OxByzList: The Byzness, 12th October 2025
Oxford University Byzantine Society
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THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY BYZANTINE SOCIETY
The Byzness, 12th October 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
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.
NEAstr: Astronomy, calendar, and related sciences in Near Eastern cultures, third to eighth centuries CE
27th October, 9.30-18.00
IAS Common Ground
UCL South Wing
Gower Street
London
WC1E 6BT
This five-year project aims to demonstrate how astronomy, calendar and related sciences thrived in local Near Eastern languages, religious and cultural traditions during this period. We challenge the idea that this was a 'dark age' and that these sciences were merely 'popular' or unoriginal. This project highlights the contributions of minority cultures to the history of science.
Morning Session
9:30 Registration and coffee
10:00 Mathieu Ossendrijver (FU Berlin): ‘Mesopotamian conceptions of the universe - traditions and developments’
11:00 Emilie Villey (CNRS Paris): ‘Celestial matter and cosmic architecture according to Syriac authors’
12:00 Lunch break
13:00 Stephanie Pambakian (UCL): ‘Architectures of the Universe in the seventh-century Cosmology attributed to Anania Širakac’i’
Afternoon Session
14:00 Sacha Stern and Nadia Vidro (UCL): ‘Cosmic architecture in the Hebrew Baraita de-Shemuel’
15:00 Tea break
15:30 Karen ní Mheallaigh (Johns Hopkins): ‘Intercultural cosmology: the Phoenician History of Philo of Byblos’
16:30 Olivier Defaux (CNRS Paris): ‘The Scientific Correspondence of Severus Sebokht: Unedited Letters’
17:30 Conclusion
18:00 End
Online Talk - A Taste of Latin
Delivered by Caroline K. Mackenzie.
This illustrated talk will showcase the longevity and artistry of Latin, and demonstrate the ubiquitous links between Latin and English. Whether you are a complete beginner or wish to brush up on existing knowledge, Caroline will take you on an exciting exploration of the lexicon of the Latin language. There will also be the opportunity to dip into some Latin verse and to discover how Roman poets used their language to stir emotion. The talk will be followed by a Q & A session.
This talk will take place on Tuesday 4 November, 7-8pm (UK time) and will be repeated on Saturday 15 November, 11am-12 noon (UK time). You can select your preferred date and time when booking.
Further details and the booking form can be found here:
https://www.hellenicandromanlibrary.org/Events/Event-Registration/EventId/22
2. CALL FOR PAPERS
Call for Papers: Oxford University Numismatics Society Graduate Colloquim
We are pleased to invite graduate students working on numismatics to submit abstracts for the Oxford University Numismatics Society’s (OUNS) termly Inter-Institutional Graduate Colloquium. We will accept three papers, each 20 minutes in length and followed by ten minutes of Q&A.
The goal of the Graduate Colloquium is to bring together graduate students from different institutions to present and discuss their numismatic research. ‘Numismatics’ here can be broadly understood to cover any aspect of research pertaining to coinage and currency throughout history, including but not limited to iconography, quantification, circulation or chronology.
The colloquium will take place on 26th November 2025 at 16:00 GMT, online via Microsoft Teams. A link will be circulated to members of OUNS beforehand. If you are not yet a member of OUNS, please email me (finn....@classics.ox.ac.uk) to be added to our mailing list.
Please submit abstracts of up to 300 words and a short biography, including name and current institutional affiliation, to finn....@classics.ox.ac.uk and jame...@classics.ox.ac.uk by 29th October 2025 at 12:00. Any queries should be directed to the same addresses.
The OUNS website can be found here, and our Termcard of lectures and events here.
3. JOBS AND SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
New Mary Jaharis Center ICBS Travel Grants for Graduate Students
The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture is pleased to announce its ICBS Travel Grant. These grants will be awarded to graduate students enrolled in programs at North American institutions who will be delivering a paper at the 25th International Congress of Byzantine Studies, hosted by the University of Vienna, from 24–29 August 2026. For the 25th ICBS, up to 10 grants of $500 will be awarded.
The application deadline is 14 October 2025. Further information and application instructions are available on the Mary Jaharis Center website (https://maryjahariscenter.org/grants/icbs-travel-grant-25th-icbs).
Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjc...@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center, with any questions.
All my very best,
Madeleine
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Madeleine Duperouzel
DPhil in History
President, Oxford University Byzantine Society
http://oxfordbyzantinesociety.wordpress.com