Epistolography, knowledge, and the Ancient World on October 03-04, 2025 in Bucharest, Romania

Epistolography, knowledge, and the Ancient World on October 03-04, 2025 in Bucharest, Romania

Epistolary communication played a major role in numerous ancient societies in the Near East, the Mediterranean region, and the Far East. The convention of creating, disseminating, and preserving letters differs among civilisations and time periods. However, irrespective of the circumstances, it has fulfilled a diverse range of purposes: a method of conveying information of different kinds; a tool for governing and managing land and communities; a literary and rhetorical medium essential for establishing and validating knowledge; and so forth.

 

Equally significant is the function that these writings serve in contemporary historical inquiry by unveiling public and private interactions, political activities, or intellectual discussions. We invite historians, philologists, theologians, philosophers, art historians and other experts in diverse fields of ancient studies to deliver academic contributions derived from the examination of epistolary material spanning from the second millennium BC to late antiquity. Our specific emphasis is on the function of letters as a means of conveying information and organising knowledge.

 

Furthermore, we also welcome contributions pertaining to modern correspondence exchanges that are integral to the development of the fields of ancient studies. These may include scholarly correspondence, collegial exchanges, or other types of letters that provide a deeper comprehension of the context and epistemic foundation of modern knowledge regarding the ancient world.

The approaches could include, but are not limited to:

- Correspondence, family, and friendship in ancient societies

- Ancient commercial correspondence

- Letters, information and administration in the ancient world

- Diplomacy and epistolography of the ancient empires

- Materials, techniques, and literary styles in ancient epistolography

- Archiving practices for official and personal letters

- Letters and the formation of communities in the ancient world

- Real and imaginary letters as validation of knowledge in ancient texts

- The discovery of the ancient world: academic and intellectual correspondence from the Renaissance to the 20th century.

- Collecting antiques: letter exchanges of modern collectors and antiquarians.

We are considering proposals for individual papers and/or complete panels.

Individual presentations (oral) should not exceed 15 minutes. Proposals must include a summary (200-300 words) and a brief CV of the authors (no more than half a page).

A panel should not exceed 90 minutes. A panel proposal must include 3-5 individual presentations, the panel's title, summaries of each contribution, brief biographies of the panel organiser and the contributors.

Deadlines:

The deadline for the individual presentations and/or the panel proposals: February 28, 2025, at [email protected]

The deadline for the announcement of acceptance/rejection of proposals: March 15, 2025.

Registration: April 15 – May 15, 2025.

Publication opportunities:

Contributors may choose to publish either in the conference proceedings book (Bucharest University Press) or in the CICSA Journal online (indexed CEEOL). Each paper will undergo a double peer-review process before publication.

Organizers:

The Department of Ancient History, Archaeology and Art History, Faculty of History. University of Bucharest

The Centre for Compared History of Ancient Societies, University of Bucharest

Asociatia Cetatea Histria / The Istros Polis Association


Name: UNIVERSITY OF BUCHAREST
Website: http://www.unibuc.ro
Address: Sos. Panduri 90

Epistolography, knowledge, and the Ancient World Conference, University of Bucharest, October 3-4, 2025. CFP deadline: February 28, 2025 Epistolary communication played a major role in numerous ancient societies in the Near East, the Mediterranean region, and the Far East. The convention of creating, disseminating, and preserving letters differs among civilisations and time periods. However, irrespective of the circumstances, it has fulfilled a diverse range of purposes: a method of conveying information of different kinds; a tool for governing and managing land and communities; a literary and rhetorical medium essential for establishing and validating knowledge; and so forth. Equally significant is the function that these writings serve in contemporary historical inquiry by unveiling public and private interactions, political activities, or intellectual discussions. We extend invitations to historians, philologists, theologians, and experts in diverse fields of ancient studies to deliver academic contributions derived from the examination of epistolary material spanning from the second millennium BC to late antiquity. Our specific emphasis is on the function of letters as a means of conveying information and organising knowledge. Furthermore, we also welcome contributions pertaining to contemporary epistolary exchanges that are integral to the historical development of ancient sciences. These exchanges may include scholarly correspondence, collegial exchanges, or other types of letters that provide a deeper comprehension of the context and epistemic foundation of modern knowledge about the ancient world. The approaches could include, but are not limited to: - Correspondence, family, and friendship in ancient societies - Ancient commercial correspondence - Letters, information and administration in the ancient world - Diplomacy and epistolography of the ancient empires - Materials, techniques, and literary styles in ancient epistolography - Archiving practices for official and personal letters - Letters and the formation of communities in the ancient world - Real and imaginary letters as validation of knowledge in ancient texts - The discovery of the ancient world: academic and intellectual correspondence from the Renaissance to the 20th century. - Collecting antiques: letter exchanges of modern collectors and antiquarians. We are considering proposals for individual papers and/or complete panels. Individual presentations (oral) should not exceed 15 minutes. Proposals must include a summary (200-300 words) and a brief CV of the authors (no more than half a page). A panel should not exceed 90 minutes. A panel proposal must include 3-5 individual presentations, the panel's title, summaries of each contribution, brief biographies of the panel organiser and the contributors. Contact : [email protected] Details: https://istorie.unibuc.ro/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/cfp-Epistolography.pdf
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