42nd Symposium on Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Archaeology and Art of the Christian Archaeological Society

2022-10-04

Athens, September 30, 2022 Ref. No. 110/2022

CIRCULAR

42nd Symposium on Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Archaeology and Art of the Christian Archaeological Society

Athens, May 5-7, 2023

Deadline for Submissions: Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Organizing and Scientific Committee:
Ioanna Bitha (president), Georgios Pallis (general secretary), Demetrios Athanasoulis (symposiarch of the one-day thematic conference), Maria Kazanaki-Lappa (treasurer), Anastassios Antonaras, and Klimis Aslanidis

The Board of the Christian Archaeological Society (ΧΑΕ/ChAE) announces the 42nd Symposium on Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Archaeology and Art of the Christian Archaeological Society, which will be held in Athens in May 5-7, 2023, in person. Please consult the following information on the specific topic of the one-day thematic conference and the conditions for participating in the Symposium.

One-day thematic conference of the 42nd Symposium of the ChAE “Byzantium and War”

The special thematic one-day conference, covering one of the three days of the 42nd Symposium of the ChAE, will focus on the material evidence related to war and defense in the territory of Byzantium.

In contrast to the warlike mood that prevailed in the world of the Middle Ages, both in Byzantine society and in the political theory of Constantinople, the ideal of peace, emanating from Christianity, dominated, while war was treated, in the beginning, as a necessary evil. At the same time, Byzantium acting as the sole legitimate heir of the Roman Empire, in the name of its universal character, had not only to defend its lands but also to claim the recovery of the lost territories, therefore it was constantly in a state of war. Given its strategic position, between Europe and Asia, the territories of the Kingdom of Romans were, throughout the Middle Ages, the theater of successive military confrontations.

That is the reason, after all, that the wealth of the imperial treasury was mainly channeled into the implementation of fortification projects and the assurance of a combat-worthy army in order to have the necessary military power to effectively deal with the invaders and their bellicose and expansive character (Germanic tribes, Avars, Arabs, Bulgarians, Normans, Crusaders, Turks, etc.).

Although dealing with the war situation was the constant concern and defined many aspects of the life and culture of the empire, the study of war-related material remains on the fringes of research, despite a recent relative increase in publications.

The aim of the special topic of the one-day conference of the Symposium is to motivate researchers to deal with the subject either with synthetic presentations, or with the publication of unknown material and to contribute to highlight a rather unexplored aspect of the Byzantine world.

The following topics are indicative and concern the material remains of both the Byzantines and the invaders, from the 4th century to 1453.

  •   The defense organization of the state with castles and fortifications: the

    transformation of the cities of Late Antiquity into medieval castles, the castle construction from the transitional centuries to the middle Byzantine era, the crusader castles and the late Byzantine fortifications.

  •   The spatial organization of castles: enceinte walls, fortresses, citadels.

  •   The typology of fortifications: city walls, forts, towers, linear walls.

  •   The design of the fortifications and their evolution. The elements of the

    fortifications: walls, towers, gateways, arrow-slits, crenelations, etc.

  •   Other fortified structures: monasteries, palaces, etc.

  •   Battlefields and sieges.

  •   Siege machines, catapults, crossbows and missiles.

  •   Individual armament: armor, shields, helmets, bows, crossbows, arrows, swords, daggers, spears, maces and other thrusting weapons.

  •   The equestrian equipment.

  •   Depictions in art of battles, naval battles, army, and soldiers: icons, manuscripts,

    frescoes, sculpture, miniature art, metalwork, ceramics, sgraffitos.

  •   The contribution of depictions of military saints to the study of military armament.

  •   Epigraphic evidence.

  •   Weapons smithies and workshops.

  •   War at sea: warships, Greek/liquid fire, shipwrecks and iconography.

    Apart from extended papers assigned to specialists, thematically relevant papers of 15 minutes’ duration will take place on the same day.

    The language of the Symposium is Greek.
    Speakers from abroad may deliver their papers in English or French.

    It is reminded that papers must be original and constitute a substantial contribution to scholarship. They must not exceed 15 minutes in length. Participants can deliver only one paper, even if this is in collaboration with other speaker(s). The subjects of communications should fall within the framework of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Archaeology and Art.

    Due to the large number of papers submitted for the annual Symposium of the ChAE, the Board encourages all those planning to present work involving excavations, restoration projects, and the conservation of art works and monuments, to consider presenting their contributions in the form of posters. Participants will assume responsibility for creating and printing their posters (60×85 cm [A1]), while their display in a specially designed location will be the responsibility of the Committee. Posters should be submitted to the Committee on the morning preceding the opening of the Symposium. During the Symposium participants with posters will be allotted time to present their contributions to the public.

    Please indicate upon submission, whether the proposed paper (a) concerns the special theme of the one-day conference of the Symposium or it is a free communication, and (b) if it will be delivered orally or in poster form.

As in previous Symposia, the summaries of contributions will be published. The resulting publication has the character of a preliminary presentation. The summaries must include essential information regarding subject, content, and originality of the paper. Those interested are requested to send by e-mail a summary of their proposed contribution (major paper, communication, poster presentation), without footnotes or bibliography, which can only include small line drawings, and must be submitted in digital form (please follow the attached example).

The Board of the Christian Archaeological Society, and especially the Organizing and Scientific Committee of the 42nd Symposium of the ChAE reserve the right to propose changes or reject summaries which:

  •   do not deal with the fields of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine archaeology and art

  •   do not meet the standards of originality and contribution to scholarship

  •   include personal attacks

  •   are submitted after the deadline

    To participate in the 42nd Symposium of the ChAE, applications either for free communication or within the context of the special theme of the one-day Conference must be submitted, along with the summaries, by Wednesday, January 25, 2023, to the ChAE e-mail: [email protected]

    On behalf of the Board of the Christian Archaeological Society

INFORMATION

Secretariat of the ChAE Symposium:

Christian Archaeological Society, c/o Byzantine and Christian Museum, Mrs Sophia Giannioti, office days: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 9:00-14:00, tel.: + 30 213 213 9556.

Please support the organisation of the Symposium by purchasing the booklet with the program and the summaries of the major papers, communications and posters of the Symposium, the cost of which is set at 15€.

Annual membership of the Christian Archaeological Society for the year 2023 is 30€. Payment of fees for the current or previous years can be made during the Symposium; however electronic payments into the following accounts are encouraged:

National Bank of Greece: IBAN GR5101100800000008067565229. Alpha Bank: IBAN GR6701401150115002320011728. (Beneficiary: Christian Archaeological Society).

During the Symposium, ChAE publications will be made available at a 40% discount.

For those who have settled their membership fees (including the year 2023) the discount will be 50%.

To subscribe to the electronic mailing list of the Christian Archaeological Society, please send your request to: [email protected]. 

You can find the Circular here.