The Byzness, 16th October 2023
Oxford University Byzantine Society
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THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY BYZANTINE SOCIETY
The Byzness, 16th October 2023
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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
Lecture by RomanIslam - Center for Comparative Empire and Transcultural Studies, University of Hamburg.
You are cordially invited to the interdisciplinary guest lecture “Luxury of Water”, organized by the RomanIslam – Center for Comparative Empire and Transcultural Studies, University of Hamburg.
It will take place on Wed. October 18, 2023, 5 -7 pm (German time) on Zoom and will comprises the lectures "Still splashing waters: monumental fountains in Late Antique North Africa" by Nicolas Lamare (Université de Picardie) and "Social significance of irrigated agriculture in al-Andalus and Western Mediterranean. Changes in landscapes and productive strategies from Late Antiquity to the Islamic period" by José María Martín Civantos (Universidad de Granada).
Please confirm your participation by October 18, 2023 to roman...@uni-hamburg.de. You will then receive a link enabling you to access the event.
https://www.romanislam.uni-hamburg.de/events-news/lecture-series-romanislam/luxury-of-water.html
Online Workshop: 'Armenian Society under Caliphal Rule'
The Emmy Noether Junior Research Group ‘Social Contexts of Rebellion in the Early Islamic Period’ (SCORE) at the University of Hamburg is delighted to announce that registration is now open for the online workshop ‘Armenian Society under Caliphal Rule’, 7–8 December 2023.
This workshop will consider the social history of Armenia in the period between the first Muslim invasions and the establishment of the Bagratuni Kingdom, i.e. seventh to ninth centuries CE/first to third centuries AH. Contributions will cover a diverse range of topics including church councils, epigraphy, the environment and cross-cultural marriage.
Confirmed participants include Stephanie Forrest (Cambridge), Tim Greenwood (St Andrews), Ani Honarchian (Saint Louis), Nik Matheou (Edinburgh), Leone Pecorini Goodall (Edinburgh/St Andrews) and Johannes Preiser-Kapeller (Vienna). Each talk will be followed by a response from a dedicated discussant and a public Q&A.
To register, please contact the convener, Alasdair Grant, at alasdai...@uni-hamburg.de. Registration will be open until the end of the event, but advanced registration is encouraged. The workshop will be hosted on Zoom and will take place in the afternoon only (local time), to accommodate participants across the Atlantic. The finalised programme will be published soon.
Conference: 'Spaces Make Saints: Experiencing Confinement in Byzantine Hagiography'
The Spaces that Matter project (FWF no. P34478-G) cordially invites you to the upcoming international conference on the topic ‘Spaces Make Saints: Experiencing Confinement in Byzantine Hagiography’, which will take place from Wednesday 15th until Friday 17th November 2023 at the Institute for Medieval Research of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Georg-Coch-Platz 2, 1010 Vienna, Third Floor, Lecture Hall 3A) and online via Zoom.
Attached you may find the conference poster, programme, and abstracts, which are also accessible on our website (https://www.oeaw.ac.at/en/imafo/research/byzantine-research/language-text-and-script/language-use-and-literature/spaces-that-matter)
Pre-registration is mandatory for online participation; please contact: christodoulos...@oeaw.ac.at
Talk by Dr Fiona Haarer on Justinian, Theodora and Cultural Change in the Sixth Century
Tuesday 7 November, 5.30pm
Room G35, Senate House, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1B 5DN, United Kingdom.
Dr Fiona Haarer: Justinian, Theodora and Cultural Change in the Sixth Century
A reception will follow. No booking required.
Latest issue of Speculum
The latest issue of Speculum is now available on the University of Chicago Press Journals website.
To access your members-only journal subscription, log in to the MAA website using your username and password associated with your membership (contact us at in...@themedievalacademy.org if you have forgotten either), and choose "Speculum Online" from the "Speculum" menu. As a reminder, your MAA membership provides exclusive online access to the full run of Speculum in full text, PDF, and e-Book editions - at no additional charge.
Speculum, Volume 98, Number 4 (October 2023)
Articles
Jewelry and People in the Byzantine Cemetery of Parapotamos, Epiros
Georgios Makris
Multilingualism, Nova cantica, and the Cult of Saint Nicholas in Medieval England and France
Mary Channen Caldwell
Instruments of Penance: The Role of Testaments in the Penitential Economy of Thirteenth-Century Italy
Ethan Leong Yee
Idolatry of Feeling: Walter Hilton and the Inner Life of Heresy
Joshua S. Easterling
Saint Catherine and the Clock: Possible Histories of Sound and Time in Fourteenth- and Fifteenth-Century France
Matthew S. Champion
Book Reviews
This issue of Speculum features over 80 book reviews, including:
Petros Bouras-Vallianatos, Innovation in Byzantine Medicine: The Writings of John Zacharias Aktouarios (c.1275–c.1330)
Reviewed by Maria Mavroudi
Eleanor J. Giraud and Christian T. Leitmeir, eds., The Medieval Dominicans: Books, Buildings, Music, and Liturgy
Reviewed by Austin Powell
Caroline Goodson, Cultivating the City in Early Medieval Italy
Reviewed by Mark Lewis Tizzoni
James Harland, Ethnic Identity and Archaeology of the "Adventus Saxonum"
Reviewed by Susan Oosthuizen
Alexandra Lapierre, Belle Greene: A Novel, trans. Tina Kover
Reviewed by Deborah Parker
Laura Llewellyn and John Witty, Paolo Veneziano: Art and Devotion in 14th-Century Venice; Daniel Wallace Maze, Young Bellini
Reviewed by Meredith J. Gill
Karla Mallette, Lives of the Great Languages: Arabic and Latin in the Medieval Mediterranean
Reviewed by Isabelle Levy
Therese Martin, ed., The Medieval Iberian Treasury in the Context of Cultural Exchange: Expanded Edition
Reviewed by Elizabeth Lastra
Bjørn Poulsen, Helle Vogt, and Jón Viðar Sigurðsson, eds., Nordic Elites in Transformation, c. 1050–1250. Vol. 1, Material Resources; Kim Esmark, Lars Hermanson, and Hans Jacob Orning, eds., Nordic Elites in Transformation, c. 1050–1250. Vol. 2, Social Networks; Wojtek Jezierski, Kim Esmark, Hans Jacob Orning, and Jón Viðar Sigurðsson, Nordic Elites in Transformation, c. 1050–1250. Vol. 3, Legitimacy and Glory
Reviewed by David Brégaint
Richard Zenith, trans., "Cantigas": Galician-Portuguese Troubadour Poems
Reviewed by Josiah Blackmore
Barbara Zimbalist, Translating Christ in the Middle Ages: Gender, Authorship, and the Visionary Text
Reviewed by Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski
MAA members also receive a 30% discount on all books and e-Books published by the University of Chicago Press, and a 20% discount on individual Chicago Manual of Style Online subscriptions. To access your discount code, log in to your MAA account, and click here. Please include this code while checking out from the University of Chicago Press website.
12th Biennial Medieval Slavic Summer Institute (MSSI)
Publication of PASH's Archaeological Report
The two-volume report on the results of the Projekti Arkeologjik i Shkodres (PASH), a multi-year collaboration with the University of Tirana in Albania, is now out. Hard copies are available, but e-books have also been produced (see links below). The e-books are free-to-read (but not download) to anyone, anywhere for six months. Michigan Press e-books are presented via a system called Fulcrum. Each book is accompanied by "additional resources," arranged by chapter. There are links to high resolution images, the data archive, and an interactive site map.You may find the archive of particular interest. All of our data are stored open access in Michigan's Deep Blue Data repository and have been strategically linked to the book.
Author: Michael L. Galaty and Lorenc Bejko, Editors
Title: Archaeological Investigations in a Northern Albanian Province: Results of the Projekti Arkeologjik i Shkodres (PASH): Volume One: Survey and Excavation Results
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-951538-68-2
Ebook Pub Date: 9/12/23
Author: Michael L. Galaty and Lorenc Bejko, Editors
Title: Archaeological Investigations in a Northern Albanian Province: Results of the Projekti Arkeologjik i Shkodres (PASH): Volume Two: Artifacts and Artifact Analysis
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-951538-67-5
Ebook Pub Date: 9/12/23
2. CALLS FOR PAPERS
ARAM Society for Syro-Mesopotamian Studies' Fifty-Sixth International Conference on Trade Routes and Seafaring in the Ancient Near East
To be held at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, the University of Oxford, on 15TH – 17TH JULY, 2024.
The conference will start on Monday 15th July at 9pm, finishing on Wednesday 17th July at 6pm. Each speaker’s paper is limited to 35 minutes, with an additional 10 minutes for discussion. All papers given at the conference will be considered for publication in a future edition of the ARAM Periodical, subject to editorial review. If you wish to participate in the conference, please contact its Oxford address before next February 2024 <www.aramsociety.org>
KU Leuven's International Conference on The Bible in Middle-Byzantine Hagiography
"The Greek Bible in Middle-Byzantine Hagiography" (Leuven, 11-13 Sept 2024)
In the framework of a Köln/Leuven joint research project on The Bible in Middle-Byzantine Hagiography, funded by the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, we organize a conference 11–13 September 2024 in the Arenberg Castle on the outskirts of Leuven. Confirmed speakers include Derek Krueger (keynote), Albrecht Berger, Stephanos Efthymiadis, Laurence Mellerin, Óscar Prieto Domínguez.
We invite proposals for 30-minute papers (English, German or French).
The proposed topic must relate to the main research focus of the research project (see https://www.arts.kuleuven.be/grieks/onderzoek/bible-hagiography for the description). We welcome in particular papers that focus (a) on the way in which the use of Biblical text and imagery was for Middle Byzantine hagiographers a tool of differentiation and how it interacted with the author/audience relation, (b) on the function of biblical echoes in polemical hagiography and the relation with the historical context, and (c) on the documentation and interpretation of the presence of biblical citations in Lives from the eighth to tenth century.
Please submit your proposal of ca. 500 words to both conveners, Claudia Sode (Köln; claudi...@uni-koeln.de) and Reinhart Ceulemans (Leuven; reinhart....@kuleuven.be) before 31 October 2023.
For more information, see the full call here (https://www.arts.kuleuven.be/grieks/nieuws/biblecongress).
3. JOBS AND SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
BIAA Grants and Opportunities
Assistant Professor of Art/Architecture of the Middle East, North Africa, and Iberia, 600-1500 CE
The Department of Art History at Northwestern University invites applications for a tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level in the art or architecture of the Middle East, North Africa, and Iberia, from 600–1500 CE. The geographical and temporal fields of specialization within these parameters are open. We particularly welcome scholars whose work engages with transregional and intercultural contexts within and beyond the Islamic world; visual and material culture; architecture, urbanism, and the environment; archaeology, heritage, and preservation; or technical art history. This position is meant to complement areas of departmental strength in ancient, early modern, and modern art of the Middle East and North Africa; the art of Africa and the African Diaspora; Indo-Islamic and Mughal South Asia; and medieval and early modern Europe. The ideal candidate would also complement faculty in other Northwestern departments, including History and Religious Studies, and programs such as Middle East and North African Studies, African Studies, Medieval Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and the Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts. Our department is firmly committed to racial justice and equity, here and across the world, and we welcome candidates whose interests and experiences align with these values.
The successful candidate will teach four courses annually over the course of three academic quarters, at both undergraduate and graduate levels; share in departmental service; and contribute to the vibrant intellectual community within and beyond the department. Applicants must have earned a Ph.D. in art history or an adjacent field by the time of appointment, or shortly thereafter. This is a full-time position starting September 1, 2024.
To apply, please submit 1) a letter of application explaining your research accomplishments and goals, and your teaching ideals, commitments, and strengths; 2) a statement describing how your research and pedagogy contribute to Northwestern’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; 3) a current CV; 4) one sample course syllabus from within your field; 5) the names of three references, with contact information. Letters of recommendation will not be requested until after the application deadline. Candidates who advance in the search will be asked to submit a writing sample of no more than 10,000 words. Application materials must be submitted electronically here by November 15, 2023.
Address any questions about this position to Mel Keiser mel.k...@northwestern.edu
Studies in Late Antiquity, a scholarly journal published by the University of California Press
(https://online.ucpress.edu/sla), invites talented high school and undergraduate students from
underrepresented backgrounds to participate in a new research initiative. We encourage students interested in any aspect of premodern Mediterranean society (and we mean any!) to apply for this newly launched program that aims to promote diversity among the ranks of future scholars and teachers of the ancient world. There are no prerequisites or costs: this is a free opportunity to learn more about a favorite topic, how to conduct historical research, and to potentially publish your work in a scholarly journal.
Questions about the program and the application process (which is also free!) should be sent to
studiesinla...@ucpress.edu.
FOR APPLICANTS: Please send the following to studiesinla...@ucpress.edu
1. A cover letter that explains in brief how your academic and/or personal experiences contribute to the DEI goals of the program.
2. A short statement (300-500 words) that describes your intellectual interests and the topic, theme, or question you hope to explore through this program.
William Sanders Scarborough (1852–1926), the son of an enslaved woman and a freedman, was a pathbreaking African American Classical scholar and public intellectual. Scarborough’s scholarship included philological works on Greek and Roman authors, as well as studies of African languages and African American folklore. His First Lessons in Greek (1881) was the first foreign language textbook by an African American author. He taught at Ohio’s Wilberforce University and Payne Theological Seminary, serving as Wilberforce’s president from 1908–1920. At least twice in his life (1886 and 1896), Scarborough hoped to attend the American School, with the encouragement of the School’s Managing Committee. Lack of funding, coupled with his many professional responsibilities, kept Scarborough from realizing his dream of going to Greece.
Eligibility: Open to graduate students, faculty members (K-12 and all levels of post-secondary education), and independent scholars residing in the United States or Canada (regardless of citizenship) whose geographic origin, diverse experiences, and socio-economic background are underrepresented at the School (including persons from the Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color communities). The fellowship is designed for such applicants whose studies, research, or teaching would benefit from residency at the School. Fellowship recipients need not be specialists in the field of Classical Studies. The School welcomes applicants from faculty of K-12 schools and from students or faculty from public and private universities, colleges, and community colleges; and encourages applications from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Terms and Duration: The fellowship supports up to three months in residence at the School to carry out proposed research projects, to join the School’s academic programs (field trips and seminars during the academic year, excavations at the Agora or Corinth, ASCSA summer travel programs, scientific field schools, etc.), and/or to develop knowledge, resources, and collegial networks to enhance their teaching.
Applicants are encouraged to contact the Programs Administrator well in advance of submitting their proposal for advice on matching the resources and opportunities of the School to their needs and interests. Fellowship winners will be paired with ASCSA mentors who can assist them in planning and preparing for their time in Greece.
Applicants intending to use the fellowship to participate in an ASCSA summer program must submit the Scarborough application AND a separate application to the relevant program(s) of interest. Applicants wishing to use the Scarborough fellowship to offset costs of participation in the Regular Member academic program of the School must also apply directly for Regular Membership (deadline Jan. 15, 2024); admission to the Regular Program requires that applicants write an examination in mid-February. The fellowship may not be held concurrently with
Regular Member Fellowships. The fellowship may not be held remotely; residency in Athens is required.
Each award provides for $1500 per month (rounded upwards to the nearest whole month to a maximum of 3 month) as a stipend. The fellowship provides room and board at Loring Hall, a waiver of any applicable School fees (including summer program course fees), and one roundtrip economy-class airfare to Athens. Meals, Monday through Friday, are provided at Loring Hall for the fellow. The cost of participation on trips during the academic year is not covered (costs are billed in Athens after each trip). Meals or incidental expenses outside Loring Hall are not covered by the fellowship.
The School intends to make up to four awards each year.
Application: Submit an online application here, https://ascsa.submittable.com/submit/171376/william-sanders-scarborough-fellowship. A complete application will include:
- A 2-page, single-spaced, statement indicating your eligibility, describing the proposed use of the fellowship including any formal program at the School you plan to apply for, the proposed timeframe for your work at the School (this includes proposed dates of attendance), and your project or research goals (as applicable). Please note that you may only change the proposed dates of attendance indicated on your application, after acceptance, with approval from the School’s administration. Due to limited housing space, we may not be able to accommodate requested changes to the proposed dates.
- A curriculum vitae.
- A copy of current transcripts for student applicants (scans of official transcripts are acceptable).
- Arrange for two letters of recommendation. Recommenders will be asked to upload their letters via the online application system, Submittable. Upon submission of the online application, recommenders will be sent an automated email with instructions about how to submit their letters of recommendation. Or, applicants may choose to send the request at any time by clicking the "Send Request Now" button on the online application form.
Questions? Contact: Alicia Dissinger, Programs Administrator, prog...@ascsa.org
Award decisions will be announced in March 2024.
The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation awards travel grants to individual scholars to support historical research on Venice and the former Venetian empire, and for the study of contemporary Venetian society and culture. Applicants from all disciplines of the humanities and social sciences are eligible areas of study, including, but not limited to, archaeology, architecture, art, bibliography, economics, history, history of science, law, literature, music, political science, religion, and theater. Other relevant research interests will be considered as well.
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Alexander Sherborne
DPhil Candidate, Faculty of History
President, Oxford University Byzantine Society
http://oxfordbyzantinesociety.wordpress.com