School of History, Classics & Archaeology

Centre for Late Antique, Islamic and Byzantine Studies seminars

The Centre for Late Antique, Islamic and Byzantine Studies seminars combine select sessions of the Classics, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and History of Christianity Research seminars with the Byzantine Studies seminars. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Time and location

The composite Centre for Late Antique, Islamic and Byzantine Studies seminar series take place throughout the year at 5:15pm unless stated otherwise. For details please see below and please check below for changes and venues. 

Semester 2 2022/23

Date Speaker Topic Venue
Mon 16 Jan

Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila (University of Edinburgh)

‘Narratives from the dark age. Persian tales from early Islamic times’

Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar

Project Room, 50 George Square
Tue 24 Jan Stuart Airlie (University of Glasgow), Tom Brown, Roger Collins, Lucy Grig (all Edinburgh), Linda Safran (Toronto)

‘Italy, the east Roman world and Early Medieval Europe’

Discussion and celebration of Thomas S. Brown’s 'Festschrift'

With Medieval History Research Seminars

LG.09, 40 George Square
Tue 31 Jan Nora K. Schmid (University of Hamburg)

'Asceticism in sermons of Kharijites and Islamic renunciants’

Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations Research Seminar

4:10pm, Althaus-Reid Room, New College
Wed 8 Feb Giulia Marolla (University of Bari)

‘Four Burgundian kings in 5th century Gaul? The case of Sidonius Ep. 5.7

Classics Research Seminar

5:10pm, Teviot Lecture Theatre
Mon 13 Feb Panagiotis Agapitos (University of Cyprus)

‘Byzantine literature within a medieval Eurasian literary supersystem: Amorous tales and the practice of narrative fiction’

Byzantine Studies Research Seminar

LG.11, 40 George Square
Tue 14 Feb

Andrew Peacock (University of St Andrews)

CANCELLED

‘Translating the Bible in Mongol Tabriz: Persian manuscripts, Syriac translators and European patronage’

Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations Research Seminar

 
Wed 15 Feb

Adrastos Omissi (University of Glasgow)

CANCELLED

‘Late Roman Italy, Late Roman Gaul: Their strategic and geographic relationship’

Classics Research Seminar

 

Mon 20 Feb

9.00 - 6.00pm

Classics Workshop

‘Authors, addressees, and audiences in Roman letters’

Please contact Professor Gavin Kelly (Gavin.Kelly@ed.ac.uk) for details

Seminar Room 1, Crystal McMillan Building
Thu 9–Sun 12 Mar 2nd Edinburgh Byzantine Book Festival

Details to follow

Please contact Dr Petros Bouras-Vallianatos (petros.bouras-vallianatos@ed.ac.uk) for details

On Zoom
Wed 15 Mar

Linda Safran (University of Toronto)

CANCELLED

‘Contacts between Sinai and Southern Italy’

Byzantine Studies Research Seminar with History of Art Research Seminar

Hunter Theatre, Hunter Building (ECA), 74 Lauriston Place

Tue 21 Mar

4:10pm

Neelam Hussain (Mingana Collection of Middle Eastern Manuscripts)

‘Manuscripts, readers & reading communities: Tracing the career of the Sirr al-Asrār through time and space’

Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations Research Seminar

Althaus-Reid Room, New College
Mon 27 Mar Yan Zaripov (University of Oxford)

‘The poetics of theatricality in Theodoros Prodromos’s epigrams on the Old and New Testament’

Byzantine Studies Seminar

LG.09, 40 George Square
Mon 3 Apr Hilary Kilpatrick (Independent)

‘Shī’īs, Christians, and the uses of artifice: Approaches to Arabic poetry in the Ottoman era’

Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar

Project Room, 50 George Square

Tue 4 Apr

4:10pm

Hilary Kilpatrick (Independent)

‘What is al-Shābushtī's (d. c. 999) Kitāb al-diyārāt (The Book of Monasteries) really about?’

Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations Research Seminar

Elizabeth Templeton Lecture Room, New College
Mon 24 Apr Zachary Chitwood (University of Mainz)

'Electiveaffinities: Papal and regal privileges for Mount Athos and the holy mountain’srelationship with the Medieval West'

Byzantine Studies Seminar

Usha Kasera Lecture Theatre, Old College

Wed 10 May

5:10pm

Tim Penn (University of Edinburgh/ University of Oxford)

'​​Finding intramural burials in the towns of late antique and early medieval Italy: visibility, accessibility and memory'

Classics Research Seminar

Meadows Lecture Theatre
Thu 15 May

Benjamin Anderson  (Cornell University)

Mirela Ivanova (University of Sheffield)

Title tbc

Byzantine Studies Seminar

Usha Kasera Lecture Theatre, Old College
Wed 31 May Louise Blanke (University of Edinburgh) Title tbc 17:10, tbc
Date tbc (May) Margaret Mullett (University of Edinburgh), Scott Redford (SOAS), N. N. Event in honour of Professor Jim Crow Tbc

Semester 1 2022/23

Date Speaker Topic Venue

Mon 3 Oct

Nik Matheou (University of Edinburgh)

‘Merchant oligarchy in the imperial east? The city of Ani under Roman rule, 1045–1064’

Byzantine Studies seminar

LG.11, 40 George Square

Mon 10 Oct

Marie Legendre, Abdullah Haidar, Leone Pecorini Goodall (all University of Edinburgh)

‘The Umayyad Women Project’

Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research seminar

Project Room, 50 George Square

Wed 12 Oct

Book launch event - Maureen Carroll, "The Making of a Roman Imperial Estate. Archaeology in the Vicus at Vagnari, Puglia" (Oxford: Archaeopress, 2022) and Alastair Small and Carola Small, "Archaeology on the Apulian – Lucanian Border" (Oxford: Archaeopress, 2002).

With contributions from Maureen Carroll (University of Sheffield), Alastair Small (University of Edinburgh), Carola Small (University of Edinburgh), Robert Leighton (University of Edinburgh), and Ben Russell (University of Edinburgh). Reception sponsored by Archaeopress.

NB 5:10pm

Classics Research seminar

Meadows Lecture Theatre

Tues 18 Oct

James Cave (University of York)

With an introduction to the project by Gianluca Raccagni (University of Edinburgh)

A “Viking” in the sun: Using creative practice to explore performativity in the Mediterranean world of Harald Hardrarda’

Byzantine Studies seminar with the History & Games Lab

LG.09, 40 George Square
Mon 31 Oct Salam Rassi (University of Edinburgh)

'Christian kingship and its discontents in the liturgy, historiography, and theology of the church of the east'

CLAIBS seminar

LG.11, 40 George Square

Tue 1 Nov

Carole Hillenbrand (University of Edinburgh)

Mary the mother of Jesus in Islam

2022 Montgomery Watt Lecture (IMES)

G.03, 50 George Square
Mon 14 Nov Nadine Viermann (Durham University)

‘In and out of Constantinople: Early 7th century coronation rituals in context’

Byzantine Studies seminar

LG.11, 40 George Square
Wed 16 Nov

Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis (British Museum)

Parthia and Rome: Interaction and conflict

To be followed by a celebration of the publication of Eberhard Sauer et al., "Ancient arms race: Antiquity’s largest fortresses and Sasanian military networks of Northern Iran" (Oxford: Oxbow, 2022)

NB 5:10pm

Classics Research seminar

Teviot Lecture Theatre

Mon 21 Nov 

Lucy Grig (University of Edinburgh)

‘Lived religion and popular culture in Late Antiquity: Approaches and methods’

NB 4:10pm

History of Christianity Seminar

Elizabeth Templeton Lecture Theatre, School of Divinity

Thurs 1 Dec

 

Rebecca Darley (University of Leeds), Elena Paulino Montero (UNED, Madrid), Mike Carr, Nik Matheou, Niels Gaul (all University of Edinburgh)

‘Writing the global Middle Ages: Themes and approaches’

NB 4:00pm

CLAIBS seminar with the Edinburgh Centre for Global History

Meadows Lecture Theatre, Old Medical School, Doorway 4

Further information 

For further information please contact:

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