Βυζάντιο explained Newsletter - Μάιος | May 2026
Your Monthly Dose of Byzantine History and Culture
Περιεχόμενα - Contents
Events & Call for Papers (#CFP)
Νέες Εκδόσεις - New Publications
Υποτροφίες & Ευκαιρίες - Scholarships & Opportunities
Βυζαντινά Νέα - Byzantine News
Events & Call for Papers (#CFP)
Τελετή αναγόρευσης Αντεπιστέλλοντος Εταίρου του ΚΒΕ και επιστημονική Ημερίδα
21 Μαΐου 2026, 10:00 | Κέντρο Βυζαντινών Ερευνών
Το Δ.Σ. του Κέντρου Βυζαντινών Ερευνών Α.Π.Θ. σας προσκαλεί στην τελετή αναγόρευσης του ομότιμου καθηγητή του Πανεπιστημίου του Marburg κ. Guntram Koch ως Αντεπιστέλλοντος Εταίρου του ΚΒΕ Α.Π.Θ., καθώς και στην επιστημονική Ημερίδα με τίτλο «Θέματα από τη Γλυπτική της ύστερης αρχαιότητας και των μέσων βυζαντινών χρόνων» που διοργανώνεται προς τιμήν του την ίδια μέρα στις 12:00.
Για το πρόγραμμα, δείτε εδώ.
Giulia Rossetto (University of Vienna), The Sinai Palimpsests and Their Contributions to the Study of Late Antique Greek Scripts and Texts
21 May 2026, 4.45 p.m. CET
Rival Byzantiums: Empire and Identity in Southeastern Europe
26 May 2026, 6:00 PM-7:30 PM | PSK-Building, Vienna & Zoom
Diana Mishkova (Centre for Advanced Study in Sofia) will talk about her book, Rival Byzantiums: Empire and Identity in Southeastern Europe (CUP 2023), which explores how the “national historians” of the modern Balkan “successor states” to the empire – Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania and Turkey – have operated with the topos of Byzantium and how, in doing so, they have been shaping the national canons of history in these countries from the Enlightenment to the present day. All this means divulging the national stakes of Byzantine studies, how it partakes in changing the understanding and writing of history, national history in particular. Her approach to this theme, therefore, concerns the mirrored reflections, not the “historical reality” of Byzantium. These reflections are also historical facts, but they belong less to the history of the Byzantine empire than to that of modern historiography. In this sense the lecture should be seen as, on the one hand, an exploration of the politics of Byzantine studies – of the images, perceptions and understandings this field has been cultivating during the last two and a half centuries – and, on the other, a critical interrogation of “Byzantium” as a historiographical construct with considerable ideological potential in shaping national history and national identity.
Workshop “Empires and their Armies in Premodern Eurasia”
28-29 May 2026 | Austrian Academy of Sciences Institute for Medieval Research, Vienna
Almost every known empire was established “from the horseback,” and the military naturally played a crucial role in the empire’s establishment. The later trajectory differed tremendously, though. Some empires tended to reduce the importance of the military, considering it a potential menace to domestic stability. Others, by contrast perpetuated and cherished their martial traditions, preserving the army’s central role in political, social and sometimes economic life. The workshop explores a variety of factors that influenced these diverse trajectories: e.g., economic costs and benefits from imperial expansion; the place of the military in the ruling elite; the relationship between the military and civilian authorities; various organizational forms of the armies and their composition (e.g. tribal armies, mercenaries, professional armies, mass conscription, the role of imperial guards and so on).
For the programme and more information, see here.
Transmitting and Preserving Languages in the Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean. Second Workshop
4 June 2026, 9-5 pm | Balliol College, Gillis Lecture Theatre
The workshop explores how and why languages were taught, learned, and sustained across the diverse and shifting socio-cultural landscapes of the late medieval and early modern Mediterranean. Integrating history with historical sociolinguistics and adopting a comparative and cross-disciplinary perspective, the workshop aims to identify shared trends, comparable elements, and distinctive features in language learning and transmission. This approach offers a renewed perspective on the interconnected Mediterranean world - a region where multilingualism, mobility, and intercultural exchange were and are central to daily life. The impact of these dynamics on language teaching, preservation, and use has often been underestimated.
The event will include dedicated time for discussion and reflection, allowing participants to engage in a broader conversation about language and cultural transmission. At its core, the workshop presents the medieval and early modern Mediterranean as a space of teaching, learning, and multilingual exchange. This year, we will focus on Greek and Armenian.
Convenors: Daniel Gallaher and Ugo Mondini
Speakers: Marina Bazzani (University of Oxford); Valentina Calzolari (University of Geneva); Benedetta Contin (Austrian Academy of Sciences); Andrea Cuomo (Ghent University); Karen Hamada (University of Tokyo); Anthony Kaldellis (University of Chicago); Markéta Kulhánková (Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic).
Please see the programme brochure for more information. Attendance is free. To register for online attendance, please contact Ugo Mondini at ugo.mondini@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk
A Tribute to the Life & Scholarship of Professor Mary Cunningham - University of Birmingham. HYBRID EVENT
12 June 2026 (10:00-17:30) (UK) | Lecture Room 3, Arts Building, University of Birmingham
Contact: d.k.reynolds@bham.ac.uk
Byzantine Studies & NOMOS Project Summer Semester Lecture Series
April-July 2026 | LMU Munich & Online
This summer semester, the Chair of Byzantine Studies at LMU Munich and the NOMOS Project are delighted to host a distinguished series of lectures featuring prominent scholars in our respective fields. For the programme until July, see here.
For online registration, please send an email to byzantinistik@mu.de
#CfP - Inequality in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages: Archaeological Traces of a Structural Problem, IX International Seminar on Medieval and Post-Medieval Archaeology
8-9 October 2026 | University of Girona
The 9th International Seminar on Medieval and Modern Archaeology aims to deepen the study of inequalities within a chronological framework spanning from Late Antiquity to the Late Middle Ages, from the broadest possible perspective, allowing for both general overviews and the study of specific aspects.
The seminar aims to offer the broadest possible overview of the new knowledge that archaeology has contributed to these issues in recent years. For this reason, papers or posters may be presented on a wide range of topics from a multidisciplinary perspective, but always with an archaeological approach, ranging from macro-analyses of territories to more specific case studies or research on diverse materials. The seminar seeks to provide research groups and scholars working on this extensive period from an archaeological perspective with the opportunity to present the results of their work and, above all, to create a forum for meeting and debate that enriches the exchange of ideas and proposals.
Proposals must be submitted by before 15 June using the form on the websitee or on the mail cat.rosesarqueologia@udg.edu. The proposal must include: title, author(s), abstract (150 words). Specify if communication or poster will be presented.
#CfP - Α΄ Συνάντηση Μεταπτυχιακών Φοιτητών & Υποψηφίων Διδακτόρων στις Βυζαντινές Σπουδές-«Νέοι Βυζαντινολόγοι σε διάλογο»
5-6 Νοεμβρίου 2026 | Πάτρα
Με πρωτοβουλία των μεταπτυχιακών φοιτητών του Προγράμματος Μεταπτυχιακών Σπουδών «Σπουδές στην Κλασική, Βυζαντινή και Νεοελληνική Γραμματεία» και των υποψήφιων διδακτόρων Βυζαντινής Φιλολογίας του Τμήματος Φιλολογίας του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών διοργανώνεται η Α΄ Συνάντηση Μεταπτυχιακών Φοιτητών και Υποψηφίων Διδακτόρων στις Βυζαντινές Σπουδές, «Νέοι Βυζαντινολόγοι σε διάλογο».
Οι ενδιαφερόμενοι καλούνται να υποβάλουν ηλεκτρονική εγγραφή μέσω της ιστοσελίδας του συνεδρίου (https://byzantinologistsmeeting.com/), μαζί με την περίληψη της ανακοίνωσής τους (έως 250 λέξεις), συνοδευόμενη από ενδεικτική βιβλιογραφία. Οι ανακοινώσεις θα έχουν διάρκεια είκοσι λεπτών και μπορούν να πραγματοποιηθούν στην ελληνική ή στην αγγλική γλώσσα. Εκτός από τις θεματικές ανακοινώσεις προβλέπονται και παρουσιάσεις ερευνητικών προγραμμάτων. Στις ομαδικές ανακοινώσεις δεν υπάρχει περιορισμός στον αριθμό των συγγραφέων· ωστόσο, την ανακοίνωση μπορούν να παρουσιάσουν έως δύο άτομα.
Η καταληκτική ημερομηνία υποβολής των περιλήψεων ορίζεται η 7η Ιουλίου 2026, ενώ η ενημέρωση των ενδιαφερομένων σχετικά με την αποδοχή των προτάσεων θα γίνει έως τις 31 Ιουλίου 2026.
Δικαίωμα συμμετοχής έχουν αποκλειστικά μεταπτυχιακοί/ες φοιτητές/τριες και υποψήφιοι/ες διδάκτορες/ισσες που είναι εγγεγραμμένοι και ενεργοί σε πρόγραμμα μεταπτυχιακών σπουδών ή εκπονούν διδακτορική διατριβή κατά τον χρόνο υποβολής της περίληψης.
#CfP - Security in the Ancient and Medieval Mediterranean: Theory, Execution, and Materiality
9-10 April 2027 | University of Missouri, Columbia
Some topics that could be addressed are:
Mechanisms for protecting states from foreign enemies, such as fortifications, military strategies, and diplomacy.
Questions concerning the use of violence and force for protection and how those in power justified it.
Legal mechanisms for protecting oneself from violence within one’s own community or for protecting personal property, such as legal procedures or prescriptions dealing with ownership and violent acts.
Material mechanisms for protecting property such as locks, keys, caskets, and seals.
Architectural mechanisms and clothing used for protecting people from the elements.
Spiritual or metaphysical ways of protecting oneself from sickness, harm, and other evil forces, such as devotion to particular gods or saints and the performance of magic.
Individual and collective understandings of security.
Protection of the body vs. protection of the soul.
The symposium’s topics will be related to ancient and medieval cultures from the broader Mediterranean, so that we can consider questions of both change and continuity over time.
Keynote Speaker: George Demacopoulos, Fordham University
Please send abstracts of up to 400 words to Elizabeth Zanghi at ezvpx@missouri.edu by July 31, 2026. Partial funding can be made available for speakers as needed.
#CfP - Talanta Journal, Peer-reviewed Journal for the Study of Antiquity
The Editors of TALANTA invite submissions for volume 59, to be published in 2027. The closing date is 1 September 2026.
If you are interested in reviewing a specific book for TALANTA, please contact us.
For inquiries and submissions, contact us at editors@talanta.nl.
Beyond the Podcast: Help Βυζάντιο explained Expand Its Reach
Νέες Εκδόσεις - New Publications
Brepols “Corpus Christianorum - New and Forthcoming Titles 2026-2027”
Brepols catalogue “Corpus Christianorum - New and Forthcoming Titles 2026-2027” is now out. Browse the catalogue to see the exciting titles that have been and will be published between September 2025 and February 2027.
Wilderness Revisited. Its Essence, Perception, Description and Image in Byzantium and Beyond. Akademska Knjiga, 2026
edited by Mihailo St. Popović
Οι τοιχογραφίες του Αγίου Νικολάου στο Φουντουκλί-Διμυλιά της Ρόδου (1497/98) και η ζωγραφική τέχνη τα τελευταία χρόνια της Ιπποτοκρατίας στα Δωδεκάνησα (1453-1522). Χριστιανική Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία, 2026
by Νικόλαος Μαστροχρήστος
We have curated exclusive designs pulled directly from authentic medieval manuscripts. Whether you want to slap a high-quality sticker of a 1204 Crusader Siege onto your laptop, sip your morning coffee from a vibrant Neon Manuscript Procession mug, or sketch your own ideas in an Everyday Byzantine Life notebook, we’ve got you covered.
Υποτροφίες & Ευκαιρίες - Scholarships & Opportunities
Lecturer in Global Medieval History - University of Leeds
Lecturer in Ancient History - Queen’s University Belfast
Teaching Associate in Medieval History - University of Sheffield
Βυζαντινά Νέα - Byzantine News
NEW EPISODE Βυζάντιο explained!!!
For this episode, we hosted a special round table discussion with an incredible group of scholars: Claudia Sode, Martina Filosa, Alessio Sopracasa, Claes Neuefeind, and Jan Bigalke.
New Museum in Thessaloniki!
Housed in the former army building inside the Pavlos Melas Metropolitan Park, the “Thessalonikeon Mitropolis” museum displays sectors of the ancient city, architectural remains, pottery and objects spanning several historical periods. The exhibition traces how construction of the modern metro line passed through layers of the northern port city’s Roman and Byzantine urban fabric.
45ο Συμπόσιο Βυζαντινής και Μεταβυζαντινής Αρχαιολογίας και Τέχνης [23/4-25/4]
Τα βίντεο των τριών ημερών του Συμποσίου έχουν ανέβει στην σελίδα της εκδήλωσης και είναι διαθέσιμα για ετεροχρονισμένη παρακολούθηση εδώ.
Βυζαντινό και Χριστιανικό Μουσείο - περιοδική έκθεση
8 Μαΐου-12 Ιουνίου 2026
Το ΒΧΜ παρουσιάζει την περιοδική έκθεση «Αχανείς Εκτάσεις, Λάμψη που Ταξιδεύει. Διάλογοι Πολιτισμών κατά μήκος του Δρόμου του Μεταξιού. Έκθεση Πολιτιστικών Κειμηλίων και Έργων Τέχνης του Σιντζιάνγκ, Κίνα».