The Young Scholars Circle of the HAEMUS (YSCH) International Research Network is pleased to invite you to its second International Online Seminar for PhD students and Postdocs: What Means Late Antiquity in the Balkans? New Concepts, Historiographies and Case Studies for the Period between the 3^rd and the 8^th Centuries. This second edition of the YSCH online seminar aims to stimulate a discussion that, relying on the most recent studies and ongoing research, can contribute in identifying the main features and phenomena that characterised the Balkan Peninsula between the 3rd and the 8th century.

Argument

This second edition of the YSCH online seminar aims to stimulate a discussion that, relying on the most recent studies and ongoing research, can contribute in identifying the main features and phenomena that characterised the Balkan Peninsula between the 3rd and the 8th century. Depending on the starting point of view adopted for such a task, this period has been defined as Late Antiquite, Late Roman, Early Christian and Early Byzantine era.

Taking into account the distinctive features of this historical period, as defined in the major epistemological works on the matter, and recognising the elements of rupture and continuity from the previous era, the debate will propose answers to the following questions:

1. What means Late Antiquite/Late Roman/Early Christian/Early Byzantine in the Balkans? (Viz. how Late Antiquity is generally perceived in studies produced in the Balkans and on the peninsula.)
2. These formulas are to be accepted as simple synonyms for Late Antique or the latter is to be considered a precise definition for a peculiar period?
3. What makes the Balkans specific and what makes it an integral part of the Empire between the 3rd and the 8th century?

This seminar will be multidisciplinary, relying on any kind of testimonies available in the fields of history, archaeology and art history. Among the themes for which discussion are encouraged, we can mention (but not exclusively):

• Historiography
• Epigraphy
• Numismatics
• Topography
• Iconography
• Administration
• Urban development
• Military organisation
• Religion
• Migrations

How to apply

Presentations from PhD students or Postdocs who have defended their PhD dissertation during the last 5 years are accepted from this call for papers.

The title of the paper, an abstract (200-400 words) and 5 keywords can be sent to haemusyoungscholars@gmail.com 

by the 31st of October 2024.

• Presentations may be in English and in French.
• The seminar will take place online on the 25 November 2024.
• Each presentation (c. 20 minutes) will be followed by a small discussion (c. 10 minutes).

Coordinators

• Ivan Gargano, Postdoctoral Fellow (trainee) at the Archaeological Institute, Belgrade
• Maria Noussis, Postdoctoral Fellow of the FNRS at the Université Libre de Bruxelles
• Priscilla Ralli, Postdoctoral Fellow (scientific member) at the École française d'Athènes
• Social media managers:
• Aleksandar Ivanov, PhD Student at Sofia University “Sv. Kliment Ohridski", and archaeologist/young scholar at the National Archaeological Institute with Museum of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
• Marion Jobczyk, PhD Student at the Paris 8 University Vincennes-Saint-Denis / ArScAn-UMR 7041 research centre (CNRS, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris Nanterre, Paris 8, Inrap)