#classics conference

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I also saw the awful agonies that Tantalus has to bear. (Homer’s Odyssey, book XI, line 582)

I forgot that I had never posted this! This is a project that I entered in a competition in May, and it placed 3rd!

[like it on twitter]

[imperium-romanum]

ASCS40 Trip | Thursday

Sadly, today was the final day of the conference. As the hours passed, I realised that I wasn’t ready for it to end. I tried to appreciate every last minute. After a lovely breakfast with some of my wonderful Classics friends, I made my way to the main lecture theatre for the plenary session, presented by Lynette Jensen: “Lego Classics: Serious or Superficial?” As a big fan of the Lego Classicist, it was fantastic to hear about how he started, and about the broader impact of Lego as a medium in presenting Classics. 

After the plenary session, we all enjoyed another fantastic morning tea before the final day’s panels’ began. These are the last two sessions I attended: 

I thoroughly enjoyed each and every paper. I’ve always been fascinated by Augustus’ moral laws and the AWAWS (Australasian Women in Ancient World Studies) panel certainly made me think I should investigate a topic or two related to the reforms as a side project in the future.

The Death and the Underworld panel was a very fitting way to end the conference. Although I couldn’t get a seat inside, I thoroughly enjoyed the talks. As a huge Doctor Who fan, it was interesting to hear such a well-thought-out comparison between ancient and modern (pop culture) interpretations of the afterlife.  

My view for the final session. I was able to move for the second paper and see inside - just!

And so the panels ended, seemingly as quickly as they began. All of the attendees joined together for one final afternoon tea, in which a very special announcement was made. At the conference, OPTIMA offered 3 prizes for postgraduates who were giving a paper. Those who entered were judged on the quality of their argument and their presentation, and...

The wonderful @marybeard won first place!

The smile says it all. I’m so proud!

It was the perfect end to the conference. I went back to my accommodation on a high, elated to have been part of such a wonderful event. Though it was sad for it to come to an end I met some wonderful new people and strengthened friendships I made at Amphorae XII last year. I am lucky, also, that I’ve been able to enjoy an extra night in Armidale due to the lack of flights which connect to Hobart, so I topped off the day with dinner and a stroll through the town centre with @cavedraconem and @katnerys-targaryen  

And now, with my bags packed, and the hour getting late, I must head to bed. The journey isn’t over quite yet, though. I have a 7.5 hour layover in Sydney tomorrow. I may or may not have an adventure planned already ;)

~ Admin @sassy-cicero-says live from Armidale, NSW ~

[rowdy-revenant]

I'll be riding in this thing tomorrow. It's raining right now. Rip me

[imperium-romanum]

Exchanging Ideas - Trade, Technology, and Connectivity in pre-Roman Italy

The University of Auckland, New Zealand 

3 to 5 February 2020

This conference will explore models for the transmission of objects, ideas, production techniques, artistic styles, and other technologies in pre-Roman Italy, from the early Iron Age through the fourth century BCE. Through the presentation of innovative and dynamic approaches to trade, exchange, and connectivity, this event will emphasize both the agency of individuals in that exchange as well as the complex network of communication visible in the archaeology and history of Italy during this period.

We therefore invite proposals for papers (30min, followed by 10min for questions and discussion) on various aspects of connectivity, trade, communication, and technology in Italy from c. 900 to c. 300 BCE.

Possible topics include (but are not limited to)…

Networks of exchange and communication

The spread and/or diffusion of technology and/or artistic style

Control and administration of trade, technology, and communication

Connections and relationships between craft sites and communities, industries and workshops, artisans and elites

Women, families, and production

Movement of artisans and traders, and the role of general mobility in trade and technology

Local markets and international networks

Proposals should include a title and an abstract of not more than 250 words. We welcome proposals from scholars working on these issues at all stages of their careers, including graduate students and early career scholars.

Proposals should be sent to [email protected] by 1 June 2019.

Confirmed speakers include:

Hilary Becker (Binghamton)

Seth Bernard (Toronto)

John Hopkins (NYU)

Cristiano Iaia (Newcastle/La Sapienza)

Charlotte Potts (Oxford)

Marleen Termeer (Amsterdam)

Nicola Terrenato (Michigan)

Gijs Tol (Melbourne)

There will be a small registration fee to help cover catering and other costs. If you would like to attend, but not offer a paper, please also note your interest via the conference email address ([email protected]) by 1 June 2019 and you will be sent registration information once that is available.

The conference organizers would also like to highlight that the week before this event, the University of Otago in Dunedin, NZ, will be hosting the Australasian Society for Classical Studies (ASCS) Conference (27-31 January 2020). Any participants interested in attending this event, particularly if coming from the northern hemisphere, may also wish to attend the other. For more information on the ASCS conference, please contact Dr. Dan Osland ([email protected]).

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of the conference organizers: Jeremy Armstrong ([email protected]), Sheira Cohen ([email protected]), and Aaron Rhodes-Schroder ([email protected])

Submission deadline 1 June 2019

[imperium-romanum]

ASCS40 Trip | Monday

5AM starts are always the hardest, but the destination makes it worth it.

Today I arrived in Armidale, New South Wales. This is my first time visiting the town, and I have to say it has already charmed me. I’m lucky enough to have a hire car this time around, so I used the few hours I had spare before the welcome reception to go exploring. 

I checked out the town centre first, making sure I knew where I could find the supermarkets, food hubs, and the like. Surprisingly, I then ventured back to the airport. It was for a good cause; @cavedraconem, @marybeard and another of my Amphorae friends arrived on the later flight. It was a bit of a squeeze to fit all four of us and our bags into the Corolla, but we made it work! After checking in at the college on campus where we’ve chosen to stay (nice and close to the conference venue!), I decided to go for a drive to one of the handful of nearby natural attractions: Gara Gorge. 

I didn’t stay long due to the heat, but I did enjoy having such a beautiful spot to myself for a half hour walk. 

When I returned, I tidied myself up and headed to the welcome reception. It was nice to catch up with acquaintances from Amphorae XII and to meet a couple of new people. I’m so excited to hear the papers on offer this year. If only I could split myself into five and go to all the separate panels! 

To open the conference, we all filed into the main lecture theatre for the 21st A. D. Trendall Lecture, presented this year by Professors Lea Beness and Tom Hillard. There are three separate major lecture at this conference, which is quite the treat! If not for the fact that it was so late by the time proceedings wrapped up, I would have quite liked to talk to the two lecturers about prosopography, but there is always tomorrow - after having early meals as a result of such an early start, I was starving by the time proceedings wrapped up for the night. But a quick pizza order split between a group of hungry classicists quickly took care of the hunger pangs.

Pictured: the aftermath.

Tomorrow, I’ll be updating Twitter and Instagram throughout the day. I hope you’ll follow along on this adventure! 

~ Admin @sassy-cicero-says live from Armidale, NSW. ~

[imperium-romanum]

ASCS40 Trip | Wednesday

Today was the big day! I presented my second conference paper ever in the Roman Society Panel. First up, Ashleigh Green presented “The augural chickens of Rome”, and I can assure you it was one of the most unusual but most interesting topics I have ever enjoyed (and quite a hard act to follow!). My paper was titled “Up in Arms: The Emotional Impact of the Social War on the socii”. It was exciting to get lots of positive feedback and thought-provoking questions!

Aside from enjoying a few fascinating panels, I also snuck off for another adventure. This time, I went to Wollomombi Falls, which is located about 30 minutes from Armidale. Unfortunately, they weren’t really ‘falls’ so to speak thanks likely to drought but the views of the river valley were still spectacular.

I enjoyed an hour-long scenic walk on top of the drive through the NSW countryside and came back feeling refreshed for the final keynote of the conference, presented by Dr Julie Anderson: “Excavating Dangeil: a voyage of discovery through interesting cultures”. 

The conference dinner started straight after the talk but due to the price, myself and a few others decided to go to one of the local pubs instead. We had a fantastic dinner, and the shenanigans started long before the rest of the conference attendees arrived at The White Bull for the after party: 

And let me tell you, we certainly know how to party hard: 

Tea for one served with chocolate freckles - the perfect nightcap.

As you can probably tell by the fact that this is being published after 1AM, I had a fantastic night even as the designated driver. It was wonderful to meet a number of Classicists I had so far not had an opportunity to run into and to enjoy discussions in an informal setting away from the university.

Tomorrow is, unfortunately, the final day of the conference. I’m looking forward to tomorrows panels, including a plenary session on Lego Classics. I’ll be sure to post about that one! 

~ Admin @sassy-cicero-says live from Armidale, NSW  ~

[imperium-romanum]

ASCS40 Trip | Tuesday

Today began at a much more reasonable hour. My alarm was set for 7.30AM, which is practically a sleep in after yesterday’s 5AM start! I had a fantastic breakfast with some of the Tumblr Classics crew before the conference began. I have to say that it is both a blessing and a curse to have such an incredible selection of panels available for each section; five panels run simultaneously! 

Purple highlights: papers I attended.

I was also fortunate to have an opportunity to visit the University of New England Classics Museum today. They have a wonderful selection of ancient artefacts; if not for the fact that I still had panels to go to, I would have quite happily spent a number of hours browsing! 

A selection of photos from the museum. I’ll post more via Instagram in the coming days.

Although I missed the Keynote address in favour of a quick trip into town for some more hot weather appropriate clothes and a final run through of my paper before I present tomorrow, I did attend the casual dinner tonight. It was an amalgamation of three different events: the Postgraduate event, the AWAWS event, and the ASCS Delegates BBQ. Essentially, it was an excuse to get everyone together for the evening for a relaxed dinner a couple (free!) drinks. Tomorrow night is the official conference dinner; I decided not to go this time around as it was a bit beyond my budget, so I’m glad that I had the opportunity to meet a few more of the attendees tonight. In fact, one of those attendees is none other than @salinatrixx - a very welcome surprise! I am so glad to finally put a face and name to the URL ;) 

Tomorrow is the big day for me. I’ll be presenting my paper, “Up in Arms: The Emotional Impact of the Social War on the socii”, which is very exciting! I’m also planning to do a bit more exploring, so I’ll be sure to post photos! 

~ Admin @sassy-cicero-says , live from Armidale, NSW ~

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For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side   Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,   In her sepulchre there by the sea—   In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe

So I recently went to OSCC, a conference and competition centred around ancient Greece and Rome. I submitted this gif for the computer/audio-visual category and won second place!!