman political elites soughtto rationalise and justify Roman power in the provinces. The conference 'Between Heaven and Earth: Law, Ideology and the Social Order in Late Antiquity' will assess the 'state of play' regarding the administration of Roman law from the Constitutio Antoniniana (212 CE) to the end of Antiquity. The extension of citizenship, the re-organization of provincial administration under Diocletian and the changing ideological frame-work underpinning the emperor's power each triggered significant developments.

The conference will consider problems including, but not limited to the following:

The format of the meeting will not be based exclusively on lectures. Rather, we envisage a mix of formats for generating discussion and exchanging expertise, including:

a) PRIMARY SOURCE MASTER-CLASS Contributors will pre-circulate key primary sources on a givien topic and lead or contribute to seminar-style discussion and/or evaluation of their significance.

b) HISTORIOGRAPHIC MASTER-CLASS Contributors will pre-circulate key secondary sources on a givien topic and will lead a seminar-style assessment and/or re-evaluation of their significance. The sources can either be 'landmark' publications or publications whose importance has been overlooked or misunderstood.

c) FIRST PERSON RETROSPECTIVE Contributors will offer a Powerpoint talk or a seminar-style discussion of pre-circulated material (or a combination): In this case you would offer an informal overview of one or more of your own previous publications (similar to the American Academy of Religion 'How My Mind Has Changed' series or the Torino Petersen seminars). Many scholars - and not only younger scholars! - will be intensely interested to hear 'from the horse's mouth' what is really at stake in key publications. This is especially true for publications that are not in one's own native language - sometimes a clearer understanding of the landscape or context of a scholar's work changes one's understanding dramatically.

d) OVERVIEW RETROPSPECTIVE involving a retrospective on a wider historiographical area.

e) ROUNDATABLE We welcome suggestions for plenary roundtables on key topics, along with suggestions of individuals who might contribute a five-minute ex verbal introduction of a pre-circulated handout.

f) LECTURE In order to make the most of the opportunity to exchange a deadline of 1 September is set for submission of lecture handouts. This will allow them to be pre-circulated to other conference participants at the same time as the ask to please plan to pre-circulate your hand.

Proposals should include a title, indication of source material to be discussed and a short paragraph describing the argument (in the case of lectures) or theme (in the case of other formats) Please feel free to indicate an interest in more than one format for the material and to get in touch with questions or suggestions! These should be addressed to Kate Cooper (kate.cooper@manchester.ac.uk) in the first instance.

MUSIC AND THEOLOGY IN THE EUROPEAN REFORMATIONS

KULeuven, House of Polyphony, 19–21 September 2012

Organised by the KULeuven Department of Musicology, the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies and the Alamire Foundation.

Theme:

This conference will bring together musicologists, theologians, biblical scholars and historians to promote interdisciplinary debate between these parallel areas of specialisation, focussed upon the musical and liturgical outcomes of the various strands of the Reformation of the sixteenth century: Lutheran, Calvinist, Catholic and Radical. Papers of 30 minutes’ length are invited on relevant topics. Themes include:

Invited speakers include:

The preferred language of the conference is English, but other languages will also be considered. A special session for doctoral students will also take place. A published volume of proceedings is planned. The conference will take place at the “House of Polyphony,” the new headquarters of the Alamire Foundation, Leuven. Registration, covering conference materials, light refreshments and admission to a concert, will be EUR 80 (free to students and members of KULeuven).

Abstracts should be sent to Grantley McDonald (grantley.mcdonald@arts.kuleuven.be) before 15 May 2012.

Local organising committee:

David Burn, KULeuven
Peter De Mey, KULeuven
Grantley McDonald, KULeuven
Joseph Verheyden, KULeuven

PAGANS AND CHRISTIANS IN LATE ANTIQUE ROME: INTERPRETING THE EVIDENCE

Rome, 20-21 September 2012, Palazzo Falconieri, Accademia dell'Ungheria, Via Giulia 1, Roma

An International Conference

Reading the fourth and fifth century Roman Empire in terms of the interactions of 'pagans' and 'Christians' has provided the leading paradigm for historical and theological discourse from late antiquity until the middle of the twentieth century when Andreas Alfoldi presented a Christian Constantine in conflict with a 'pagan' Rome.

This conflictual model has met with resistance as subsequent generations of scholars have uncovered new evidence that has led to new interpretive models to better understand the social, cultural and political changes in Rome. Emphases on assimilation, inculturation, and tolerance for multiculturalism have replaced conflict. Even the categories of interpretation -`pagan' and `Christian' - have been called into question as useful heuristic terms. It is time now for a new assessment of what we know about 'pagans' and `Christians' in late antique Rome.

This conference seeks to consider the religious roles, identities and the discourses of power after the battle at the Milvian Bridge opened the way for a new formulation of social and religious life in Rome. We propose to discuss new material and textual evidence for the survival of paganism and the expansion of Christianity in the fourth and fifth century city. New models for interpreting the complex evidences from the city will be considered along with shifting historical paradigms that bear on changing interpretations of fourth-fifth century Rome.

In an effort to facilitate a wide-ranging, interdisciplinary conversation, we encourage scholars working in any discipline - history, archaeology, art history, religious studies, classical studies - to submit abstracts for papers. The organizers are particularly interested in papers that focus on new material evidence, new interpretations of texts or new interpretive paradigms with which to approach the nature of relations between pagans and Christians in fourth and fifth century Rome. The proceedings of the conference will be published.

Participants whose papers are accepted for presentation will be offered accommodation in the Palazzo Falconieri and meals for the duration of the conference. We cannot, however, underwrite travel expenses.

Please send proposals of 400 words for 20-minute papers in English by 15 April 2012 to saghym@ceu.hu.

ANCIENT LITERARY AND VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THE ROMAN CIVIL WARS OF THE 40S AND 30S BCE

Over recent years there has been a gradual renewal of interest in the events that led to the fall of the Roman Republic and the establishment of the Principate.  This interest has involved not only the traditional study of the course of events, but also the literary representations of this political and socio-economic revolution.  There has been a fundamental re-evaluation of the literary production of Vergil and his contemporaries, the rediscovery of Caesar as both author and statesman and a new appreciation of the evidence offered by Appian.

An international workshop will take place in Margherita di Savoia on 21-23 September 2012.  Situated upon the Adriatic coastline of Puglia, the venue offers the chance to consider and discuss the events that happened 2,000 years ago as they were reflected by the ancients themselves. At this very spot large armies continuously crossed, or attempted to cross, from the Italian peninsula to Greece or vice versa.  Three days of round-table discussions will be accompanied by public gatherings in the evening and excursions to nearby archaeological sites.  The workshop will involve scholars specialising in Classics and Ancient History and aims to appeal to relatively young scholars and be internationally representative.

Key-note speakers will include Kathryn Welch (Sydney), Ida Östenberg (Gothenburg), Jonathan Price (Tel Aviv), Christopher Smith (Rome) and Anton Powell (Swansea).

It is to be expected that many participants will be younger, emerging scholars. Colleagues are invited to submit an abstract of 300-400 words and a one-page CV by 31 March 2012.

Any ancient literary or visual representation of the Roman civil wars of the 40s and 30s BCE is welcome.

Some suggestions of topics to consider are the following:
1) The Civil Wars in Latin and Greek poetry, as a theme and in implicit allusions
2) Representation of battle-scenes across genres and media
3) Employment of special images and unique vocabulary in descriptions of the Civil Wars
4) The Civil Wars in the world of Greek Imperial authors
5) Analogies between the transitional period from Republic to Principate and other periods in Greek and Roman history

Please send your abstracts to the organizers, Eran Almagor (almagore@bgu.ac.il) and Richard Westall (westall@unigre.it).

RELATIONS BETWEEN BALKANS AND ASIA MINOR, FROM THE CLASSICAL TIMES UNTIL THE BYZANTINE PERIOD (VTH CENTURY B.C –VTH CENTURY A.D.)

5th Annual Conference of the Metropolitan Library of Bucharest, Mamaia (Rumania), September 23-26 2012, Section IVc.

The relations of the complex network of peoples, kingdoms and cities of the Balkan with its neighbouring regions, particularly with the Anatolian world, find their beginnings in the mythical world of the Trojan War, bringing together kings and peoples coming from various and remote lands and islands, like the Greek Odysseus or Thracian Rhessus (not to mention the Ethiopian Memnon). The later course of historical realities will not cease to bring together time and again these regions of the ancient world, through the movements of the merchants and the mercenaries, the ambassadors or the intellectuals, reaching a sort of climax with the exercises of unification attempted or succeeded by the Greek and Macedonian armies, culminating with the melting pot that was the Roman army, from the classical time until the beginning of the Byzantine age (Vth century B:C. – Vth century A.D.)

The various forms of these relations and the exchanges which accompanied them can inform us about the relationship between the peoples and the kingdoms of Balkans with the Anatolian world, which are better known to the modern historian. These relations, sometimes warlike, sometimes peaceful, are conceived at various levels: that of the conflict, the conquest and the plundering raids, that of the integration of the Balkan warrior communities in the Greek, Macedonian and then Roman armies, but also by the way of the exchanges, albeit economic and cultural. Several times, the people of Balkans got involved in the conflicts of the Mediterranean world, either because they resisted either because they were integrated in the structures of an empire of one (Great) King (who may have been Achaemenid, Macedonian or Roman), or by providing mercenaries (making their way from East towards the West, as in the times of Mithridate Eupator, or from the West in the East, as in times of Alexander the Great or of the Roman Empire).

As such, this section invites papers focusing on the research related to literary, numismatic, epigraphical and archaeological sources in position to bring new information on the relations between the Balkans and Asia Minor, from the Classical Age until the beginning of the Byzantine period (Vth century B:C. – Vth century A.D.), with a particular focus on the transfers of men and riches, but also on the alliances and the balance of power.

The proposals papers should not exceed 500 words, in French or English (the languages of the Proceedings of Conference of the Metropolitan Library of Bucharest), and will be expected before May 31 2012. Please contact section convener Dr Adrian Dumitru from University of Bucharest on seleukosnikator@yahoo.com for all details.

POPULAR & ELITE: RELIGIOUS PRACTICES IN LATE ANTIQUITY

XXI Finnish Symposium on Late Antiquity, Tvärminne, Finland, 12-13 October, 2012

The XXI Finnish Symposium on Late Antiquity will be organized on October 12-13 2012. The aim of the symposium is to bring together students and scholars with an interest in Late Antiquity from a variety of universities and disciplines. This year we explore broadly the interaction between popular and elite religious practices in Late Antiquity, but suggestions for papers dealing with other topics will also be considered. Our main aim is to stimulate interdisciplinary dialogue between philology, archaeology, history, theology, art history and other disciplines that deal with Late Antiquity. Geographically, the focus of the symposium is on the Mediterranean world.

The symposium will be organized in the premises of a zoological research station operated by the University of Helsinki at a beautiful location at Tvärminne on the southern coast of Finland (http://luoto.tvarminne.helsinki.fi/english). It is organized by Classical Philology (Department of World Cultures, University of Helsinki) together with an interdisciplinary organizing committee (see below).

This year's symposium features three specially invited speakers:

Guy Stroumsa (Oriental Institute, University of Oxford/The Hebrew University of Jerusalem): 'Reading practices in early Christianity and the individualization process'. Prof. Guy Stroumsa is the specialist of intellectual and cultural history of ancient religions, especially early Christianity with a focus on esoteric traditions. He has published e.g. Hidden Wisdom: Esoteric Traditions and the Roots of Christian Mysticism (1996), Barbarian Philosophy: The Religious Revolution of Early Christianity (1999) and La fin du sacrifice: Mutations religieuses de l'antiquité tardive (2005, in English The End of Sacrifice: Religious Transformations of Late Antiquity (2009).

Sarah Stroumsa (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem): 'Mass education and elite formation: the Almohad version'. Prof. Sarah Stroumsa is the specialist of ancient and medieval Jewish and Islamic philosophies. She has published e.g. Maimonides in his World: Portrait of a Mediterranean Thinker (2009) and Freethinkers of Medieval Islam: Ibn al-Rawandi, Abu Bakr al-Razi, and Their Impact on Islamic Thought (1999).

Reidar Aasgaard (University of Oslo): 'Childhoods A.D. 400: Three saints on Christian upbringing'. Prof. Aasgaard is the specialist of ancient religions, esp. Christianity and the history of childhood. Among his publications are The Childhood of Jesus: Decoding the Apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas, Eugene (2009) and My beloved brothers and sisters! Christian Siblingship in Paul (2004).

There is space for a maximum of eight more papers. If you wish to deliver a paper, please send a short abstract (of less than 300 words) by June 1 2012 to Dr. Ville Vuolanto (ville.vuolanto@uta.fi). Applicants will be informed by late June whether they have been accepted. We have reserved 30 minutes for each presentation, including discussion following the paper. Therefore we recommend limiting the papers to 15 minutes.

The seminar is free. We will offer transportation from Helsinki to Tvärminne and back, as well as accommodation, meals, coffee and sauna at Tvärminne. However, we are not able to cover the costs for travelling to Helsinki first, or accommodation there. Registration for the conference will start August 15 2012.

The Finnish Symposium on Late Antiquity is organized annually since 1992. It started as a Finnish-language seminar for postgraduate students. However, over the years more and more papers were presented by established scholars. Moreover, in many years a few well-known scholars were invited from abroad and the language of the symposium was changed to English, thus making it more and more international. This year, for the second time, we do not only have a few specially invited guests from abroad but we invite suggestions for papers from anyone who is interested. In keeping with the symposium's traditions, we encourage not only senior but also junior scholars and postgraduate students to participate.

The organizing committee:
Maijastina Kahlos (Classics, University of Helsinki)
Ulla Tervahauta (Biblical Studies, University of Helsinki)
Ville Vuolanto (History, University of Tampere)

THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF LATE ANTIQUE AND BYZANTINE CYPRUS (4TH–12TH CENTURIES AD): RECENT RESEARCH AND NEW DISCOVERIES

Nicosia, October 19-21, 2012

Call for Papers

A number of conferences and exhibitions organised in 2011 or planned for 2012 - the latter meant to celebrate Cyprus's accession to the Presidency of the EU Council in the second semester of that year - share a focus on the history, art and culture of Byzantine and Medieval Cyprus (4th-16th centuries AD). The proposed conference, as the title makes apparent, adopts a more targeted approach by narrowing its focal point on the archaeology of Late Antique and Byzantine Cyprus, from the 4th up to the 12th centuries AD. As such, it may be viewed as a sequel to the successful international colloquium "Chypre à l'époque hellénistique et impériale: recherches récentes et nouvelles découvertes" organised in Paris in September 2009 by the Centre d'Études Chypriotes, the UMR ArScAn (CNRS, Université de Paris I, Université de Paris Ouest) and the University of Cyprus, the proceedings of which have already been published in the Cahiers du Centre d'Études Chypriotes 39 (2009).

This conference aims to serve as an international scientific forum for archaeologists and other researchers to present, in some cases for the first time, the results of their recent work. This could include archaeological excavations and field surveys, analyses of archaeological data using new analytical techniques and methodological tools and new research projects on various aspects of the culture of Late Antique and Byzantine Cyprus, from architecture, painting and epigraphy to ceramics and numismatics. Contributions dealing with the period from the 7th century up to the 12th would be particularly welcome, considering the many grievous gaps in our knowledge and understanding of the material culture of the island following the end of Late Antiquity.

We plan a three-day event, with individual contributions up to 20 minutes in length. The conference will take place at Nicosia between the 19th and the 21st of October 2012. There is no registration fee.

Prospective speakers are invited to submit a title and a 500-word abstract for consideration electronically by January 15 2012. Please send all materials and address all queries to Demetrios Michaelides (d.michaelides@ucy.ac.cy) and Maria Parani (mparani@ucy.ac.cy).

The Organizing and Scientific Committee:

Prof. Demetrios Michaelides,
Director of Archaeological Research Unit

Assist. Prof. Maria Parani
Department of History and Archaeology
Maria Parani, D.Phil.
Assistant Professor in Byzantine Art and Archaeology
University of Cyprus
Department of History and Archaeology/Archaeological Research Unit
P.O. Box 20537, Nicosia 1678, Cyprus
Tel.: +357 22893565. Fax: +357 22674101

AN END TO UNITY? EAST AND WEST IN THE FOURTH CENTURY

The fourth century was a pivotal age in the history of the Roman Empire, an age of transition: New residencies of imperial power emerged in both West and East, with Constantinople as upcoming principal court and stage for imperial triumphs and celebrations. The attitude of the emperors towards Christianity changed from proscription to prescription, though religious belief and practice - Christian as well as traditional - were still diverse. Rome's ever-growing status as the Christian city culminated in its claim for primacy over other sees in the early 380s. The political division between East and West after the death of Theodosius I, in 395, would, in retrospect, be a definitive end to administrative unity.

The concepts of concordia and discordia pervade late-antique textual and visual as well as material sources. Romans developed and exploited these notions with fairly different (geo-)political, religious, geographical and social ambitions in mind: some strove for unity within the empire, others pursued unity within Christianity. There were advocates for unity among "real" Romans opposed to threatening "barbarians" and agents for (a cultural) unity within the senatorial aristocracy. And there were those who rejected these initiatives for uniformity and opted for separation: the split of the empire in 395 was final, but it was certainly not the first division. Besides occasional geographical separate entities, the Latin-speaking West and the Greek-oriented East had been polarized in intellectual and theological matters. From a religious perspective, Christian and traditional groups rejected or extricated themselves from the binding Christian doctrine, some going underground as "heretics", others as monks dwelling in isolated places. At the same time, traditional cults still persisted or revived, of which Mithraism is but one example.

In all cases, people used the concepts of unity and discord in constructing their identity. As a result, the Roman Empire in late antiquity was - maybe more than other periods in its history - characterised by its many identities and different groups trying to control the empire.

This conference seeks to explore the degree of unity and discord between East and West in the fourth century from different angles. Therefore we invite scholars of all fields working on Late Antiquity to present their views on the topic. Our hope is that this meeting will prompt a dynamic interchange among scholars with a focus on ancient history, literature, archaeology, architecture, religion, law and philosophy, (but also on) cultural memory and identity building. Comparisons of political, social or cultural phenomena in the Eastern and Western part of the Empire are as much appreciated as papers which discuss fourth century views on unity (or separation). With this conference, we hope to deepen our understanding of the complexities of unity and discord in the late Roman empire.

Practicalities

Organisation: drs. Roald Dijkstra and drs. Sanne van Poppel, Radboud University Nijmegen
Location: Radboud University Nijmegen (the Netherlands)
Date: 24-26 October 2012

Papers are accepted in English, German or French (30 minutes length).

Abstract (500 words) should be sent in before 1 May 2012 to unity@let.ru.nl.
15 May at the latest, you will be informed about your admission to the conference. For further questions, please mail to the address mentioned above.

The conference opens with a keynote lecture by Prof. Dr. David Potter (University of Michigan) on the 24th, followed by a reception, for both of which everyone is cordially invited. There will be an optional dinner afterwards (on own expenses). Confirmed speakers are offered hotel accommodation for two nights (24 & 25 October) and conference meals (breakfast, lunch and refreshments; dinner on the 25th). Given our restricted budget, we kindly ask participants to declare travel expenses at their own institution.

Confirmed Speakers

Dr. Jan Willem Drijvers (University of Groningen) - tba
Prof. Dr. Christian Gnilka em. (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster) - "Die Reichsidee des Prudentius"
Prof. Dr. Mark Humphries (Swansea University) - "The Centre and the Centrifuge: Imperial Unity and Civil War in the Fourth Century"
Prof. Dr. Hervé Inglebert (Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense) - "Concordia, Romania et Ecclesia catholica : les discours de l'unité romaine au IVe siècle"
Prof. Dr. David Potter (University of Michigan) - "Can we measure the might of Rome?"
Dr. Alexander Skinner (Cardiff University) - "Aristocrats and Imperial Service: Observations on an East-West Contrast"
Prof. dr. Paul Stephenson (Radboud University Nijmegen) - tba

Chairs
Prof. Dr. Sible de Blaauw (Radboud University Nijmegen)
Prof. Dr. Bas ter Haar Romeny (Leiden University)
D r. Daniëlle Slootjes (Radboud University Nijmegen)

UNISA 13TH CLASSICS COLLOQUIUM: ANCIENT ROUTES TO HAPPINESS

25-27 October 2012

Proposals are hereby solicited for papers on the conference theme. The theme is deliberately formulated in broad terms so as to encourage a wide range of approaches to and perspectives on ancient 'happiness' and variants. Apart from the obvious importance of eudaimonia as philosophical telos, the organising committee is interested in treatments of and assumptions regarding happiness in other sources from antiquity: religious, literary, historiographical, medical, epigraphical, etc. The Classics Colloquium focuses on Greco-Roman antiquity, but contributions from other ancient cultures are also welcome.

Please submit titles and abstracts of approximately 300 words to Philip Bosman at bosmapr@unisa.ac.za as soon as possible but by the end of May 2012 at the latest.

The Unisa Classics Colloquium is hosted annually by the Department of Classics and World Languages at the University of South Africa, Pretoria.

More on the conference

Convening in 2012 for the 13th time, the Unisa Classics Colloquium combines stimulating scholarship with a pleasant and intimate atmosphere. Over two and a half days, approximately 16 scholarly contributions from around the world are to be presented. The 50-minute slots provide ample time for discussion and valuable feedback. Parallel sessions are avoided in order to promote unity of focus in the conference, and delegates get to know each other properly.

Venue: The Muckleneuk Campus of the University of South Africa (UNISA) in Pretoria.

Dates: 25-27 October 2012.

We start on a Thursday morning, meaning that participants should arrive in Pretoria on the 24th at the latest and only book a flight out from the afternoon of the 27th, but preferably later.

Programme

A preliminary programme will be compiled from the received proposals and will be published on the Departmental web site after the final date for submissions. Previous conference programmes may be viewed at

http://www.unisa.ac.za/Default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=18743.

Conference Fee

More detail on the conference fee will follow at a later stage. As an indication, the 2010 conference fee was $150, inclusive of transport and meals during the conference. Postgraduates, other students and interested parties not able to claim back conference fees from their institutions should please contact the organizers for a discount.

Accommodation

During past conferences, guests stayed at the Brooklyn Guest Houses (http://www.brooklynguesthouses.co.za/) situated in a leafy suburb close to Unisa, the University of Pretoria, and the Brooklyn, Hillcrest and Hatfield shopping centres. A discounted group booking for delegates is negotiated.

Excursions

We plan excursions to the Winex wine festival in Sandton (Johannesburg) (http://www.sa-venues.com/events/gauteng/winex-wine-festival/) and after the conference (the 28th) to the Pilanesberg Game Reserve (http://pilanesberg-game-reserve.co.za/).

Publication of papers

Depending on quality, a collection of articles on the colloquium theme is envisaged. Submitted papers are subject to a refereeing process. If you would consider submitting your paper for publication, please indicate that to us via return mail for further guidelines on style.

SHAKESPEARE AND EMOTIONS

The 11th Biennial International Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Shakespeare Association in collaboration with the ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions

27–30 November 2012 The University of Western Australia Perth, Western Australia

Keynote speakers include Farah Karim-Cooper (Shakespeare’s Globe London), Philippa Kelly (California Shakespeare Theater and UNSW), and Steven Mullaney (University of Michigan). Additional keynote speakers are to be announced.

The study of emotions in history, literature, and other aspects of culture is a burgeoning field, and Shakespeare takes a very central and influential place. The conveners invite papers on any aspect of the ways in which Shakespeare and/or his contemporaries represented emotions in poetry, drama, and other works, and/or how these representations have been received by audiences and readers from the sixteenth century to the present day.

There are paradoxes to be explored — how ‘the bodily turn’ of physiological influence on emotions could in turn generate more modern models of inner consciousness alone; how concepts rooted historically in Elizabethan and Jacobean England could be adapted to fit the philosophies and concepts of later ages, through eighteenth-century literature of sensibility, nineteenth-century and Darwinian approaches, twentieth-century psychologism stimulated by Freud, and a host of others. Did Shakespeare tap into a ‘collective unconscious’ of ‘universal’ stories, or did he arbitrarily choose stories to dramatise which his affective eloquence incorporated into world literature? Why have his works proved so durable in their emotional power, both in themselves and adaptations into other media such as opera, music, film and dance? Equal attention is invited to plays in performance and in ‘closet’ critical readings, as well as textual studies and adaptations.

The New Fortune Theatre, built in 1964 to the exact dimensions of The Fortune playhouse that rivaled Shakespeare’s Globe in seventeenth-century London, will be available for original practice performances, open rehearsals, and stage-based research papers, etc. If you wish your presentation to be considered for a Performance Workshop on the New Fortune stage, please indicate this clearly in your title.

Abstracts of c.200 words should be submitted for consideration to conference@anzsa.org, addressed to Bob White, Chris Wortham, Danijela Kambaskovic-Sawers, Mark Houlahan and Brett D. Hirsch. Abstracts should be received by 1 July 2012.

Please bear in mind that although our venues have full capability for Powerpoint presentations and projecting files from your computers, wireless Internet reception is in some rooms unavailable. If you will need Internet access for your presentation, please make this clear in your abstract to allow us to programme accordingly.

For more details about the conference, visit http://conference.anzsa.org/.

THE RESEARCH OF FORTIFICATIONS IN ANTIQUITY

A conference on the Research of Fortifications in Antiquity is to be held at the Danish Institute in Athens, 6-9 December 2012.

For enquiries and further information see http://www.fokusfortifikation.de/.

ISLAMIC AND ARABIC RECEPTIONS OF CLASSICAL LITERATURE

Sponsored by the APA Committee on Classical Tradition and Reception

The American Philological Association's Committee on Classical Tradition and Reception invites submissions for a panel to be held at the 2013 annual meeting of the APA in Seattle, Washington, 3-6 January 2013 on the topic of "Islamic and Arabic Receptions of Classical Literature".

We seek contributions which examine the Arabic translation of Greek literature as an active process of creative production, not simply as a vehicle for preserving and transmitting lost (or better) witnesses of classical texts. Such a perspective has been most forcefully and persuasively championed over the past two decades by A. I. Sabra and Dimitri Gutas, both insisting that any properly historical treatment of the Arabic reception of Greek texts must take into account the precise contexts informing the conscious appropriation and adaptation of ancient works for specific constituencies and audiences. At the same time, we encourage papers that question the role played by Islam in this process, that is the degree to which "Islam " as such can explain the selection, rejection and/or modification of Classical material by Arabic translators. We hope that the panel will underline the need for an essentially contextual, i.e. historical, approach to classical receptions and will offer implications for understanding other cultural receptions as well.

Proposals for papers taking no more than twenty minutes to deliver should be sent via email attachment (in Word or Open Office format) to Dr. Paul Kimball (pkimball@bilkent.edu.tr) no later than January 15 2012. Please follow the program committee's suggestions for preparing individual abstracts as specified in the APA Program Guide. APA membership is normally required to participate and must be verified before proposals are considered. However, waivers may be granted to scholars residing outside North America or working in allied fields such as Islamic history or Arabic studies. All submissions will be subject to double-blind review by two referees and the panel as a whole evaluated by the APA Program Committee before notification of final acceptance.

LATIN TRANSLATIONS IN LATE ANTIQUITY AND THE MIDDLE AGES

Organizer: Bret Mulligan, Haverford College

Sponsored by the Medieval Latin Studies Group

The Medieval Latin Studies Group invites proposals for papers on the translation of texts into Latin in the post-Classical period for a panel to be held at the 2013 annual meeting of the APA in Seattle, Washington, 3-6 January 2013.

In recent years, the study of translation has emerged as a vital area of scholarly and critical inquiry across different disciplines. In our field, translation has come to be recognized not only as an important component of the study and reception of Latin literature, but also as an essential and continuing characteristic of Latin literature itself. For this panel we welcome submissions on translators from late antiquity or the medieval period and on any Latin text from this period that is a translation, whether broadly or narrowly defined. Both close analyses of translated texts (for example, a reading of the Latin translation of a Greek epigram that illuminates the translational technique of a particular author) and more theoretically-inclined explorations of ancient translators and of modes of translation (for example, the strategies of translation for non-elite audiences) are encouraged.

One-page abstracts of papers requiring no more than 20 minutes to deliver should be submitted by February 1, 2012, preferably via email attachment to bmulliga@haverford.edu or via surface mail to Bret Mulligan, Hall Building, Haverford College, Haverford, PA 19041. Abstracts will be judged anonymously. Membership in the Medieval Latin Studies Group is not required to submit an abstract.

For more information, please contact the panel organizer, Bret Mulligan, at bmulliga@haverford.edu.

LETTERS IN LATE ANTIQUITY

Organizer:  Noel Lenski, University of Colorado at Boulder

Sponsored by the Society for Late Antiquity

The Society for Late Antiquity invites proposals for papers on the translation of texts into Latin in the post-Classical period for a panel to be held at the 2013 annual meeting of the APA in Seattle, Washington, 3-6 January 2013.

We are fortunate to have more letters and letter collections from Late Antiquity than from the rest of Greco-Roman antiquity combined. These offer a wealth of information on personal relations, social history, the history of the family, political alliances, religious concerns and daily life. Additionally, late antique letters open a broad window onto the literary concerns of authors and their world, reflecting as they do the power this genre exerted over the formation of literary personae and their performance on the cultural stage. Despite this vast wealth of material, it has only begun to receive the attention it deserves in the last decade, which has seen an burgeoning of new studies on epistolography.

The 2013 panel of the Society for Late Antiquity will be devoted to the subject of epistles in all of their manifestations, Latin and Greek (as well as Coptic and Syriac), prose and verse, religious and secular, literary and bureaucratic, textual and epigraphic. It seeks to explore why this form of expression suited the late antique world so well and to explore the research avenues opened up by the letters we have. Questions might include: What constituted a literary epistle? To what earlier traditions of epistolography do Late Antique authors appeal? Why do late antique authors choose so often to express themselves in this genre? In what way do late antique letters differ from those of earlier periods? How were letters transported and exchanged? To what extent did the collapse of territorial integrity in the Roman world affect the transmission of letters? What do letters reflect about social relations and patronage networks? How were letters used as instruments of power by their authors, be they estate holders, bishops, sophists, or emperors? How was the composition, transmission, receipt and collection of letters used as a method for self-expression and self-assertion?

We invite the submission of abstracts offering new approaches to these problems. One-page abstracts (ca. 500 words) for papers requiring a maximum of 20 minutes to deliver should be sent no later than February 1, 2012 by email attachment as .doc or .rtf files to Noel Lenski at lenski@colorado.edu. Please follow the APA's instructions for the format of individual abstracts. All submissions will be judged anonymously by two referees. Those whose papers are accepted must be members of the APA by March 1, 2012 and must attend the 2013 meeting in Seattle. For further information, please contact Noel Lenski, Department of Classics, University of Colorado at Boulder at the email address above.

Further details.

ASCS 34 CONFERENCE 2013

Conference web site

The 34th annual conference of the Australasian Society for Classical Studies will be held from Friday 18 January to Sunday 20 January 2013.

ASCS members will have the opportunity to attend the one-day conference Alexander the Great and his Successors: The Art of King and Court on Thursday 17 January. The one-day conference is being held in conjunction with the Australia Museum's exhibition Alexander the Great: 2000 Years of Treasures, a selection from the collection of The State Hermitage, St Petersburg.

Conference Convenors
Associate Professor Kenneth Sheedy, Australian Centre for Numismatics Studies, Macquarie University, ken.sheedy@mq.edu.au
Dr Blanche Menadier, Department of International Studies, Macquarie University, Blanche.menadier@mq.edu.au

Please contact either Ken or Blanche with further enquiries.

Venue
The main venue is Sydney Grammar School, Darlinghurst. Sydney Grammar School is located next to The Australia Museum which is running the exhibition.

Keynote Speakers
Dr Anna Trofimova, Head of the Antiquities Department, State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg
Prof. Andrew Stewart, Professor of Greek Art, History of Art Department , University of California, Berkeley
Prof. Robin Lane Fox, Reader in Ancient History, New College, University of Oxford

Offers of Papers
The deadline for the offer of papers is Friday 31 August, 2012.

Conference Dinner
The Conference Dinner will be held on the evening of Friday 18 January at Macquarie University.

CULTURES IN TRANSLATION

http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/history/conferences/anzamems-2013/

The Australian and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies Ninth Biennial International Conference, 12-16 February 2013, Monash University, Caulfield Campus, Melbourne, Australia.

The conference seeks to explore the many varieties of translation at work in medieval and early modern studies. We invite papers which deal with diversity and change in areas such as language, culture, religion, space. We are interested in exploring both how medieval and early modern cultures understood translation and how modern scholars make disciplinary, linguistic and social translations in their work. We encourage papers on these themes (and others pertaining to medieval and early modern studies) and papers from postgraduate students and early career researchers are especially welcome.

Keynote Speakers:
Chris Baswell, Columbia University
Anne Dunlop, Tulane University
John Najemy, Cornell University
Charles Zika, University of Melbourne

Full details including paper proposal submissions on the web site.

Abstract submission dates: for early acceptance: May 1 2012; final deadline: September 1 2012

SHIFTING FRONTIERS IN LATE ANTIQUITY X: THE TRANSFORMATION OF LITERARY AND MATERIAL GENRES IN LATE ANTIQUITY

The tenth biennial Shifting Frontiers in Late Antiquity conference will take place at the University of Ottawa, Canada, 21-24 March 2013. The period of Late Antiquity (A.D. 200-700) witnessed great cultural changes on a number of levels, e.g. in the emergence of new literary genres (such as hagiography) or of new building types (such as churches) or of new objects of art (consular diptychs).

The aim of the conference is to explore what exactly these changes were and how and why they came about: were they the consequence of long-term trends or developments? Or were they rather the result of external factors, the products of what was once termed 'an age of anxiety'? We hope to receive proposals of papers concerning the many genres that came into being or were transformed during the period, whether they be literary genres, such as panegyric, rhetoric, historiography, chronicles, poetry, epistolography and hagiography, or material genres, such as architecture, epigraphy and numismatics. The term 'genre' is thus interpreted broadly and papers that bring together several genres to address this issue, e.g. to consider Procopius' Buildings both as panegyric and as a source on images of the city in Late Antiquity, or to consider the portrayal of saints in both hagiographies and artistic representations, are particularly welcome.

Two keynote speakers will be taking part in the conference: Professor John Matthews of Yale University (U.S.A.) and Professor Pierre-Louis Malosse, Université Paul-Valéry, Montpelier (France).

The deadline for proposals is 15 November 2012. Abstracts should be 200-300 words in length. Papers may be in English or French. Proposals from graduate students are welcome, but they should indicate on their submission whether they have discussed their proposal with their supervisor or not. Please note that the submission of an abstract carries with it a commitment to attend the conference should the abstract be accepted.

For further details on the conference see http://www.scapat.ca/frontieres/.

Proposals should be sent to shiftingfrontiersx@gmail.com.

48TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON MEDIEVAL STUDIES

http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/

The 48th International Congress on Medieval Studies takes place 9-12 May 2013 at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo.

GREEK MYTHS ON THE MAP

The Sixth Bristol Myth Conference, 31 July–2 August 2013

Greek myths were inextricably connected to the physical environments in which they were set. This connection is strikingly evident in the use of myths to explain and communicate the significance of physical and human geography. Polybius boldly asserts that "in the present day, now that all places have become accessible by land or sea, it is no longer appropriate to use poets and writers of myth as witnesses of the unknown" (4.40.2). Yet mythology was never entirely banished: myths were incorporated into geographical descriptions throughout antiquity and across a broad spectrum of genres, even as activities such as exploration, conquest and scientific endeavour altered how the world was understood and perceived.

This conference will examine the various practical and conceptual roles Greek mythology played in attempts to describe, represent and explain the physical and human geography of the ancient world.

We invite proposals for papers on topics related to this theme. Questions that papers might address include: What motivates writers to incorporate mythical narratives into geographical descriptions? What can myths communicate about the environment that purely geographical description cannot? Do diverse and changing perceptions of the physical world affect the ways in which stories about the mythological past are told? How do mythical geographies relate to physical and conceptual geographies? In what ways do political, religious or social forces impact on the interplay between mythical and geographical thought?

Please send abstracts (c. 250 words) for proposed 25-minute papers to clasmyth-conference@bristol.ac.uk by Monday 17 September 2012. Informal enquiries may be addressed to the conference organizers, Jessica Priestley and Greta Hawes, at the same email address.

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