Author: Gavriil - Ioannis Boutziopoulos

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Call for Papers | Doctoral Seminar: Projecting Poetry

The TORCH Network Poetry in the Medieval World (University of Oxford) is delighted to introduce “Projecting Poetry”, an initiative designed to promote cross-disciplinary discussion, foster collaboration, and provide a platform for DPhil/PhD students engaged in research across various fields and working on medieval poetry. The goal is to create an opportunity to present ongoing research to a diverse audience of fellow students and seniors.

We invite submissions from DPhil/PhD students at an early stage of their programmes, conducting research in any field and working on poetry in any area and culture of the medieval world (chronological boundaries may be discussed with organisers); any methodological approach is welcome. We especially encourage submissions that aim to explore potential intersections between academic disciplines.

Submission Guidelines

  • Abstract: Please submit a 250-word abstract in English (PDF form) to ugo.mondini@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk, including the (working) research title, name, affiliation, and contact information.
  • Submission Deadline: Abstracts can be submitted any time during the academic year.
  • Extended Descriptions: If accepted, speakers should present a document in English (max. 1,500 words) and a title fifteen days before the seminar, with a more extensive description of their interests, research goals and, if they wish, of the challenges they face. This document will be shared with the seminar participants; therefore, it should be accessible to non-specialists.

Event Structure

  • Sessions will be organised online for non-Oxford students and in hybrid format during term time for Oxford participants.
  • Each speaker will have 20 minutes to present their research; a discussion follows. The event will be conducted in English.

Contact Information

For further information and inquiries, please get in touch with Ugo Mondini at ugo.mondini@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk.

Non-presenting seminar participants

If you want to take part in the seminars, both in person and online, please send an email to Ugo Mondini at ugo.mondini@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk with your name, affiliation, research interests, and contact information.

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Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture: Online Lecture: Byzantium as Europe’s Black Mirror

Online Lecture: Byzantium as Europe’s Black Mirror

The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture is pleased to announce the 2023–2024 edition of its annual lecture with the Harvard University Standing Committee on Medieval Studies.

Friday, February 16, 2024 | 12:00 PM EST | Zoom
Byzantium as Europe’s Black Mirror
Anthony Kaldellis, University of Chicago

In the course of its long self-fashioning, “the West” (later “Europe”) set itself off as a superior alternative to a number of imagined Others, including the infidel world of Islam, the primitive nature of the New World, and even its own regressive past, the Middle Ages. This lecture will explore the unique role that Byzantium played in this process. While it too was identified as the antithesis of an idealized Europe, this was done in a specific way with lasting consequences down to the present. Byzantium was constructed not to be fully an Other, but rather to function as an inversion of the Christian, Roman, and Hellenic ideals that Europe itself aspired to embody even as it appropriated those patrimonies from the eastern empire. It became Europe’s twin evil brother, its internal “Black Mirror.” Once we understand this dynamic, we can chart a new path forward for both scholarly and popular perceptions of the eastern empire that are no longer beholden to western anxieties.

Anthony Kaldellis is a Professor of Classics at the University of Chicago.

Advance registration required at https://maryjahariscenter.org/events/byzantium-as-europes-black-mirror

This lecture is co-sponsored by the Harvard University Standing Committee on Medieval Studies.

Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjcbac@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture with any questions.

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30th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA 2024) – CALL FOR PAPERS FOR SESSION #559

CALL FOR PAPERS FOR SESSION #559

THEME 6: THE MEDITERRANENAN FROM WITHIN

THE MEDITERRANEAN(S) IN TRANSITION: GLOBAL PERMANENCE(S), MATERIAL CULTURE(S),  AND RESILIENCE BETWEEN 5THAND 10TH CENTURY AD

The peoples and cultures of the Mediterranean are often compared on the basis of their geographical origin, whether Eastern or Western. Especially for the period between the 5th and 10th centuries, this comparison is mainly based on political distinctions and often ignores material aspects. But are identities around the mare nostrum really based on political boundaries, or should we seek regional specificities using different interpretative media? In particular, the distinction between the Western and Eastern Mediterranean appears to be particularly marked in the scholarly debate and attempts to bring together evidence from these “two worlds” are rare and not systematic.

The questions that arise then are: can we still speak of a single Mediterranean during Late Antiquity and Early Medieval times? Are East and West following completely different trajectories? Is it possible to compare their respective historical processes and material cultures? Or can some common features be identified, despite regional particularisms? Is trade global or does it mutate according to political factors affecting local identities? To this sense, different forms of resilience and adaptation and the potential development of one or more transitional cultures are fundamental interpretative keys.

In this Call for Papers, we invite scholars and archaeologists to bridge the scholarly division between East and West and present research focusing on material evidence from the 5th until the 10th century AD from all around the Mediterranean.

Organised by:

Nicolò PINI (Université Libre de Bruxelles, CReA-Patrimoine, FNRS), Alessandro CARABIA (University of Birmingham), Julie MARCHAND (Royal Museums of Art and History, CRaA-Patrimoine, Université Libre de Bruxelles)

Papers must be submitted by February 8th: https://submissions.e-a-a.org/eaa2024/

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Historical Expertise Needed for Board Game Project “Echoes of Emperors”

On behalf of Volcaban Studio, a budding game company based in Belgium.

We are currently working on a project titled Echoes of Emperors and are in search of an expert in in Byzantine history with insights into military tactics, cultural aspects, and the way of life during that time.

Echoes of Emperors is a board game where players can choose to play as one of four civilizations to build their empire and defeat opponents. Each civilization comes with its own deck of cards, and one of our primary objectives is to ensure historical accuracy in these decks to offer players insights into medieval history.

The specific deck we would appreciate the assistance of the Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies with is the Byzantine deck set in the period of Emperor Basill II. To review these cards, we would like to arrange a brief 30-60 minute video call where we can go over all the cards and fact-check the flavor text.

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Call for Articles in English, German or Italian Ein Südtiroler zwischen dem Peloponnes und Trapezunt. Jakob Philipp Fallmerayer (1790-1861), ed. by Aglaia Blioumi and John Butcher, Mimesis Verlag (“Acta Maiensia”), late 2024.

 Jakob Philipp Fallmerayer is widely considered the most significant German-language Byzantine scholar of the first half of the Nineteenth century. His Geschichte des Kaiserthums von Trapezunt (1827), the first to make use of Michael Panaretos’ chronicle, was the only general history of the empire of Trebizond available prior to Miller (1926) and, more recently, Karpov (2007) and Savvides (2009). His groundbreaking Geschichte der Halbinsel Morea während des Mittelalters (1830-1836), drawing on Constantine Porphyrogenitus, the Chronicle of Morea, Laonikos Chalkokondyles and a host of other sources, set out the thesis that the modern-day inhabitants of the Peloponnese descended from Hellenized Slavic and Albanian immigrants, thereby transforming the writer and historian from South Tyrol into one of the most controversial European intellectuals of his age. Fallmerayer is also noteworthy for his Fragmente aus dem Orient (1845), a detailed description of a journey lasting two years from Regensburg to Trebizond and on to Lamia: the two volumes, penned in a vivacious prose that garnered the praise of major writers such as Friedrich Hebbel, contain memorable portrayals of Trebizond, Mount Athos, Thessaloniki, Larissa and other localities within the Ottoman Empire. 

Following a successful conference held at the Academy of German-Italian Studies in Meran / Merano (South Tyrol) on 11-12 November 2022, a volume of studies is currently being edited by Aglaia Blioumi (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens) and John Butcher (Academy of German-Italian Studies). Ein Südtiroler zwischen dem Peloponnes und Trapezunt. Jakob Philipp Fallmerayer (1790-1861) will be published by Mimesis Verlag (https://www.mimesisverlag.de/) in the book series “Acta Maiensia”. The volume is due to appear before the end of 2024. Essays may be written in English, German or Italian. 

Scholars of Byzantine history and culture, of the Ottoman Empire, of Nineteenth-century Greece, of German-language literature and any other persons interested in contributing an essay are warmly invited to contact Dr John Butcher (johncbutcher@hotmail.com), including a title of the article they are proposing, an abstract (5-10 lines) and a succinct curriculum vitae. 

The definitive version of essays accepted for publication must be submitted to the editors by 1 July 2024. A stylesheet will be provided. 

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The 55th SPBS Spring Symposium in Byzantine Studies – University of Kent (Canterbury, UK), 13th-15th April 2024.

The 55th Spring Symposium in Byzantine Studies will be held at the University of Kent (Canterbury, UK), from 13th-15th April 2024.

The 55th Spring Symposium in Byzantine Studies will be held at the University of Kent (Canterbury, UK), from 13th-15thApril 2024. The topic is ‘Justice in Byzantium’, a topic especially pertinent in our turbulent modern societies. Justice is one of the pillars on which every civilisation should be based even though it is not always granted for all, and Byzantium was no exception. Its inhabitants had to deal with justice-related issues in everyday life, but theoretical, religious, and philosophical implications were also involved in its very conception. These ideas are not merely reflected in written laws but in historical and literary works, as well as in unwritten rules, customs, and traditions. What forms of justice were meted out in Byzantium and what types of injustices occurred? How were these debated, enacted, and enforced? Sessions will be arranged around the themes of social, civil, divine, and criminal justice, as well as concepts of revenge and unwritten/ written rules.

Confirmed Speakers include Daphne Penna, Dionysios Stathakopoulos, Carlos Machado, Arietta Papaconstantinou, Rosemary Morris, Anna Kelley, Lorena Atzeri, Mike Humphreys, Catherine Holmes, Robert Wiśniewski, Caroline Humfress, Peter Sarris, Matthijs Wibier, Simon Corcoran, Dan Reynolds, Shaun Tougher, and Maroula Perisanidi.

The Symposium will be hybrid.

Fees and Registration:

– In person, for three days: Full: £110; Members of the SPBS: £95; Students/Unwaged: £60.

– In person, for one day: Full: £65; Members of the SPBS: £55; Students/Unwaged: £30.

– On-line: Full: £35; Members of the SPBS: £20; Students/Unwaged: £10

A booking form will soon be available online, on the Symposium website, with further details of registration and payment. ‘Justice in Byzantium’ has been made possible by the generous support of the Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies and the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies.

Call for Communications

In addition to the customary panel papers and an inaugural lecture, we invite Communications of 15 minutes in duration on current research in fields linked to the theme of the Symposium. Please send your abstract to Laura Franco (laura.franco@libero.it) with a title and abstract by December 15th 2023. For any queries relating to the Symposium, please contact Anne Alwis (a.p.alwis@kent.ac.uk).

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26th International Graduate Conference of the Oxford University Byzantine Society

Transgression in Late Antiquity and Byzantium

26th International Graduate Conference of the Oxford University Byzantine Society, 24th-25th February 2024, Oxford

We are pleased to announce the call for papers for the 26th Annual Oxford University Byzantine Society International Graduate Conference on the 24th – 25th February, 2024. Papers are invited to approach the theme of ‘Transgression’ within the Late Antique and Byzantine world (very broadly defined). For the call for papers, and for details on how to submit an abstract for consideration for the conference, please see below.

The Late Antique and Byzantine world was a medley of various modes of transgression: orthodoxy and heresy; borders and breakthroughs; laws and outlaws; taxes and tax evaders; praise and polemic; sacred and profane; idealism and pragmatism; rule and riot. Whether amidst the ‘purple’, the pulpits, or the populace, transgression formed an almost unavoidable aspect of daily life for individuals across the empire and its neighbouring regions. The framework of ‘Transgression’ then is very widely applicable, with novel and imaginative approaches to the notion being strongly encouraged. In tandem with seeking as broad a range of relevant papers as possible within Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, some suggestions by the Oxford University Byzantine Society for how this topic might be treated include:

  • The Literary – deviance from established genres, styles or tropes; bold exploration of new artistic territory; penned subversiveness against higher authorities (whether discreetly or openly broadcasted); dissemination of literature beyond expected limits.
  • The Political – usurpers, revolts, breakaway regions, court intrigue, plots and coups; contravention of aristocratic or political hierarchies and their expectations; royal ceremonial and its changes, or imperial self-promotion and propaganda seeking to rupture or distort the truth.
  • The Geopolitical – stepping beyond or breaking through boundaries and borders, including invasions, expeditions, trade (whether in commodities or ideas), movements of peoples and tribes, or even the establishment of settlements and colonies.
  • The Religious and Spiritual – ‘Heresy’, sectarianism, paganism, esotericism, magic, and more; and, in reverse, all discussion of ‘Orthodoxy’, which so defined itself in opposition to that which it considered transgressive; monastic orders and practices (anchoritic and coenobitic) and their associated canons, themselves intertwined and explicative of what was deemed prohibited; holy fools and other individuals perceived as deviant from typical holy men.
  • The Social and Sartorial – gender-based expectations in public and private; the contravention (or enforcement) of status or class boundaries; proscribed or vagrant habits of dress, jewellery, fabrics, etc.
  • The Linguistic – transmission of language elements across regional borders or cultures, including loan words, dialectic and stylistic influences, as well as other topics concerning lingual crossover and interaction.
  • The Artistic and Architectural – the practice of spolia; the spread and mix of architectural styles from differing regions and cultures; cross-confessionalism evident from the layout or architecture of religious edifices; variant depictions of Christ and other holy figures; iconoclasm.
  • The Legal – whether it be examination of imperial law codes and their effectiveness or more localised disputes testified to by preserved papyri, all discussion concerning legal affairs naturally involves assessing transgressive behaviour and how it was viewed and handled.
  • It could even be that your paper’s relevance to ‘Transgression’ consists in its breaking out from scholarly consensus in a notable way!

 

Please send an abstract of no more than 250 words, with a short academic biography written in the third person, to the Oxford University Byzantine Society at byzantine.society@gmail.com by Monday 27th November 2023. Papers should be twenty minutes in length and may be delivered in English or French. As with previous conferences, selected papers will be published in an edited volume, peer-reviewed by specialists in the field. Submissions should aim to be as close to the theme as possible in their abstract and paper, especially if they wish to be considered for inclusion in the edited volume. Nevertheless, all submissions are warmly invited.

The conference will have a hybrid format, with papers delivered at the Oxford University History Faculty and livestreamed for a remote audience. Accepted speakers should expect to participate in person.

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Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies Autumn Lecture

The Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies UK, would like to invite you to our Autumn Lecture which will take place in Birmingham this November.

This year our speaker will be Henry Maguire, Professor Emeritus at John Hopkins University, who is going to be speaking about Byzantine gospel illustrations.

“Scenes Revolved in the Mind”: Allusion and Exegesis in Byzantine Gospel Illustration”

Wednesday 1st November, 1630
Venue: CAHA Museum, Arts 305, Arts Building, University of Birmingham, B15 2TT

Please book your ticket in advance here.

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PROSOPON Workshop – ‘Entangled Prosopographies: Connecting the “Prosopographies of the Later Roman and Byzantine Worlds” across the Eastern Mediterranean and Beyond’

Prosopography of the Later Roman and Byzantine Worlds

The ‘Prosopography of the Later Roman and Byzantine Worlds’ (PLRBW) project unites two Academy projects under one umbrella: the recently revived Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire (PLRE) and the Prosopography of the Byzantine World (PBW), which arose from the former. PLRE was originally published in three seminal print volumes between 1971 and 1992 (with a fourth volume including addenda and corrigenda explicitly envisaged but never realised) and covers the governing class of the Roman Empire from 260 to 641. The Connecting Late Antiquities project is now updating it and making it more accessible, beginning with digitising PLRE and making it freely available on the Cambridge University Press website. From its inception, PBW has been a pioneering project in the Digital Humanities and is published online (currently in the 2016 version), with the technical responsibility for the site being undertaken by King’s Digital Lab (KCL). The project aims to record every individual mentioned in Byzantine sources during the period from 1025 to 1204, and every individual mentioned in non-Byzantine sources during the same period who is ‘relevant’ (on a generous interpretation) to Byzantine affairs; currently, coverage is near complete into the 1180s

PROSOPON-International Research Network

The PROSOPON-International Research Network is a collaborative network of prosopographical projects with a focus on the Eastern Mediterranean, 300–1600. Based at the Austrian Academy of Scienes, PROSOPON brings together prosopography-related projects, connects them to other initiatives with a similar scientific scope, and promotes the dialogue between prosopographical projects and the broader scientific community with a variety of communication opportunities and platforms for the exchange of ideas and knowledge.

The workshop will be held in hybrid format.

With any queries please contact the local member of the organising team and chair of the PLRBW project, Professor Niels Gaul.

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Call for Communications for the 55th SPBS Spring Symposium

The 55th Spring Symposium in Byzantine Studies will be held at the University of Kent (Canterbury, UK), from 13th-15th April 2024.

The topic is ‘Justice in Byzantium’.

Panels will cover aspects of social, civil, divine, and criminal justice, as well as concepts of revenge and unwritten/ written rules. Our keynote speaker is Daphne Penna (Groningen). Confirmed speakers include Dionysios Stathakopoulos (Cyprus), Carlos Machado (St Andrews), Arietta Papaconstantinou (Reading), Rosemary Morris (York), Anna Kelley (St Andrews), Lorena Atzeri (Milan), Mike Humphreys (Cambridge), Catherine Holmes (Oxford), Robert Wiśniewski (Warsaw), Caroline Humfress (St Andrews), Peter Sarris (Oxford), Matthijs Wibier (Cincinnati), Simon Corcoran (Newcastle), Dan Reynolds (Birmingham), Shaun Tougher (Cardiff), and Maroula Perisanidi (Leeds).

Those interested in presenting a Communication (15 mins max) should contact Laura Franco (laura.franco@libero.it) with a title and abstract by December 15th 2023. For any queries relating to the Symposium, please contact Anne Alwis (a.p.alwis@kent.ac.uk). Once the conference website with booking details is live, a further email will be circulated.