Oxford – XV International Graduate Conference 2013. Oxford University Byzantine Society

Landscapes of Power

22-23 February 2013, History Faculty, University of Oxford

Call for Papers

 

Late Antique and Byzantine Studies have often been seen as an undiscovered country, esoteric and arcane, but there is no doubting to the initiated that Byzantium is not a monolithic, unchanged and unchanging world, but rather a myriad of overlapping and intersecting landscapes, where power is everywhere and in everything. From the solemnity of the monastic scriptoria, to the successes and failures of imperial policy in the corridors of the palace; from the imagined landscapes of Byzantine literature, to the changing practices of daily life, power and its landscapes are central to an full understanding of Late Antique and Byzantine Studies.

We are interested in papers that explore the diverse applications and representations of power, in all fields of Late Antique and Byzantine studies, including history, art history, archaeology, theology, literature, and philology. A broad range of approaches to Landscapes of Power, both historical and historiographical, are welcome.

Possible themes might include:

– Political Landscapes

– Literary Representations of Power

– Ecclesiastical and Religious Landscapes

– The Physical Manifestations of Power

– Artistic and Symbolic Landscapes

– The Power of Byzantine History

– The Shifting Landscape of Byzantine Culture and Society

– The Power of Memory within the diverse Byzantine Landscapes

 

Please send an abstract of no more than 250 words, along with a few words about yourself and your academic background, to the Oxford University Byzantine Society atbyzantine.society@gmail.com by Friday, 30th November 2012. Final papers should be 20 minutes in length.

For the first time the conference committee is endeavouring to publish a selection of inter-related papers, chosen both by quality and pertinence to our theme. Any speakers who wish to have their papers considered for publication should bear this in mind when making their application, but all applications will be gratefully received regardless of our publication aims. More details will follow to speakers nearer the time.

 

Subject to funding, the OUBS hopes to offer subsidised accommodation for visiting speakers. More information will be available in early 2013. We regret that we are unable to cover travel expenses to and from Oxford, but encourage all participants to apply to their home institutions for travel grants. www.oxfordbyzantinesociety.wordpress.com/international-graduate-conference-2013/

Jerusalem – Postdoctoral Research Fellowship 2013-2014

The Center for the Study of Christianity at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem invites
applications for a postdoctoral research fellowship in one of the following areas of study:

* New Testament, Early Christianity, its literature and Jewish context

* Eastern Christianity

*Christianity in Palestine/Eretz-Israel (in all fields and throughout its entire history)

* Jewish-Christian relations

 

What the CSC is offering:

The successful candidate will be awarded for one year (or 6 months), beginning on 1
September 2013:

A grant of $2000 per month

Travel expenses

Library privileges at the Hebrew University

The postdoctoral fellow is expected to pursue her/his own research and publications, and to
participate in the ongoing academic activities of the CSC. The fellow will be expected to
deliver one or two lectures about her/his own research, and to be present in the Hebrew
University for the duration of the fellowship. The fellowship requires residence in
Jerusalem.

Candidates should have received their Ph.D. degree after 1 July 2009 and before 1 July
2013 at the latest, from an institution other than the Hebrew University.

Applications:

1. A letter of interest

2. Curriculum vitae

3. A list of publications

4. A research project description (about two pages in length)

5. Two letters of recommendation (one from her/his Ph.D. supervisor)

6. An official copy of her/his Ph.D. degree certificate or Ph.D. submission

Please email your application to the secretary of the CSC, Irina Kaminsky: csc@mscc.huji.ac.il

 

Deadline: 15 January 2013

 

For further information write to: Brouria Bitton-Ashkelony

Director, The Center for the Study of Christianity
http://csc.org.il
ashkelon@mscc.huji.ac.il

Annonce en pdf

 

HAIDAR VELA NAIRUSZ — Un lot de céramiques du VIIe siècle à Halabiya (Syrie)

Un lot de céramiques du VIIe siècle à Halabiya (Syrie)
Nairusz HAIDAR VELA, Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.

            Les niveaux de transition byzantino-omeyyade demeurent mal connus en Syrie, en dépit de l’importance qu’ils revêtent pour la compréhension des sites. Longtemps à tort, les chercheurs ont considéré que la majorité des villes et villages connaissaient leur occupation interrompue à la fin de l’époque byzantine. Néanmoins, depuis quelques décennies, les fouilles stratigraphiques ont permis d’attester une continuité de l’occupation de la période byzantine à l’époque islamique sur de nombreux sites en Syrie du Nord. L’absence de nouvelles constructions ne traduit plus nécessairement un abandon et la transition byzantino-omeyyade est mieux appréciée, ce qui a permis de porter un nouveau regard sur cette période.

            Dans le domaine de la céramologie, nous sommes toutefois, encore aujourd’hui, confrontés à un manque de publications issues de sites ayant une occupation continue de l’époque byzantine à l’époque islamique. Le passage de la céramique byzantine à la céramique omeyyade n’est donc pas toujours facile à percevoir dans cette région où les productions, tout en restant tributaires des caractéristiques locales, s’imprègnent d’influences extérieures. Loin de rompre totalement avec la tradition de l’Antiquité classique, la céramique du VIIe s. est empreinte de caractéristiques propres à l’époque protobyzantine auxquelles se mêlent de nouvelles propriétés qui se développeront tout au long des premiers temps de l’Islam ; le matériel issu des fouilles de Halabiya, sur l’Euphrate, constitue un témoignage explicite de ce phénomène.

            À travers le matériel issu d’un secteur d’habitat de Halabiya, exceptionnel par son état de conservation, cette présentation dressera un panorama des poteries en usage durant la phase de transition byzantino-omeyyade. De nombreux contextes liés à cette occupation ont été mis au jour, livrant des poteries de tradition byzantine associées à de nouvelles formes désormais caractéristiques des répertoires arabo-musulmans. Nous nous attacherons donc à présenter les caractéristiques héritées des productions protobyzantines ainsi que les « influences » proprement islamiques.