Announcements

Call for Sessions: Mary Jaharis Center Sponsored Panel, 60th International Congress on Medieval Studies

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To encourage the integration of Byzantine studies within the scholarly community and medieval studies in particular, the Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture seeks proposals for a Mary Jaharis Center sponsored session at the 60th International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, May 8–10, 2024. We invite session proposals on any topic relevant to Byzantine studies.

Session proposals must be submitted through the Mary Jaharis Center website. The deadline for submission is May 13, 2024.

If the proposed session is approved, the Mary Jaharis Center will reimburse a maximum of 4 session participants (presenters and moderator) up to $800 maximum for scholars traveling from North America and up to $1400 maximum for those traveling from outside North America. Funding is through reimbursement only; advance funding cannot be provided.

For further details and submission instructions, please visit https://maryjahariscenter.org/sponsored-sessions/60th-icms.

Contact Brandie Ratliff, Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, with any questions.

Online Lecture: A Republic of Letters in Verse? Syriac Poems Addressed to Individuals and Communities

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The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture and the Mashtots Professor of Armenian Studies at Harvard University are pleased to announce the final lecture in the 2023–2024 East of Byzantium lecture series.


Tuesday, April 23, 2024 | 12:00 PM (EDT, UTC -4) | Zoom
A Republic of Letters in Verse? Syriac Poems Addressed to Individuals and Communities (9th to 13th Centuries)
Salam Rassi, University of Edinburgh

Poetry has long been recognised as a key genre in Syriac literature. The metrical homily is among the earliest sites of theological exposition in the Syriac tradition. My paper will trace developments in Syriac poetry between the 9th and 13th centuries to understand how the genre evolved into a form of scholarly exchange within and across the Syriac churches. I argue that Syriac poetry often functioned as an elite means of communication. In addition to being an important vehicle for ideas, the genre opens a window onto the intellectual and cultural milieus of its authors and other educated members of their communities.

Salam Rassi is Lecturer of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations at the School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh. His main area of research is Christian-Muslim interactions across theology, philosophy, and literature. Following the completion of his doctorate at the University of Oxford, he became a Mellon Foundation postdoctoral fellow at the American University of Beirut. He has also worked as a cataloguer of Syriac and Arabic manuscripts at the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, Minnesota and was a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at Oxford. His first book, entitled Christian Thought in the Medieval Islamicate World, was published by Oxford University Press in early 2022.

Advance registration required. Register: https://eastofbyzantium.org/upcoming-events/

Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjcbac@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture with any questions.

An East of Byzantium lecture. EAST OF BYZANTIUM is a partnership between the Mashtots Professor of Armenian Studies at Harvard University and the Mary Jaharis Center that explores the cultures of the eastern frontier of the Byzantine empire in the late antique and medieval periods.

Byzantine Studies Lectures (NHRF), April 2024

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The Byzantine Studies Lectures of the Institute of Historical Research (National Hellenic Research Foundation) continue on Monday April 22 with a hybrid lecture on:

Byzantine Medicine in Light of the Global Middle Ages: Current Trends and Future Avenues

 Petros Bouras–Vallianatos National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

18:00 EET, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48, V. Constantinou Av. 11635, Athens.

To join via Zoom please follow the link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8yzZ0I3jT1a96KDpwymxFg

CFP Workshop LMU 22-23 November 2024

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In memoriam: Harry J. Magoulias

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In memory of Harry J. Magoulias

March 25, 2024

This obituary was published on the Wayne State University History Department website.

Harry J. Magoulias, professor emeritus of Wayne State University, Detroit Michigan, passed away peacefully at home in Del Mar, California on Feb. 19, 2024.

Magoulias taught in the history department from 1965 to 1990. As a specialist in Byzantine history, he was one of the first scholars trained in the U.S. to publish an overview of the empire and its civilization, “Byzantine Christianity: Emperor, Church and the West” (1970). His subsequent publications were annotated translations of key witnesses to the conquest of Constantinople in the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. His “Decline and Fall of Byzantium to the Ottoman Turks” (1975), the translation of Doukas’ “Historia Turco-Byzantina,” made a uniquely valuable account of the events leading up to and succeeding the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 available to an Anglophone readership. Similarly, the single most important eyewitness account of the Fourth Crusade, “O City of Byzantium” (1984), made the capacious annals of Niketas Choniates accessible to a wider readership, thereby stimulating a more complex and nuanced understanding of relations between Byzantium and the Latin West. Additionally, he published thirteen articles that are listed on his page at the website Academia.edu.

In his later years, Magoulias published a book of short stories, “I Tell You What Love Is” (1993), which captures colorful vignettes of the Greek-American experience of his past generation.

Magoulias was born in Baltimore, MD in 1925, to parents who had emigrated from the Sparta, Lakonia region of Greece. His father was a Greek Orthodox priest, which proved decisive in the career trajectory of his son.

As a result, Magoulias was directed to the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, where he was ordained a priest. There his interest in Byzantine theology and culture was awakened, and while serving as a parish priest in Detroit in the 1950s, he started taking classes at Wayne State University, where he received his B.A. and M.A. degrees. A promising student, his professors persuaded him to pursue a Ph.D., and with their support, he received a full scholarship to Harvard, and was subsequently a research fellow at Dumbarton Oaks, where he completed his Ph.D. thesis, “The Lives of the Saints as Sources of Data for Sixth and Seventh Century Byzantine Social and Economic History” (1961).

In addition to his scholarship as a noted Byzantinist, he was pivotal in designing the Byzantine mosaics and stained glass windows of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Paul in Hempstead, Long Island, where his brother was the priest. Completed in 1979, the new artwork inaugurated an interest in decorating American Orthodox churches with authentic Byzantine iconography. The highlight of the work of St. Paul’s is a remarkable mosaic rendering of the Anastasis fresco from the Church of Chora in present-day Istanbul.

Professor Magoulias is survived by his wife, Ariadne, sons, Konstantin and Michael and grandchildren Maximus, Marcus, Genevieve and Harry, as well as nieces and nephews.

Announcement for next MJC BSANA workshop (data)

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The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture and the Byzantine Studies Association of North America are pleased to offer a week-long data workshop for graduate students and early career researchers in collaboration with Dr. Paula Loreto Granados García of The British Museum and Dr. Ryan Horne of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Data Literacy for Byzantinists, workshop by Paula Loreto Granados García (The British Museum) and Ryan Horne (UCLA), Zoom, May 13–17, 2024, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM EDT (with a lunch break and lab time)

This online workshop will offer Byzantinists an introduction to data and its management. Participants will explore the data lifecycle from creation and acquisition through analysis and visualization and learn best practices for data management. This material will be complemented by sessions touching on data analysis—particularly social network analysis—IIIF, linked open data (LOD) and the Semantic Web, the basics of Python and Jupyter Notebook, and spatial humanities and geodata. Participants will be introduced to an array of tools, such as Gephi, OpenRefine, Quarto, Recogitio, Tableau, and Voyant. Throughout the week, participants will learn the basics of GitHub, create accounts, and setup GitHub pages that will be used during the workshop. Participants will use their own data and prepared datasets to complete assigned exercises.

The workshop is limited to 15 participants. The time commitment for this workshop is 20 hours of instruction and an additional 30 minutes to an hour between sessions for practice exercises and preparation for following session. Participants are expected to attend all sessions. Registration is first come, first served.

 

Registration closes Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

Who is eligible?

  • Graduate students and early career researchers (PhD received after May 2016) in the field of Byzantine studies. Students enrolled in graduate programs in North America and early career researchers working in North America will be given priority. Graduate students and early career researchers outside of North America will be placed on a waiting list and contacted if space is available.
  • All participants must be BSANA members. BSANA membership is free for graduate students and early-career contingent scholars who have earned their PhD within the last eight years and who do not hold a permanent or tenure-track appointment.

To read a full description of the workshop and register your interest, please visit https://maryjahariscenter.org/events/data-literacy-for-byzantinists.

Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjcbac@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, with any questions.

 

 

History of Science in the Medieval World summer school

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The History of Science in the Medieval World (HSMW) summer school, organized by St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo, with Academic Theatre Ikaros, in cooperation with the International Summer Seminar in Bulgarian Language and Culture (University of Veliko Tarnovo), with the support of the Faculty of Slavic Studies, Sofia University is happy to announce its Second 2024 edition which will take place from 15 to 19 July 2024 in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. 

In its pilot 2022 edition, HSMW Summer School introduced the participants to the medieval epistemic fields (sciences) which study the natural world (the kosmos) as a space, namely geography, cosmography, and astronomy. In 2024, we shift the focus to the history of knowledge and the practitioners and their practices: from the geographers and the astronomers, the map and instrument makers, to the users of medieval herbals and the artisans preparing sgraffito pottery and enamel.

The instructors include: Marie-Hélène Blanchet (CNRS, UMR 8167 Orient et Méditerranée, Monde byzantin); Chiara D’Agostini (Department of Culture and Language, University of Southern Denmark); Aneta Dimitrova (Faculty of Slavic Studies, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”); Stephanie Drew (Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York); Rossina Kostova (Department of Archaeology, Faculty of History, St Cyril and St Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo); Divna Manolova (MSCA Paris Region Postdoctoral Fellow, Université PSL-Observatoire de Paris, SYRTE, CNRS); Angel Nikolov (Faculty of History, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”); Shannon Steiner (Independent Researcher, Practicing Goldsmith).

The participants will acquire fundamental knowledge concerning the place and role of the sciences in the intellectual world of the Middle Ages. They will also develop an understanding of premodern science as a spectrum of disciplines wider than the late antique framework of the four mathematical sciences (arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy) and inclusive of all epistemic domains dedicated to the creation, preservation, and transfer of knowledge. The School relies on a discussion-based and experiential / experimental format. That is, the School includes workshops, which will guide the participants into the use of medieval scientific manuscripts, texts, and instruments, and will introduce them to tradition and modern practice of sgraffito ware production in the city of Veliko Tarnovo. The lectures will be conducted in a hybrid way, whereas the workshops will be in person.

Application Deadline: 29 April 2024  

In order to apply, please send a short bio and description of what motivates your application (maximum one page altogether). There is no need to submit your extended CV.

Please indicate in your application whether you would like to attend the Summer School in person or online.

Please address your application materials and your informal inquiries to Dr Divna Manolova at manolova.divna@gmail.com.

Available places: The School offers ten places for in-person participants wishing to attend both the lecture and workshop sessions. There is no limit for the number of online participants, but their registration is restricted solely to the lecture sessions. During the selection process, preference will be given to MA and PhD students, but researchers, writers, artists, and non-academic professionals with an interest in the Middle Ages and / or History of Science are also welcome to apply.

We cannot offer any financial support to cover travel and accommodation expenses.

There is no participation fee.

The common discussion language of the School will be English. If the participants know a medieval scholarly language (for this edition: Latin, Greek and/or Old Church Slavonic), this would be an advantage, but it is not an essential requirement for participation.

For more information about the HSMW summer school and for the full programme, see here. The poster is available here. I am also attaching them to the present email. If you would consider sharing them through your networks, that would be of great help!

Joan and Eugene Vanderpool Fellowship at the Athenian Agora

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JOAN AND EUGENE VANDERPOOL FELLOWSHIP AT THE ATHENIAN AGORA

Deadline: May 15, 2024

The Joan and Eugene Vanderpool Fellowship at the Athenian Agora supports research on any aspect of the Athenian Agora, including history, archaeology, literature, epigraphy, architecture, art history, and biodiversity.

Eligibility: PhD holders and graduate students working on any aspect of the Athenian Agora from antiquity to the present are eligible. As noted, the fields of study may include, but are not limited to, all aspects of the history and material culture of the site. Open to all nationalities.

Terms: The School awards at least one fellowship each year. The fellowship includes a stipend of $5,000 and a waiver of membership fees for the duration of residency in Athens while working on the proposed project (a maximum of two months membership fees covered). Costs of travel, lodging, board, visas, and incidentals can be paid from the stipend. Applicants may also include costs for the photographs/photographic permission and preparation of illustrations in their budgets. Applicants should specify and justify the proposed duration of work in Athens and related costs. The award is to be used between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. A final report is due at the end of the award period. The ASCSA expects that all publications that result from research conducted as a Fellow of the ASCSA acknowledge the support of the ASCSA and that copies be contributed to the appropriate library of the School and to Agora’s research library.

Application: Submit an online application form for the “Joan and Eugene Vanderpool Fellowship.” An application consists of a curriculum vitae, description of the proposed project (up to 750 words), a timeline and budget of the proposed project, and two letters of reference to be submitted online. Student applicants must submit transcripts. Scans of official transcripts are acceptable.
Questions? Contact: application@ascsa.org

The award will be announced by June 15, 2024.

CFP: Hellenic Research Fellowship Program (and new writer-in-residence)

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CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

 

Call for Applications:

Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection

Hellenic Research Fellowship Program 2024-2025

Thanks to generous funding from the Tarbell Family Foundation, the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, and the Endowment Fund of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation of Sacramento, the University Library at California State University, Sacramento is pleased to offer the continuation of the Hellenic Research Fellowship Program (HRFP) for a 12th year. The HRFP, the only residential fellowship program west of the Mississippi in Hellenic studies broadly conceived, enables visiting scholars to conduct research using the Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection in Sacramento, CA. This year we are happy to inaugurate writer-in-residence fellowships as an addition to the Program. The HRFP provides a limited number of fellowships in the form of reimbursement to help offset transportation and living expenses incurred in connection with the awards. The fellowship application deadline is May 3, 2024. No late applications will be considered. See below for full program information and application instructions.

Consisting of the holdings of the former Speros Basil Vryonis Center for the Study of Hellenism, the Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection, part of the Donald & Beverly Gerth Special Collections and University Archives, is a research collection of international significance for the campus and Sacramento regional communities, as well as for scholars around the globe. Currently numbering over 80,000 volumes and 500 linear feet of personal papers and institutional archives, it comprises a large circulating book collection, journal holdings, electronic resources, non-print media, rare books, archival materials, art, and artifacts. With its focus on the Hellenic world, the collection contains materials from antiquity to the present across the social sciences and humanities relating to Greece, its neighboring countries, and the surrounding region. There is a broad representation of languages in the collection, with a rich assortment of primary source materials. For further information about the Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection, visit https://library.csus.edu/tsakopoulos.

For the full Hellenic Research Fellowship Program description, application instructions, and list of previous fellows, see: https://library.csus.edu/tsakopoulos-hellenic-collection/hrfp. Questions about the Program can be directed to George I. Paganelis, Curator, Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection (paganelis@csus.edu).

Lecture: “”From Porphyry to Obsidian and the Mysteries of Materials”

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Tom Cummins, Director of Dumbarton Oaks, will present an upcoming talk, “From Porphyry to Obsidian and the Mysteries of Materials: Two Portable Altars in the Dumbarton Oaks Collections,” at the Gennadius Library.

The talk will be held on Tuesday, April 9, at 12:00 pm US/EDT and 7:00 pm (Greece). Registration is available here for in-person or zoom attendance. The event will also be livestreamed on YouTube.

 

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