Multilingualism and Identities in the Roman Empire
Conference
Potsdam, 18-20 November 2026

Deadline for submissions: 1 April 2026

The goal of this conference is to bring together scholars working on different cultural and linguistic aspects of the multilingual society of the Roman Empire, in order to investigate how the Greek language, in its interaction with the other languages written and spoken within the Roman Empire, was deployed and performed as part of a complex cultural discourse and was entangled in the construction of imperial segmentary identities.

Abstracts should be sent via email to: multilingualism@uni-potsdam.de

Important dates
Submission: April 1, 2026
Notification of acceptance: April 15, 2026
Conference: November 18–20, 2026

Organizing Committee
Sara Chiarini
Hannah Brandenburg
Ilja A. Seržant
Filippo Carlà-Uhink
Katharina Wesselmann

Contact
multilingualism@uni-potsdam.de

The complete Call for Papers can be found at the conference website.

Classical Thought and the German Reich (1871-1945)
Online, 17th-18th September 2026

Deadline for submissions: 27th February 2026

This conference explores the development of classical thought in Germany from out of this important dispute between Wilamowitz and Nietzsche and within the political context of the unification of the German Reich in 1871, its progress until the First World War, the period of the Weimar Republic from 1919, and the rise and fall of National Socialism between 1933 and 1945. Ultimately, this conference asks how and in what ways did the question of Antiquity inform and influence the question of Germany throughout this turbulent period and, simultaneously, how did the German question inform the study and reception of Antiquity?

This conference will take place entirely online on September 17th-18th 2026. If you would like to present a paper at this conference, please send an abstract (300-500 words) to aaron.turner@knappfoundation.ac.uk by Friday 27th February 2026. Notifications will be sent out by mid-April.

Conference Organiser 
Aaron Turner (Knapp Foundation/Royal Holloway, University of London)
aaron.turner@knappfoundation.ac.uk   

The complete Call for Papers can be found here as a PDF-Download.

Intellectual Interaction Between Paganism and Christianity
Postgraduate Workshop
Bonn, 26-27 June 2026

Deadline for Submissions: 31 March 2026

This pagan presence challenged, provoked or inspired intellectual interaction with it. In most cases it could not simply be ignored. The ways that Christian authors dealt with it were very different: Assimilation, condemnation or reinterpretation are among the most common approaches. But some authors might not even have considered the dichotomy to be problematic, and thus engaged with paganism in a casual manner even though this (at least for our conceptions) was not in accordance with their public function.

Within the scope of this postgraduate workshop we ask you to present thoughts and cases on those intellectual interactions. PhD students and recent PhD holders from all fields that study the Imperial Roman Era and Late Antiquity are welcome to apply. Chances are that you have been confronted with these discourses in your texts as well while working on your dissertation. We encourage you to send in short proposals for case-study oriented presentations (20-30 minutes) on this topic. Every presentation will be followed by a discussion on the presented case among early-career peers that will lead to a broader understanding of this complex phenomenon.

A proposal can be sent until the 31.03.26 to Gregor Kirilov (gkirilov@uni-bonn.de) or Jacob Bernitzki (jbernitz@uni-bonn.de). It should not exceed 500 words and must be (like the presentation itself) in English. The workshop itself will be held on the 26th and 27th of June at the University of Bonn. Further information about scheduling will be sent to all participants after the evaluation of the proposals. We aim to secure additional funding to cover travel expenses and accommodation but applicants are strongly encouraged to seek compensation from their home university.

Organisation
Gregor Kirilov (gkirilov@uni-bonn.de)
Jacob Bernitzki (jbernitz@uni-bonn.de)

Den vollständigen Call for Papers finden Sie hier als PDF-Download.

Das archäologische Jahr 2025
Online, 21. Februar 2026

Einsendeschluss: Ende Januar 2026

Welche spannenden archäologischen Ausgrabungen, Entdeckungen und Entwicklungen gab es in Deutschland im Jahr 2025? Darüber berichten Ausgräber, Forschende und Fachleute am Samstag, 21. Februar 2026 auf unserer virtuellen Tagung via "Zoom". Sie richtet sich gleichermaßen an Fachkollegen wie an interessierte Bürgerinnen und Bürger – sie alle sind uns ganz herzlich willkommen! Die Teilnahme ist kostenlos, eine Anmeldung ist erforderlich.

Anmeldung eines Beitrags / Vortrags
Willkommen zur Anmeldung eines Beitrags! Bitte senden Sie - bis spätestens Ende Januar - ein formloses E-Mail an vorstand@dguf.de mit den nötigen Angaben: Thema, Ihr Name, Einordnung des Themas nach Bundesland und Zeitstellung, und eine kurze Zusammenfassung. Sie erhalten zeitnah eine Rückmeldung, ob Ihr Beitrag angenommen wird.

Kontakt
vorstand@dguf.de

Weitere Informationen finden Sie auf der Veranstaltungswebsite.

(Re-)Constructing Ἐλευθερία and Libertas: Thinking and Imagining Freedom in Ancient Greece and Rome
Frankfurt, 29 – 31 May 2026

Deadline for submissions: 25 February 2026

Despite the plethora of studies in freedom and its varieties, there is still scope for deepening our understanding of this notion. Previous research has focused on reconstructing the idea and notion of freedom and its ramification. The question of how freedom was constructed in Antiquity has been incidentally touched upon for the best. The scope of this conference is to fill this gap and to explore systematically how freedom was conceptualized and imagined in Greece and Rome in various fields such as visual art, literature, historiography, rhetoric, jurisprudence, philosophy and philosophy with a chronological range from the Mycenaean Bronze Age to Late Antiquity. Freedom is thus viewed not as monolithic and static, but as fluid, dynamic, and performative. We are therefore not looking for thematic studies, but papers that investigate the practices, devices and strategies by which freedom was constructed in Antiquity.

Abstracts in English of no more than 300 words with some bibliographical references (which are not included in the word limit) should be sent to Willms@em.uni-frankfurt.de in both pdf and Word format no later than 25 February 2026. Notifications about acceptance will be sent after 15 March 2026. No conference fee is charged, but please note that travel and accommodation expenses will not be reimbursed, and that the conference is an in-person event. A publication of the contributions in an edited volume is planned.

Confirmed key note speaker:
Klaus Vieweg, Professor, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena

Organizer/Contact
PD Dr Lothar Willms (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt)
Willms@em.uni-frankfurt.de 

The complete Call for Papers can be found here as a PDF.

Die Burg um 1400
17. Symposium zur Burgenforschung im Spessart und in den angrenzenden Regionen
Krombach, 9.-10. Oktober 2026

Einsendeschluss: 30. April 2026

Eine Tagung des Bürgerforums Krombach e. V., der Gemeinde Krombach und des Archäologischen Spessartprojekts e.V. – Unterfränkisches Institut für Kulturlandschaftsforschung an der Universität Würzburg

Schwerpunkt des 17. Symposiums zur Burgenforschung im Spessart ist die Burg um 1400.

Nicht nur im Spessart wurden am Ende des 14. Jahrhunderts zahlreiche Burgen entweder vollständig umgebaut oder neu errichtet. Die Anlagen waren so konzipiert, dass neueste Entwicklungen der Wehrtechnik Eingang fanden. Zugleich entstanden neue Funktionstypen. Eine große Anzahl der Befestigungen dienten beispielsweise der Kontrolle und dem Schutz unmittelbar angrenzender Wirtschaftsbetriebe.

Im Rahmen des zweitägigen Symposiums möchten wir einem ganzen Bündel von Aspekten nachspüren. Im Mikrokosmos Spessart dienen die innerhalb des Mittelgebirges liegenden Burgen und kleinräumige Zentren des Wirtschaftsgeschehens als Ausgangspunkte für diese Betrachtungen.

Wie in den vergangenen Symposien zur Burgenforschung im Spessart geht es uns darum, sowohl von Seiten der Fachwelt als auch der Citizen Science Interessenten für Beiträge zu gewinnen. Bitte reichen Sie ihre Vorschläge bis zum 30. April 2026 mit einem vorläufigen Titel und einer Kurzzusammenfassung (maximal 150 Worte) ein. Auch sind Vorträge zu anderen Themenbereichen der archäologischen Forschung im Spessart und seiner angrenzenden Regionen ausdrücklich erwünscht. Als Unterfränkisches Institut für Kulturlandschaftsforschung an der Universität Würzburg möchten wir insbesondere Nachwuchswissenschaftlerinnen und Nachwuchswissenschaftler dazu ermutigen, ihre Forschungsergebnisse vorzustellen. Es ist vorgesehen, die Tagungsbeiträge zu veröffentlichen.

Kontakt
Dr. Harald Rosmanitz, Archäologisches Spessartprojekt e.V.
Grubenweg 5, 97846 Partenstein
Telefon: 09355/976569, Mobil: 01520/9861693
Mail: rosmanitz@spessartprojekt.de

Den vollständigen Call for Papers und weitere Informationen finden Sie auf der Veranstaltungswebsite.

History of Austrian/Austro-Hungarian archaeology in the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean, mid-19th to mid-20th centuries
Symposium
Vienna, 21-22 September 2026

Deadline for submissions: 15 February 2026

In the indicated period, Austrian/Austro-Hungarian archaeology, conducted by researchers from whatever part of the empire, was formalized in new institutions such as the Central Commission for Monuments (1850), the Academy of Sciences’ Prehistoric Commission (1878), and the Austrian Archaeological Institute (1898). Archaeological and related activities also increased in the Austrian Balkans (Carniola, Istria, Dalmatia), and began in the newly occupied Bosnia-Herzegovina. From the 1870s onwards, they were extended to Greece, Asia Minor, the Levant, and Egypt.

At the symposium, we want to discuss these archaeologies within and beyond the Habsburg Empire/Austria in their colonial and imperial contexts. Like other European powers, Austria(-Hungary) used archaeology to exercise power in respective territories, gain international prestige, and fill the Vienna museums. In the Austrian Balkans, archaeology and historic artefacts moreover served to strengthen inhabitants’ loyalty to the rulers. On the other hand, certain local archaeologies within the empire advanced nationalist purposes.

Please send your paper proposal on these or other issues with an abstract (max. 250 words) and a short biographical note to maximilian.georg@oeaw.ac.at and felix.hoeflmayer@oeaw.ac.at. Deadline: 15 February 2026.

Organizers 
Maximilian Georg (Institute of Culture Studies) 
Felix Höflmayer (Austrian Archaeological Institute) 
Agnes Woitzuck (Austrian Archaeological Institute)

Contact
maximilian.georg@oeaw.ac.at 

The complete call for papers can be found at H-Soz-Kult.

Cognitive Readings of Roman Poetry in the Augustan Age
Workshop
Vienna, 22-23 October 2026

Deadline for submissions: 5 March 2026

We are delighted to announce the organization of a workshop to be held at the University of Vienna on October 22nd and 23rd 2026. The workshop aims to foster an exchange of ideas and experiences among PhD candidates who apply cognitive approaches to Augustan poetry.

Contributions may employ a range of cognitive approaches, including cognitive linguistics, cognitive poetics, metaphor studies, cognitive narratology, philosophy of mind – theory of mind, emotion studies.

Participants will be expected to present their research, followed by in-depth discussion and feedback on each other’s presentations. The invited keynote speaker will also give feedback on all the presentations, as well as giving a talk on one of the days of the workshop. Proposals from PhD holders, who have recently acquired their title, will be accepted in exceptional cases. The complete programme of the workshop will be announced after the thorough review of all submissions.

Language of the workshop: English
Number of participants: 10-12

Keynote Speaker:
Alessandro Barchiesi (New York)

Academic Advisors:
Andreas Heil (Vienna)
Anna Novokhatko (Trento)

Coordinators:
Sofia Theologou (Vienna)
Evangelos Tsigaridas (Thessaloniki)

Accommodation in Vienna and one group dinner will be provided for all participants. Travel costs cannot be covered.

Applicants are invited to submit the following materials:
• curriculum vitae
• recommendation letter from their PhD supervisor
• research proposal (approximately 500–800 words) outlining the topic to be discussed at the
workshop

Please send all application materials in PDF format by 5 March 2026 to Sofia Theologou
(sof.theologou(at)gmail.com) and Evangelos Tsigaridas (tsigevan(at)lit.auth.gr).
For any questions or further information, do not hesitate to contact us at the email addresses given above. The results of the selection will be announced in May 2026.

The complete Call for Papers can be found here as PDF-Download.

Land and Power in the Later Roman World
Tübingen, 29 June - 1 July 2026

Deadline for submissions: 11 January 2026

As part of our project “Land and Loyalty: the Politics of Land in the Late Roman World” — directed by Profs. Sebastian Schmidt-Hofner (Tübingen) and Carlos Machado (St Andrews) — this conference aims to re-examine the links between land and power in the late Roman world in their legal, socio-economic, and material dimensions. By bringing together scholars from different disciplines and academic traditions, we will survey recent academic developments and hope to establish a comprehensive, interdisciplinary framework for understanding land ownership in the period between 300 and 600 CE.

Confirmed speakers include Paul Du Plessis, Pierfrancesco Porena, Simona Tarozzi, John Weisweiler. We are particularly keen on papers by early career scholars working on related topics.

The conference will take place in Tübingen, Germany, between June 29 and July 1, 2026. Conference language will be English. Travel and accommodation for speakers will be covered. The papers presented at the conference will be considered for inclusion in an edited volume that aims to map the state of the art in this field.

Proposals of ca. 200 words can be submitted, together with a one-page CV and an academic weblink if available, to Dr Giordana Franceschini (giordana.franceschini@histsem.uni-tuebingen.de) until January 11, 2026.

Contact
Dr Giordana Franceschini (giordana.franceschini@histsem.uni-tuebingen.de)

The complete Call for Papers can be found at the conference website.

Responding to Empire
Fourth annual conference of the Research Group Empires (University of Freiburg)
Freiburg, 11 - 13 November 2026

Deadline for submission: 13 March 2026

Confirmed Keynote Speakers: Renate Dürr and Franco De Angelis

In this conference, we want to explore responses both on the level of the material practices and epistemological positions, examining how these influence each other in (post)imperial contexts. With material practices we do not refer only to archaeological objects, but also tangible, everyday actions, behaviours and physical engagements that people undertake, which can include labour, trade, migration and rituals. Epistemological positions involve the production and disseminations of knowledge, ideas and discourses about empire, as for example scientific research, propaganda and fictional works.

We welcome contributions from the humanities and social sciences, including but not limited to history, sociology and literary studies, aiming at a broad historical coverage (from antiquity to the present) and interdisciplinarity. We especially encourage scholars in the early stages of their career (doctoral and postdoctoral researchers) to submit proposals. Application should include a working title, an abstract of 300 to 400 words, and a short biographical note to conference@grk2571.uni-freiburg.de by March 13, 2026. Any further questions or queries can be directed to the same address.

The accommodation in Freiburg will be covered by the conference organizers. We will strive to allocate travel bursaries, prioritizing participants from outside Germany/Europe.

Presenters will be asked to provide a first draft of their paper at least two weeks prior to the conference. After the conference, we intend to publish selected papers in an edited volume.

Contact
conference@grk2571.uni-freiburg.de 

The complete Call for Papers can be found here as PDF-Download.