OxByzList: The Byzness, 14 March 2026
Oxford University Byzantine Society
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THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY BYZANTINE SOCIETY
The Byzness, 15th March 2026
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1. NEWS AND EVENTS
2. CALLS FOR PAPERS
3. JOBS AND SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
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THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY BYZANTINE SOCIETY
The Byzness, 15th March 2026
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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,
Congratulations on reaching the end of term! We hope everyone gets some well-deserved rest and relaxation, especially since the sun has decided to show its face here in Oxford.
Tomorrow the OUBS is off to Sicily for our annual trip, and we are incredibly excited to visit churches, roman villas, and more! Keep an eye out for updates on our socials.
If you don’t follow us yet, you can find us at the following handles:
Instagram: @ox_byz
Bluesky: @oxunibyzantinesoc.bsky.social
X/Twitter: @oxbyz (if you do follow us on X, we are transitioning over to Bluesky, so please do follow us there in the first instance)
Best,
Nidanu
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 the listing brief and include all relevant information in the body of the notice. Outside of exceptional circumstances, we only share events once.
March 16 2026: State Service and Civic Religion in the 9th-12th Centuries - Leonora Neville, University of Wisconsin-Madison
The Byzantine Studies Lectures of the Institute of Historical Research (National Hellenic Research Foundation) continue on Monday March 16 with a hybrid lecture at: 18:00 EET
The lecture will be hosted by Princeton Athens Center: 3 Timarchou Str. 11634 Athens
Those who wish to attend in person must register following this link:
https://forms.gle/ya3W3e7UXDot4uBm8
To join via Zoom please follow the link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hzMozQY5T_6Wli-_QffLYA
Manuscripts Workshop at Durham University (March 26-27)
In connection with my British Academy International Fellowship (IF23\100342), I am delighted to announce a workshop on Working with Manuscripts from the Mediterranean World. This workshop will be hosted by the Institute for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (IMEMS) at Durham and will take place on March 26-27. The workshop will be in person only. The panels will include presentations on:
March 26:
Greek––Garrick Allen (University of Glasgow)
Slavonic––Grant Macaskill (Durham University)
Ethiopic––Loren Stuckenbruck (LMU Munich)
Hebrew––Matthew Monger (MF School of Theology)
March 27:
Latin––Martina Vercesi (KU Leuven)
Manuscript Archives––Michael Erdman (The British Library)
Arabic––Miriam Hjälm (Uppsala University) and Christopher Bahl (Durham University)
Coptic––Alin Suciu (Göttingen Academy) and Francis Watson (Durham University)
Armenian––Emilio Bonfiglio (Hamburg University)
Syriac––Tony Burke (York University)
Please direct any questions to me at jacob.a...@durham.ac.uk. If you are in or near the Durham area, please join us for some presentations by experts in various languages and manuscript traditions as they talk about experiences, benefits, and challenges of working with manuscripts across a variety of linguistic and geographical settings. More info here: https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/classics-ancient-history/events/2026/26-mar-manuscripts/
Online Seminar 16/03/2026 - HAEMUS International Research Network, Online Guest Lecture No. 34: Quel Xhyheri ((Instituti i Arkeologjisë i Akademisë së Shkencave të Shqipërisë – Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of Albania), The Fortifications of Justinian in the Province of Epirus Nova.
Informations et inscription: https://haemus-network.univ-lille.fr/2026/02/online-guest-lecture-no-34-justinianic-fortifications-in-epirus-nova-albania/
Online Seminar 17/03/2026 - Romanian Society for Byzantine Studies Lecture Series 2026: Giulia Gollo (University of Cologne, KU Leuven, ÖAW), (Re)writing Saints’ Lives at the Tenth-Century Monastery of Stoudios: The Lives of Nicholaos of Stoudios (BHG 1365) and Blasios of Amorion (BHG 278).
11:00 EET, via Zoom.
Registration: con...@srsb.co
Hybrid Conference 25 & 26 March 2026 - Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg: Monastic Letter Writing in Late Antiquity. The Role of Epistolary Communication in Monastic Life and Organization.
Informations et inscription: https://www.propylaeum.de/en/blog/article/2026/03/04/25-26-march-2026-monastic-letter-writing-in-late-antiquity-the-role-of-epistolary-communication-in-monastic-life-and-organisation
In-person Meeting 15/04/2026 - Maison Française d’Oxford, Rencontre pour les jeunes chercheurs et chercheuses - Collège de France, Institut des civilisations (Paris)
Inscriptions avant le 1er avril 2026. Informations et inscription: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSco9q4WO48MsVHRiLsrf6ngdIDnGENuppX-R2rvILyYqBS5rQ/viewform
Hybrid Workshop 24/04/2026- University of Notre Dame, Medieval Institute: Seventh Annual Byzantine Fellowship Workshop, “Voicing Enclosure in Byzantine Historical Writing: Spaces, Characters, and Authors”.
Informations et inscription: https://medieval.nd.edu/news-events/events/2026/04/24/seventh-annual-byzantine-fellowship-workshop/
2. CALL FOR PAPERS
CfP: Intellectual Interaction Between Paganism and Christianity (University of Bonn, 26-27 June 2026)
This workshop is aimed at doctoral students and early career researches from all fields concerned with the Late Antique world (Ancient History, Philology, Archeology, Theology, Philosophy).
Intellectual Interaction Between Paganism and Christianity
It is a truism to call the Late Antique world a Christian world. The imperial families became Christian and so eventually did most of the imperial elite and also step by step most of the inhabitants of the empire. One could say Constantine’s embracing of Christianity was a turning point that led from a pagan to a Christian world. Yet the Lebenswelt of the average Late Antique person was far from being Christianised in a total sense of the word. On the contrary the remains of centuries of pagan culture were present in every part of everyday life. Of course pagans did not suddenly disappear but for a long time constituted a significant part of the inhabitants of the empire. This pagan presence challenged, provoked or inspired intellectual interaction with it. In most cases it could not simply be ignored. The ways that Christian authors dealt with it were very different: Assimilation, condemnation or reinterpretation are among the most common approaches. But some authors might not even have considered the dichotomy to be problematic and thus engaged with paganism in a casual manner even though this (at least for our conceptions) was not in accordance with their public function.
Within the scope of this postgraduate workshop we ask you to present thoughts and cases on those intellectual interactions. PhD students and recent PhD holders from all fields that study the Imperial Roman Era and Late Antiquity are welcome to apply. Chances are that you have been confronted with these discourses in your texts as well while working on your dissertation. We encourage you to send in short proposals for case-study oriented presentations (20-30 minutes) on this topic. Every presentation will be followed by a discussion on the presented case among early-career peers that will lead to a broader understanding of this complex phenomenon. Guiding questions can include but are not limited to: How and why did certain authors engage with elements of pagan culture? Were certain parts of pagan culture more likely to be embraced or rejected as part of one’s background? What was considered specifically pagan by Christians? And how did pagan authors for their part react to the rise of Christianity? How did the political or social background of our authors shape their view of the dichotomy? Is the outlined dichotomy still fruitful for analysing and interpreting Late Antique sources or is it a careless simplification that does not reflect the Lebenswelt of some of our sources?
A proposal can be sent until the 31.03.26 to Gregor Kirilov (gkir...@uni-bonn.de) or Jacob Bernitzki (jber...@uni-bonn.de). It should not exceed 500 words and must be (like the presentation itself) in English. The workshop itself will be held on the 26th and 27th of June at the University of Bonn. Further information about scheduling will be sent to all participants after the evaluation of the proposals. We aim to secure additional funding to cover travel expenses and accommodation but applicants are strongly encouraged to seek compensation from their home university. https://www.hsozkult.de/event/id/event-159941
CfP: Seventh International Graduate Conference in Late Antique, Islamic and Byzantine Studies, Edinburgh, 18-19 May
On behalf of the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Late Antique, Islamic and Byzantine Studies, I am pleased to once again share the call for papers for the Seventh International Graduate Conference in Late Antique, Islamic and Byzantine Studies, titled 'Institutional Identities in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages'. The conference will take place on the 18th and 19th of May 2026 at the University of Edinburgh. I am also happy to announce that Professor Andrew Peacock, from the University of St. Andrews, will be the keynote speaker.
Further information about the conference and the topic can be found at the following webpage: https://hca.ed.ac.uk/updates-events/events/cfp-institutional-identities-in-late-antiquity-and-the-middle-ages.
The deadline for abstracts is the 20th of March, and notification of acceptance will be confirmed by the 31st of March. Please submit your abstract of no more than 300 words and a 100-word professional biography to byzant...@ed.ac.uk. We kindly welcome submissions from individuals or groups. There will be the possibility of attending online. Lunch will be provided on both days for those who attend in person.
Please email us at byzant...@ed.ac.uk if you have any questions.
CfP: XVIIe Rencontres internationales des jeunes byzantinistes (Paris, 2–3 October 2026),
Call for papers on the theme Innovating in New Rome. Conceptions, Practices and Responses to Change in the Byzantine World remains open until 22 March 2026!
Papers, lasting twenty minutes, may be delivered in French or English. Proposals (250–300 words), accompanied by a brief biography including the applicant’s institutional affiliation, current academic level (Master’s, doctoral, or postdoctoral), and research topic, should be sent to aemb....@gmail.com.
For further information:
https://www.aembyzantin.com/xviie-edition-2-3-octobre-2026/
N.B.: The AEMB acknowledges receipt of the proposals already submitted and warmly thanks their authors for their interest. Contributors who have submitted a proposal will be contacted individually very shortly to keep them informed.
CfP: "Shared Stories", Hamburg, 9-10 September 2027
Please see the following call for papers for an International Conference, in Hamburg on 9-10 September 2027, “Shared Stories, Motives, and Images between the Greek, Oriental, and Latin Worlds in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages”:
https://ephysiologus.hypotheses.org/1346
Submission deadline: 31 May 2026
CfP: Panel for the 2027 AIA Colloquium, "End(s) of the Roman Empire?", IA Colloquium – January 7-10, 2027 – Boston
Sponsored by the Roman Provincial Archaeology Research Group & the Medieval and Post Medieval Archaeology (MAPMA) Interest Group. Organised by Amelia R. Brown (Macquarie) and James Kenneth (UWO)
End(s) of the Roman Empire?: Lifeways and Legacies of Roman Imperium in the Provinces
How did the loss of Roman administration or the army differ in Roman Britain from the Danube Limes? What were the common legacies of the Roman empire in Vandal Carthage, or Sassanian Antioch? This colloquium encourages presenters and respondents to consider people ‘still thinking about the Fall of Rome’ comparatively, between provinces, cities or other groups around the current and former Roman empire in Late Antiquity into the (Early) Medieval era. From ‘late Roman’ to ‘post’ or even non-Roman people(s) and cultures far beyond the Mediterranean’s shores, the era circa 350-750 CE witnessed a wide range of responses to the ‘end’ of various forms of Roman power. Papers might discuss or bring together any broadly-defined ‘post-Roman’ peripheral religious, social, political, economic, ethnic or other dimensions of one or more groups or regions. Provincial responses to the sudden ‘fall’ or more gradual retreat of Rome could range from the concrete to symbolic, from the circulation and minting of new coins to the application of new or old local, civic and/or imperial laws, sculptural habits or monumental building traditions. What lay behind the varying archaeological legacies of Roman power in Londinium or Vindolanda, Visigothic Toledo or Arab Muslim Alexandria? We encourage abstracts blending material and textual evidence on what happened ‘post-province’ in one or more former areas of the Roman empire, how Roman power was remembered, and how romanitas lived on in myriad small and larger ways throughout Late Antiquity and beyond.
Provide the Colloquium Session Organizers Amelia R. Brown (arobe...@gmail.com) and James Kenneth (james....@uwo.ca) with your name, affiliation, contact information, paper title, abstract and time needed (15 or 20 minutes) by March 20. Abstracts should be maximum 300 words, and include both the content and significance of the proposed paper and presentation.
CfP: “The Periphery at the Center”. Islands and Islandness in the Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean, Bilkent University (Ankara), 10-17 October 2026
Submissions must be sent before 15 May 2026.
Information: https://www.hsozkult.de/event/id/event-160918
CfP: 9th International Seminar on Medieval and Modern Archaeology, Inequality in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Archaeological Traces of a Structural Problem, Roses (Espagne), 8-9 October 2026
Submissions must be sent before 15 June 2026.
Information: https://www.udg.edu/ca/catedres/roses-darqueologia/transferencia/seminaris
3. JOBS AND SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
CfR:ANR ReligiS / BNUS (Strasbourg)
As part of the ANR ReligiS program (Axis 5.1), the National and University Library (BNU) offers a research residence to work on its collections labeled "excellence" in religious studies.
Applications must be submitted by 4 May 2026.
Find all useful details (key dates, eligibility criteria, funding, application process) below.
APPEL A CHERCHEUR / CALL FOR RESEARCHER – Lieu de recherche : le carnet de la Bnu
3 postdoctoral positions on the ERC project 'Greek in the West: language communities, migration and the transformation of society in western Europe, 300-700 CE'
Three postdoctoral positions are currently being advertised to work on the project ‘Greek in the West: language communities, migration and the transformation of society in western Europe (GREEKWEST)’, led by Dr Alison John. It is funded by an ERC Starting Grant and hosted in the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology at the University of Liverpool.
The positions are fixed-term available for 36 months from 1 September 2026. There are 3 positions being advertised: Late Antique Literature; Late Antique History; Greek and Roman Epigraphy:
The project aims to reconstruct the place of Greek in the sociolinguistic landscape of western Europe during Late Antiquity (300–700 CE). Employing approaches from sociolinguistics, philology, prosopography and epigraphy, the project seeks a) to establish who knew and used Greek in the late antique West and from what sectors of society they came, b) to investigate the motivations for using and learning Greek, and c) to retrace how individuals and communities in the West learned and accessed Greek knowledge.
How to apply: Please see the full job description for each role on the University of Liverpool website.
In addition to the online application form, please provide: CV of no more than 5 pages; covering letter; 1-page description of your current and future research plans; sample of written work of around 10,000 words (e.g., a journal article or thesis chapter); the names of two referees.
If you would like to be considered for more than one of the postdoctoral positions on the project, please indicate this on your covering letter and explain how you fit the criteria for the role(s).
Applications close on 10 April 2026 at 23:30. It is anticipated that shortlisted candidates will be interviewed online via Microsoft Teams in early May. For questions or informal enquiries about these posts please contact Dr Alison John at Aliso...@liverpool.ac.uk.
2 postdoc positions in the project "Ancient Science, Ancient Philosophy" (University of Rome Tor Vergata)
Within the project “Ancient Science, Ancient Philosophy: The Philosophical Foundations of Science in Antiquity” (https://alef.lettere.uniroma2.it/progetti-di-ricerca), two postdoctoral research positions (2 years) are currently advertised at the University of Rome Tor Vergata.
The research will focus on the scientific status of medicine from Plato to Galen, extending into late antique theology. Special attention will be given to the social and cultural perceptions of medicine and therapeutic practices in antiquity.
Application details and further information can be found in the full call available online: https://pica.cineca.it/uniroma2/ (ref. CR20260207 and CR20250206). The deadline for online applications is April 10, 2026.
PhD studentship (Classics and Ancient History) at the University of Exeter (UK): 'Pustules, Palaeogenetics and Pandemics from Galen to Rhazes: How to do the Early History of Smallpox and Measles'
The Department of Classics, Ancient History, Religion and Theology (CAHRT) in the University of Exeter (UK) wishes to recruit a Graduate Research Assistant who wants to enrol as a PhD student within the interdisciplinary project: 'Pustules, Palaeogenetics and Pandemics from Galen to Rhazes: How to do the Early History of Smallpox and Measles’. This is a Wellcome funded project (Discovery Award 322103/Z/24/Z), PI: Prof. Rebecca Flemming. This post is available from September 15 2026 to March 15 2030 (42 months), funding covers salary and UK home or international level PhD fees for that period.
The successful applicant will contribute to the work of the project through (1) supporting the research and publication activities of the academic team as they focus around the works of Galen; and (2) undertaking their own PhD research project exploring pandemics, disease and medicine in the ancient/late ancient Mediterranean World.
The kinds of research topics you might be interested in include, but are not limited to:
Galen’s nosology
Religious responses to epidemics in the Roman/late Roman World
Diagnostic ideas and practice in the Roman Empire
Animals and epidemics
Translation, disease and medical writing
You can find more details of the project, and the research team, through the webpages of Exeter’s Centre for the study of Science, Technology, Ancient Medicine and Philosophy(STAMP).
Application: For more details of the position, the job requirements, and the application process see the University of Exeter Job Board: ‘Graduate Research Assistant in CAHRT with option to undertake a PhD’. You will need to provide: cv, cover letter, writing sample and PhD project proposal with your application.
The closing date for completed applications is 26th March 2026. Interviews are expected to take place in the week beginning April 20th 2026.
For further information please contact Rebecca Flemming, A.G. Leventis Professor of Ancient Greek Scientific and Technological Thought, CAHRT, University of Exeter: r.fle...@exeter.ac.uk.
Appel à candidatures - Bourses de recherche de l’Ecole française de Rome en histoire, archéologie et sciences sociales pour juillet-décembre 2026
Les candidatures sont à soumettre avant le 31 mars 2026.
Informations: https://www.efrome.it/candidater/devenir-boursier/les-bourses-de-lecole-francaise-de-rome