Trading Places: Byzantium and the Mediterranean World in the Later Middle Ages, Harvard University and First Church in Cambridge, April 16 & 17, 2015
The Mediterranean basin has long been a zone of cultural, economic, and artistic encounter and exchange. This was particularly true in the Middle Ages (c. 500-1500 CE), as the three great religious traditions of Late Antiquity (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) battled, bartered with, and borrowed from one another in a variety of political and cultural contexts. Focusing on the centuries from 1200 to 1500, Trading Places: Byzantium and the Mediterranean World in the Later Middle Ages will explore the Mediterranean world as a “trading place” between Byzantine, Islamic, Jewish, and Western societies.
The symposium includes a keynote lecture by David Abulafia (Cambridge University), three multidisciplinary panels addressing the economic, artistic, and material contours of medieval cultural exchange, presentations on recent work in the digital humanities, a medieval coins and seals workshop, and a concert celebrating the rich musical heritage of the medieval Mediterranean world, with performances by Holy Cross St. Romanos the Melodist Byzantine Choir, Natasha Roule, and Voice of the Turtle.
All events are free and open to the public.
Please visit the conference website (http://tradingplacesconference.org/) for a full description of events and to RSVP.
Space for the workshops is limited. To reserve a place, please contact Dana Ciccotello (dana_ciccotello@harvard.edu) by April 10.
Organizers
Eurydice Georganteli, Department of History of Art and Architecture, Harvard University; Brandie Ratliff, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, Hellenic College Holy Cross; Nicholas Watson, Department of English and Committee on Medieval Studies, Harvard University; Sean Gilsdorf, Committee on Medieval Studies, Harvard University
Sponsors
Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection; European Commission, Research & Innovation, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions; Harvard Art Museums; Harvard University Department of History of Art + Architecture; Harvard University Provostial Fund for the Arts and Humanities; Harvard University Standing Committee on Medieval Studies; Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture at Hellenic College Holy Cross
For information about the event, please contact Brandie Ratliff, Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture (mjcbac@hchc.edu).
