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THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY BYZANTINE SOCIETY
The Byzness, 4th April 2023 (Hilary Week 12)
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1. NEWS AND EVENTS
2. CALLS FOR PAPERS
3. JOBS AND SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Thank you for bearing with us during the interregnum while the OUBS were in Istanbul and Trabzon – and a huge thank you to our faculty and istitutional partners whom we met while on the trip, please see below the Byzness – and a reminder that outside of term time, the next edition will be in a fortnight.
We attach below a photograph of the reception the OUBS were kindly awarded by the His All Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople – a reception that spoke to all of those present upon the values of modern ecumenism and the act of embracing cultures and creeds equally, to the enhancement of all. – NW
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1. NEWS AND EVENTS
The 25th International Congress of Byzantine Studies (2026)
Please see attached and below an announcement about The 25th International Congress of Byzantine Studies will be held on 24 to 29 August 2026 in Vienna, Austria.
Dear Colleagues,
Following the online meeting of the Organizing Committee of the 25th International Congress of Byzantine Studies -Vienna 2026 with the members of the AIEB Bureau on 16 March 2023, we would like to inform you about the preliminary profile and structure of the Congress program and to appeal to all National Committees to send us their proposals for Round Tables by 31 December 2023. The call for Free Communications will be sent in spring 2025. You may find below the main theme of the Congress, the themes of six Plenary Sessions, as well as the timetable and procedures for Round Tables, to be confirmed and approved at the Inter Congress meeting in Athens on 12 April 2024.
INFORMATION ON THE PROFILE AND STRUCTURE OF THE 25th CONGRESS OF BYZANTINE STUDIES- Vienna 2026
Date: The 25th International Congress of Byzantine Studies will be held on 24 to 29 August 2026 in Vienna, Austria.
Main Theme: “Byzantium beyond Byzantium”, “Byzance au-delà de Byzance”, “Το Βυζάντιο πέρα από το Βυζάντιο”
General Rule:
Scholars can participate in no more than two sessions throughout the Congress. (i.e., as speaker in two sessions, or as speaker in one session plus as convener, or as convener in two sessions).
Plenary Sessions:
There will be six Plenary Sessions. The list of Plenary Session themes and speakers will be approved at the Inter-Congress meeting in Athens on 12 April 2024. National Committees will be informed about the details shortly before the meeting. The themes for Plenary Sessions are:
Byzantium lost and found
Romanitas beyond Byzantium. Diffusion and impact of ideas of Rome in a „post-Roman”
world
The beasts, the crops and the bones. Biological perspectives on the Byzantine world
Byzantine Diversities
Reading Byzantine literature across the centuries
Byzantium in Central Europe
Round Tables:
General rules
Round Tables must be proposed through the National Committee of the proposer. There is also the option of joint proposals by more than one National Committee.
Round Tables are allocated 90 minutes. They should consist of no fewer than four and no more than six speakers, plus the convener(s), in order to ensure adequate time for discussion.
The professional affiliation of the speakers should represent at least two countries. We particularly encourage the inclusion of young researchers.
We strongly encourage those who propose Round Tables to follow the Congress main theme.
The most important criterion for accepting a Round Table proposal will be its innovative scholarly contribution.
The number of proposals, including joint proposals by each National Committee is limited to ten.
Proposals should include a title, an abstract of 250 words, 5 key words, the names of the convener(s) and speakers as well as the name of the person sending the proposal, his/her affiliated institution and his/her mail address.
Proposals should be written in English or French. Timetable
The deadline for submission of Round Table proposals by National Committees to the Organizing Committee is 31 December 2023. Any Round Table proposal sent after the deadline will not be accepted. The proposals should be sent to program.ICBS2026@univie.ac.at.
Conveners of Round Tables will be informed about the decision of the Program Committee (in accordance with the Bureau of the AIEB) in mid-February 2024. Proposed Round Tables will either be accepted or rejected or the option of an Organized Session will be offered.
Conveners of accepted Round Tables will be asked to confirm their participation and the organization of their Round Tables by 31 March 2024.
The list of Round Tables will be presented at the Inter-Congress meeting in Athens on 12 April 2024.
Vienna, March 2023
The Organizing Committee
[DOAKS Opportunities for Scholars at Risk]
We are writing to share with you two opportunities for scholars at risk due to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine that we would be grateful if you could share with your networks and invite scholars you know to apply (or apply yourself, if relevant): https://www.doaks.org/research/fellowships-and-awards/opportunities-ukraine-scholars
Research Grants of up to $5000 – applications due March 31, 2023
Mentorship Program – applications due April 30, 2023
[Lecture Series] Anna Lampadaridi (CNRS, HiSoMA UMR 5189) will give six lectures (April 12 and 19 and May 10, 17, 24, 31) as part of Vincent Déroche’s seminar (EPHE/PSL):
Research on the Greek versions of the Life of Hilarion (BHL 3879)
Composed by Jerome in Latin at the end of the 4th century, the Life of the monk Hilarion, known as the founder of Gaziote monasticism, was the subject of various Greek translations carried out in various contexts. We will review the main Greek versions of the Life of Hilarion, in order to trace the different stages of the linguistic and cultural transfer of the legend of Hilarion to Byzantium. The first part of our conferences will focus on the preparation of the critical edition of the Life BHG 752, hitherto unpublished except for its beginning. This translation constitutes a very rare case, which can be compared to literal Latin translations of Greek hagiographic works. Secondly, we will deal with different rewritings of the Latin legend of the monk Hilarion in the Greek-speaking world, starting with the Life BHG 753 and its reception in Byzantium.
The conferences will take place at 54, boulevard Raspail 75006 Paris (room 20), from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (UTC +2), and will take place in a hybrid format on Teams.
To obtain the connection link, write to: anna.lampadaridi@mom.fr
[Museum Colloqium] Piece by Piece: Mosaic Artifacts in Byzantium and the Ancient Americas, May 18-19, 2023
Oak Room, Dumbarton Oaks
1700 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington, DC 20007
This event will occur in-person and will not be live-streamed or recorded.
Across premodern cultures, the mosaic artform enjoyed tremendous prestige. In the medieval Mediterranean, no other pictorial medium could rival mosaic’s opulence and visual splendor or claim to entail the same level of technical expertise. Durable and infinitely repairable, mosaics intimated a sense of both history and timelessness. Similarly, in the ancient Americas, the mosaic medium embodied status, wealth, and authority. A range of socially and ritually significant objects, from weapons and jewelry to figurines, were adorned with exquisitely crafted mosaic inlays, featuring such rich materials as turquoise, lapis lazuli, serpentine, and mother-of-pearl. Tellingly, both Byzantine micromosaic icons and ancient American portable mosaic objects would become objects of desire for antiquarians and collectors in early modern Europe. To these later audiences, mosaic epitomized cultures that were, from the European vantage point, geographically and temporally “far away.”
The Dumbarton Oaks Museum has unique holdings of artworks in the mosaic medium, including two Byzantine micromosaic icons (BZ.1947.24 and BZ.1954.2), a Wari mosaic mirror (PC.B.432) and figurine (PC.B.437), and a Maya mosaic mask (PC.B.557). The collection therefore presents a rare resource for reexamining mosaic artifacts from a cross-cultural perspective and exploring new ways of thinking more expansively about the mosaic medium and its histories, both local and global. In addition to this cross-cultural frame, this workshop and colloquium will serve as an opportunity to devote specific attention to Byzantine micromosaic icons, exceptionally rare (only thirty-six are known to survive today), and yet understudied, outstanding works of medieval art. The occasion of this workshop and colloquium offers us a far-reaching opportunity to return to the proverbial square one and reassess everything we think we know about Byzantine micromosaic icons: when they were created, where, how, by whom, for whom, and why.
Event details
The museum colloquium is open to the public. Presentations will take place on Thursday morning (9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.) and Friday morning (9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.). Papers in these sessions will discuss ancient Mediterranean floor mosaics, Mesoamerican inlaid artifacts, the history of collecting Byzantine and Pre-columbian mosaics in the early modern period, and case studies of current conservation and scientific research on Byzantine micromosaic icons.
Museum object study sessions on Thursday and Friday afternoons are limited to working group members and presenters. Museum colloquium attendees may however attend a virtual presentation of Thursday afternoon conservation reports. .
[Travel Grants Available] The 2023 call for applications to the Diamond Jubilee Travel Grant from the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society.
We are a small cultural and non-political charity, embracing all peoples and religions. Our mission is to make accessible the rich and fascinating archaeology of Israel and the Levant in all periods and in its historical geographical, religious and intellectual context. We focus especially on supporting, promoting and raising awareness of recent research and discovery through lectures and other events, and through our academic journal Strata.
To mark the society’s Diamond Jubilee, we are offering a number of studentships worth £3,000 each to support a student’s participation for four weeks (16 July – 11 August 2023) on the excavation of Tel Azekah : https://azekah.org. The excavation is directed by Professor Oded Lipschits (Tel Aviv University), Professor Manfred Oeming (Heidelberg University) and Professor Sabine Kleinman (Tübingen University).
The studentship will cover travel to Israel, board and lodging, including all costs associated with registration for the excavation. Students will have the opportunity to work on the dig and attend lectures on archaeology while staying on Kibbutz Netiv Ha-Lamed-He close to the site, as well as free time at the weekends to travel within Israel or to stay in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.
Applications are welcome from undergraduate and postgraduate students, including PhD students, in the fields of archaeology, ancient history, theology and religious studies and other relevant disciplines.
I should be very grateful if you could encourage suitable students to consider these grants and also if you would pass on the information and the attached flier to other colleagues.
The application forms are on our website (www.aias.org.uk)
Please do also visit us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/IsraelArchaeologyLondon
With best wishes,
Sarah Pearce (Professor)
Chair, AIAS
Professor Sarah Pearce
Head of School, Humanities
Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Southampton
Avenue Campus
Southampton, SO17 1BF
UK
Email: hoshums@soton.ac.uk
[Conference] Catastrophes in Context: The Archaeology of Catastrophes from the 1st–8th centuries CE in the Mediterranean Region
On behalf of Professor Rubina Raja (Aarhus University) and Professor Andrew Wilson (University of Oxford), I hereby invite you to participate in the OxREP-UrbNet conference Catastrophes in Context: The Archaeology of Catastrophes from the 1st–8th centuries CE in the Mediterranean Region, which will be held at All Souls College, Oxford, 17-18 April 2023.
To read more, please visit the conference webpage: https://urbnet.au.dk/news/events/2023/catastrophes.
Participation is free of charge; however, it is necessary to register in advance (there is a registration link on the webpage).
I’m happy to share with you the 2023 summer language offerings of Catholic University’s Semitics Department in Arabic, Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, and Ethiopic, all taught online for ease of student access.
[Online Classical Arabic and Summer Language Courses at CUA]
I’ll be teaching introductory Classical Arabic. All our courses are great opportunities for interested students to get a solid grounding in a new research language.
If you could share this announcement with your students or networks, we’d appreciate it. For more information, contact Dr. Andrew Gross at grossa@cua.edu or, regarding Arabic, me at weitz@cua.edu.
[A new MA programme in ancient history, University of Warsaw]
In October, the University of Warsaw will start a new M.A.-level programme “History of Ancient Mediterranean Civlizations” (taught in English) and will be happy to accept up to 25 M.A. students.
The registration will begin on 5 June. More info on the website: https://historia.uw.edu.pl/hamc_en
Some essential information:
The curriculum is based on history (70%), archaeology (20%) and studies on culture and religion (10%).
We also offer general education classes on the ancient world. The obligatory canon of knowledge (e.g., history, ancient literature and philosophy) has the possibility of broadening individual interests through the addition of modules on early Christianity and literature, ancient Judaism, history of women, history of ancient slavery and discriminated groups, and the plurality of legal systems among other topics.
The offer includes workshops that develop research competencies, such as reading groups and the intensive, practical course of an ancient language (e.g., Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Akkadian, Coptic or Hebrew – 4 hours per week) to enable students to read and interpret ancient sources in their original languages. Students will also choose from a wide variety of courses such as epigraphy, papyrology, numismatics, ancient historiography, the interpretation of cuneiform texts or specialized classes in source criticism or the editing of ancient texts.
An additional module focuses on developing competences in digital humanities and academic writing. The module includes diverse workshops on the use of digital tools for text processing, in particular the editing and data processing used in the work of historians, papyrologists, epigraphers and numismatists.
A distinctive feature of this programme is the field training: not only practical geodata collection, but also an engrossing, Mediterranean tour, funded by the Faculty.
2. CALL FOR PAPERS
[CFP] THE CHURCH AND THE OTHERNESS: Institute of Balkan Studies with Center of Thracology “Prof. Alexander Fol”, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
The purpose of this conference is to emphasize the problem of “otherness” in the context of Church history. In the Bible, the Saviour defines two groups, those “blessed by My Father”, who will inherit the Kingdom prepared for them “since the creation of the world” (Matt. 25: 34-40), and the “cursed”, who will be sent to “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25: 41-46). The Lord reveals himself only to “the pure in heart” (Matt. 5:8).
Besides the identification of otherness, the Church prescribes the recipe for the birth of the “new” man: repentance. According to the ecclesiastic philosophers, the difference between righteous and sinners (between “us” and “them”) has been established according to the divine design of Creation.
The aim of this conference is to bring together researchers with common interests in a discussion on several leading questions: where are the categories “us” and “them” situated; who are the “others”; how is their image constructed. The international conference is open to specialists from different fields: historians, culturologists, theologians, art historians, archivists, philologists, philosophers, etc. The conference will be held in Sofia (Bulgaria) on 8-9 November 2023. Online participation will be very welcomed.
Here are the main topics:
– Theological contributions to “otherness”
– Heretics and the Church
– The problem of the primacy of bishops
– The Crusades and the Church
– Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants
– Christianity vs. other religions
– New religious movements
– Church politics, ethnophyletism and the problem of identity.
Please submit an abstract (max. 200 words) by 15th June 2023 to
churchconference2023@gmail.com
[CFP: Byzantine Studies Conference, Vancouver, Oct. 26–29]
The Forty-Ninth Annual Byzantine Studies Conference
DEADLINE: April 15, 2023
The Forty-Ninth Annual Byzantine Studies Conference (BSC) will be held at the Wosk Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver from Thursday, October 26 to Sunday, October 29, 2023. The Local Arrangements Co-Chairs are Dimitris Krallis (Department of Humanities and SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies) and Lauren Gilbert, Simon Fraser University (Department of Global Humanities). This conference will be in-person only.
The Program Committee invites proposals for papers and thematic panels on all topics and in all disciplines related to Byzantine Studies, broadly construed. All proposals must be submitted via EasyChair, and must adhere to specific formatting requirements. To deliver your paper at the BSC, you must be a member of BSANA in good standing, enrolled in a graduate program at the time of submission, or hold a graduate degree. We encourage undergraduate attendance, but do not accept submissions from undergraduates. To join or renew your membership in BSANA, pay your dues according to your current status at: https://bsana.net/members/.
For instructions on how to submit a proposal and to learn about funding opportunities, please see the attached PDF or visit the BSANA website: https://bsana.net/annual-conference/.
3. JOBS AND SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
[Research positions in Lisbon – up to five or six years contract]
The Portuguese R&D Funding Agency (FCT) has announced the opening of the sixth edition of the Individual Call to Scientific Employment Stimulus, which will allow the hiring of 400 PhD holders in all scientific fields to work in Portugal.
4 April 2023 – 3 May 2023 (17:00 Lisbon Time).
https://www.fct.pt/en/fct-publica-aviso-de-abertura-da-6a-edicao-do-ceec-individual/
The Centre for Classical Studies – University of Lisbon (https://centroclassicos.letras.ulisboa.pt/) looks forward to hearing from interested candidates to develop research in the areas of
a) Classical Literature (Greek and Latin Literature);
b) Late Greek and Byzantine Literature;
c) Epigraphy (Roman, Medieval, Renaissance);
d) Medieval Latin Literature (critical editions, poetry, hagiography, historiography, documentation; mainly but not restricted to Iberian texts);
e) Humanism and Neo-Latin (mainly but not restricted to Iberian texts);
f) History of Science (Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance);
g) Europe and Asia (Latin and Neo-Latin texts on Asia);
h) Women Writers and the Classics (mainly but not restricted to Lusophone Literature);
i) Reception Studies (19th-21st c.; mainly but not restricted to Lusophone Literature);
j) Information Science (libraries; archives).
In addition to these themes, we are also eager to attract new researchers willing to develop in Lisbon new cutting edge research on
j) Classics and Gender;
k) Classics and Postcolonialism; or
l) Classics and Education.
At the Centre for Classical Studies in Lisbon, we are very proud because we were the only Portuguese research centre in this scientific area (Classical Studies, Classical Tradition) to have been assessed as “Excellent” in 2019 by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology.
If you are interested in being part of our team, please contact us (rodrigo.furtado@campus.ul.pt) and send us a draft of your project in order to adjust your research interests with the CEC’s own research goals.
The assessment of the applications is not made by the CEC. It is entirely organized by FCT, with no other intervention of the CEC, except for the initial contacts.
The English written application will be submitted online at a soon to be available platform. The page is still in Portuguese, but it will be soon available in English too.
This is a highly competitive call. We are looking for excellent researchers to come work in Lisbon.
The up to 5 or 6 years research contracts to be funded under this call consider THREE LEVELS, corresponding to different career stages:
· Junior researcher: Ph.D. holders with limited post-doctoral experience in the scientific area of application (c. 1.400-1.500€ net wage * 14 months);
· Assistant researcher: Ph.D. holders with more than 5 but less than 12 years of post-doctoral research, with relevant experience in the scientific area of application and limited scientific independence (c. 1.800-1.950€ net wage * 14 months);
· Principal researcher: Ph.D. holders with more than 12 years of post-doctoral research, with relevant experience in the scientific area of application and demonstrating scientific independence for the last 3 years (c. 2.100-2300€ net wage * 14 months);
Best regards,
Rodrigo Furtado
Director
Centre for Classical Studies
School of Arts and Humanities – University of Lisbon
1600-214 Lisboa – Portugal
[Ghent University PhD Positions] Ghent University we have two job openings for PhD students – one in Greek linguistics (on formulaic language) and one in manuscript culture – in the context of our ‘Interconnected Texts’ project on Byzantine paratexts.
More information can be found at: https://www.projectdbbe.ugent.be/vacancy-two-doctoral-researchers-for-the-goa-project-interconnected-texts/
The deadline for applications is *April 30, 2023*.
[Mainz University PhD Positions] Within the Research Training Group 2304 “Byzantium and the Euro-Mediterranean Cultures of War. Exchange, Differentiation and Reception”, which is financed by the DFG (German Research Foundation), there are at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz.
6 positions for doctoral research associates (pay scale TV-L13, 2/3 FTE) to be filled by 1st October 2023 for a contract period of three years.
Participating in this Research Training Group are the disciplines of Ancient History, Ancient Church History/Theology, Byzantine Studies, Medieval History, Eastern European History, History of Islam, Classical Archaeology, Christian Archaeology and Byzantine Art History, Early and Prehistorical Archaeology (with a focus on Medieval Archaeology) and Musicology.
The goal of the Research Training Group is to examine the Euro-Mediterranean Cultures of War from a transcultural perspective, from the Roman Imperial Period to the Early Modern Period. With cultures of war are understood to be the forms and practices of war as well as the norms, interpretations, attributions of meaning and reflections referring to war. The mutual processes of exchange, differentiation or reception will be explored via four thematic areas:
1. Strategies of justification and legitimation
2. Conceptualizations of persons and groups
3. Rituals and worship
4. Knowledge and infrastructure
These topics are complemented by four cross-cutting themes. These are dedicated to
the consequences of war, gender roles and gender issues, war narratives and cultural
practices in the context of war. A thorough description of the research programme, the fields of research and the topics can be found on the homepage [https://grk-byzanz-wars.uni-mainz.de/research-fields/]. The prospective dissertation project must address at least one of these thematic areas as well as be housed within one of the participating disciplines. The primary criterion for the evaluation of applications is the originality and quality of the research project summarized in the exposé. Suitable candidates can also apply on the basis of suggested topics – a selection of possible dissertation topics is likewise to be found on the homepage [https://grk-byzanz-wars.uni-mainz.de/job-
advertisements/]
Upon acceptance the graduate students are to participate in a structured doctoral
program at the JGU Mainz, for which residence in Mainz is required. The Research Training Group offers intensive specialized and interdisciplinary exchange, cross-
disciplinary doctoral supervision by two professors from amongst the participating scholars, praxis-oriented courses directed at public engagement (including through museums), a comprehensive range of key qualifications (e.g. from the sphere of Digital Humanities) and diverse opportunities for international networking. Requirements for the application include a degree (Magister, M.A. or the equivalent) completed with above-average marks in a participating or related field as well as openness to interdisciplinary work.
The following application materials are to be submitted electronically in a single .pdf
(in German or English):
A letter of application (one page)
An outline of the planned dissertation project (two pages)
A curriculum vitae with list of publications (if applicable), degree
diplomas, certificates of scholarly activities
Master’s Thesis (or equivalent)
The Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz is keen on increasing the proportion of
women within the sphere of scholarship and therefore especially welcomes
applications from female researchers. Please refer to any disability status in the
application.
For subject-related questions please direct your queries to the corresponding
specialists of the Research Training Group [https://grk-byzanz-wars.uni-
mainz.de/traeger/], other questions to the Spokes-person.
The application deadline ends by 20th May 2023.
The application materials along with two letters of recommendation from university-
level instructors, who should submit their letters separately, are to be addressed to the
Spokesperson of the Research Training Group, Prof. Dr. Johannes Pahlitzsch,
(address: grk2304@uni-mainz.de; subject-line: grk2304_Last Name).
[Fellowships at the Institute of Classical Studies]
Applications are invited for the Dorothy Tarrant, T.B.L. Webster, and A.D. Trendall Fellowships at the Institute of Classical Studies for the academic year 2023-24. Full details of the Fellowships and the application process are available as follows:
Dorothy Tarrant Fellowship at https://ics.sas.ac.uk/awards/fellowships/dorothy-tarrant-fellowship
T.B.L. Webster Fellowship at https://ics.sas.ac.uk/awards/fellowships/tbl-webster-fellowship
A.D. Trendall Fellowship at https://ics.sas.ac.uk/awards/fellowships/a-d-trendall-fellowship
Please note that the deadline for applications is 14 April.
Valerie James
Manager – Institute of Classical Studies and Central Academic Initiatives
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Submissions to the Byzness / Oxford Listings
Those wishing to submit an event, call for papers, or a scholarship / job opportunity to either of our mailing lists, are invited to send relevant details to byzantine.society@gmail.com. We circulate two mailing lists: (1) ‘The Byzness’, a newsletter of events and opportunities of relevance to scholars of the Byzantine and Late Antique worlds, circulated weekly in during the Oxford term and every two weeks outside of term, and (2) ‘The Oxford Listings’, covering the week’s events during the Oxford term, only circulated during term. Events should be brief, in third-person, and include all relevant information in the body of the notice. Outside of exceptional circumstances, we only share events once.
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Nathan Websdale
DPhil Candidate, Faculty of History
President, Oxford University Byzantine Society
https://oxfordbyzantinesociety.wordpress.com
Oxford University Byzantine Society (OUBS) 
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