Imperial Attica: A Greek Region in the Roman Empire
Attica in Imperial times provides a remarkable success story. Starting in the late Republican period, this region became a place imbued with cultural meaning like no other in the Mediterranean. In a sustained, creative response to its incorporation into the geopolitical frame of the Roman empire, a "dense" Attic identity developed not simply by consolidating and reviving traditional features, but also by innovatively reshaping and expanding them. The conference aims to explore the dynamics of this historical phenomenon by addressing it from a multiplicity of disciplinary perspectives. It will investigate the literary representations of Attica and its landscape. It will ask how the new ideals impacted and shaped the reality of the region—its architectural landscape, its artistic production, and its material culture. It will examine the various forms of social and religious life that flourished in Roman times. It will devote attention to the role of individuals like Pomponius Atticus, Arrian, Hadrian, Gellius, and of course Herodes Atticus. And it will address the issue of Attica's "exportability" beyond geographical boundaries, be it in the form of a stylistic ideal or as an artifact.
Thursday, March 30, 6 pm:
Keynote Talk: Angelos Chaniotis (followed by reception)
Friday, March 31, 9 am-5:20 pm
Speakers: Ada Caruso, Nigel Kennell, Jason König, Paraskevi Martzavou, Sabine Müller, Katerina Oikonomopoulou, Estelle Oudot, Maria Papaioannou, Alexia Petsalis-Diomidis, Mantha Zarmakoupi
Respondents: Alessandro Barchiesi, Barbara Borg, Sailakshmi Ramgopal
Saturday, April 1, 9 am-5:20 pm
Speakers: Anna Anguissola, Elena Calandra, Francesco Camia, Francesco de Angelis, Björn Ewald, Joseph Howley, Lawrence Kim, Annalisa Lo Monaco, Lindsey Mazurek, Laura Viidebaum
Respondents: Alessandro Barchiesi, Barbara Borg, Ilaria Bultrighini, R.R.R. Smith
Free and open to the public
(Please note: The conference will take place in Schermerhorn Hall 807.
The keynote talk only will also be available online: register here).
