Making and Unmaking Memory in the Ancient World: From the 7th Century BCE to the 7th Century CE
The conference aims to explore a wide variety of aspects relating to the building, dismantling and reconstructing of memory and reputation across the various cultures bordering on the ancient Mediterranean, and over a wide time-frame. We know that memory and history are not fixed, objective occurrences, but are subjective representations of reality, and we can see evidence of this in the way in which those items which transmit memory are manipulated and used throughout antiquity. Memory and history, for example, are often reconstructed in light of various utopian (or even dystopian) ideals, thereby creating visions of the future that are based on strategic manipulations of the past. The unmaking and reconstitution of memory can be discreet, but more often it occurs through violent means, whether through discursive and/or physical violence, which is an important aspect for further investigation.
The proposed conference aims to create fruitful interaction between the disciplines of Classics, Early Christian Studies, Late Antiquity and Byzantine Studies, by exploring both ancient written material and/or ancient material culture within the stated theme. The conference thus offers multiple areas for further exploration, of which the following fields are a sample: