The Byzness, 16th November 2025
Oxford University Byzantine Society
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THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY BYZANTINE SOCIETY
The Byzness, 16th November 2025
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1. NEWS AND EVENTS
2. CALLS FOR PAPERS
3. JOBS AND SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
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1. NEWS AND EVENTS
Dear all,
Happy 6th week!
The OUBS continues to receive wonderful submissions for our 28th International Graduate Conference, Decline and Flourish. There are just thirteen days to go until the abstract submission deadline, which is Saturday, November 29th. The Graduate Conference is an excellent opportunity for young scholars to share work and make connections across the discipline. It will be held in Oxford & online on February 28th and March 1st 2026. In case you may have missed it, you’ll find the conference poster and CfP attached to this email!
You can also view the full CfP on the OUBS website by following the link here.
Please note that if your attendance at the conference is contingent upon receiving bursary funding, you must specify this when you submit your abstract to us. As with all previous conferences, we have a limited amount of funding available to student speakers who require it for their attendance at the conference.
All my very best,
Madeleine.
For those wishing to submit an event, call for papers, job or scholarship opportunity to the Byzness please send details to the committee at byzantin...@gmail.com indicating the relevant list for The Byzness our external to Oxford and year-round newsletter or The Byzantine Lists our Oxford-centered events and circulated only in term-time. Please keep listing brief and include all relevant information in the body of the notice. Outside of exceptional circumstances, we only share events once.
Online Lecture: Worshipping the Mother Goddess: An Underground Cult Complex in Late Antique Aphrodisias
The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture is pleased to announce the next lecture in our 2025–2026 lecture series.
December 2, 2025 | Zoom | 12:00–1:30 pm (Eastern Standard Time, UTC -5)
Worshipping the Mother Goddess: An Underground Cult Complex in Late Antique Aphrodisias
Ine Jacobs, University of Oxford
Excavations in a suburban neighborhood of Aphrodisias have revealed a remarkably well-preserved underground cult complex dedicated to the Anatolian mother goddess Kybele. Concealed within the basement level of a large late antique private mansion—strategically positioned between the residence’s public quarters and an east–west street—the complex consists of a spacious central cult chamber, several smaller subsidiary rooms, a long subterranean corridor, and a lightwell that, in its final phase, was sealed and adapted for communal dining. To date, the sanctuary has been traced over an area of 26 by 15 meters, though it almost certainly extended further.
Originally established in the imperial period, the complex underwent several renovations in Late Antiquity, including a near-total rebuilding in the later 5th century. The sanctuary in this form remained active into the early 7th century, until the mansion that housed it was abruptly destroyed by fire in 617. Excavations have yielded a rich assemblage of cult equipment, including four statuettes of Kybele, effigies of other deities, three enigmatic “mountain busts,” amulets, numerous ceramic incense burners, ceramic and copper-alloy lamps, and copper-alloy tableware.
This presentation examines the architectural setting of the complex, structural features, cultic imagery, associated material culture, and the broader social and religious conditions at Aphrodisias that allowed pagan worship to endure into the 7th century.
Ine Jacobs is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Associate Professor of Byzantine Archaeology and Visual Culture at the University of Oxford.
Advance registration required. Register: https://maryjahariscenter.org/events/worshipping-the-mother-goddess
Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjc...@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture with any questions.
Videos from the 3rd Online Athens-Edinburgh Byzantine Book Festival
Videos from the 3rd Online Athens-Edinburgh Byzantine Book Festival are now available on YouTube. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ucNzhPIX7Y&list=PLvFtte_txZ9baOv9mtpUlx8oUf_9zXHIJ&index=1
3. JOBS AND SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
PhD Programme in Classics at USC
The Department of Classics at the University of Southern California’s Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences invites applications for admission to the Ph.D. Program in Classics. The program offers a comprehensive five-year funding package consisting of three years of fellowship support and two years of teaching assistantship, with additional funding opportunities available. Most students are able to secure fellowship or teaching support beyond the fifth year.
The Ph.D. Program in Classics at USC aims to train students to become scholars, teachers, and interpreters of ancient Mediterranean civilizations, the Greek and Latin languages and literatures, and the traditions that have developed from them. Our program combines rigorous training in classical philology with intellectual flexibility, preparing students to engage with the ancient world in a variety of scholarly and pedagogical contexts.
USC Classics is a member of the International Epic Network, in partnership with Harvard University, the University of Toronto, and the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa. Through our exchange program with the Scuola Normale Superiore, USC students may spend a fully funded year of study in Pisa.
An informational session for prospective students will be held on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. PST via Zoom. This session will provide an opportunity to meet USC Classics faculty and current students, learn more about the department and its activities, and receive detailed information about the Ph.D. program and the application process. Those interested in attending should contact Stefano Rebeggiani (rebe...@usc.edu) to receive the Zoom link.
For general information on the program and instructions on how to apply, please visit https://dornsife.usc.edu/clas/how-to-apply/ and https://gradadm.usc.edu.
For Fall 2026 admission, the application deadline is December 31, 2025.
For questions about the program, please contact Danny Richter, Chair (dric...@usc.edu), or Stefano Rebeggiani, Director of Graduate Studies (rebe...@usc.edu).
Funded MA and PhD opportunities at Central European University, Vienna
The Department of Historical Studies at Central European University (Vienna, Austria) is pleased to announce its call for applications for the 2026/2027 academic year. The deadline is February 4, 2026.
Central European University is a research-focused, English-language university with a multi-disciplinary Department of Historical Studies that offers the following programs:
• PhD in Late Antique, Medieval and Early Modern Studies (5 fully funded positions)
• PhD in Comparative History (5 fully funded positions)
• 1-year MA and 2-year MA in Historical Studies (History track and Late Antique & Medieval Studies track)
• 2-year MA in Museum Studies
The department’s programs are accredited in the US and Austria. Further information on the department and its programs can be found here: https://historicalstudies.ceu.edu/.
CEU provides a variety of need- and merit-based scholarships and various other types of financial support available to students at all levels and from any country (tuition waiver, stipend, housing awards, health insurance coverage): https://www.ceu.edu/financialaid.
Interested applicants can contact us at historic...@ceu.edu or join one of our admissions events. For further details and registration, see https://historicalstudies.ceu.edu/online-sessions-prospective-students.
Fellowship for Scholars: Study of Medieval Through Modern Greece, Zoë Sarbanes Pappas Fellowship
ZOË SARBANES PAPPAS SENIOR FELLOWSHIP IN THE STUDY OF MEDIEVAL THROUGH MODERN GREECE AT THE GENNADIUS LIBRARY
Deadline: January 31, 2026
Duration: Academic year, early September 2026 to end of May 2027.
Eligibility: An established scholar working in any area related to the study of Greece in the Medieval through Modern periods for a project that benefits from the use of the Gennadius Library, and/or School Archives, or other related sources. Special collections, rare books, archives, and research holdings of 150,000 titles create a comprehensive resource for the history of Greece through the ages. Applicants should hold the rank of Associate Professor (or equivalent) or higher and possess a significant record of publication and teaching. Open to all nationalities and any university.
Terms: Using the resources and collections of the Gennadius Library and the School, the Zoë Sarbanes Pappas Senior Fellow shall pursue research on a project that enriches the academic program of the School. Sarbanes Pappas fellows participate in the academic life of the Gennadius Library and the School in a variety of ways, including: mentoring Gennadius Library fellows, participating in the academic programming of the Gennadius Library, offering occasional seminar presentations (on topics and materials related to the scholar's research), and organizing a colloquium, an exhibition, or some other activity in the subject of their expertise. Applicants are encouraged to consult with the Director of the Gennadius Library well in advance of the deadline when planning their proposed contributions to the academic program of the Gennadius Library and the School. The Sarbanes Pappas Senior Fellowship is considered a full-time fellowship. Holders should not undertake teaching (remote or in person) or substantive service commitments during the tenure of the award. Holders should consult with the Director of the School before planning travel independent of their role as a Fellow. A final report is due at the end of the award period, and the ASCSA expects that all publications that result from research conducted as a Fellow of the ASCSA acknowledge the support of the ASCSA and copies will be contributed to the Gennadius Library.
Compensation: Stipend of $45,000, waiver of School membership fees, round-trip coach airfare to Athens, and lunches at Loring Hall (Monday through Friday) for the fellow. An additional $2,500 is available for the fellow to use in developing and presenting contributions to the academic life of the Library.
To learn more and how to apply, click here: https://www.ascsa.edu.gr/fellowships-and-grants/postdoctoral-and-senior-scholars#PappasFellowship.
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Madeleine Duperouzel
DPhil in History
President, Oxford University Byzantine Society
http://oxfordbyzantinesociety.wordpress.com