Archives: Events

TALK: Christodoulos Papavarnavas: ‘He had the desire to confine himself in a narrower place.’ Ascetic double confinement in Byzantine Hagiography

26
Nov
2024
16:00
Faculty Room, first floor, Blandijnberg 2, 900 Ghent

On 26th November at 4pm, guest researcher Christodoulos Papavarnavas (Austrian Academy of Sciences) will give a presentation on: “He Had the Desire to Confine Himself in a Narrower Place.”: Ascetic Double Confinement in Byzantine Hagiography.

 Abstract: Although ascetic practice and holiness seem to be interwoven with the notions of isolation and spatial confinement (ἐγκλεισμός), a systematic analysis of the nexus between enclosed space and sainthood in Byzantine monastic hagiography is still lacking. The goal of this paper is to examine crucial aspects of this thorny question by focusing on monastics, both male and female, who, at some stage of their spiritual journey, find themselves confined both within a monastic complex and within a smaller, narrower space, such as a cell or cave. In this sense, such recluses, all protagonists of hagiographical narratives, experience a kind of ‘double confinement’. Cases of male and female double confinement will be discussed based on examples of recluses from early and middle Byzantine hagiographical texts: an ascetic and his cave, a monk and the metaphor of his tied body, and a repentant prostitute and her cell. Overall, the present study aspires to infer the significance of ascetic double confinement in religious-literary contexts as described in the monastic hagiography of Byzantium.

All welcome!

TALK: Carlos Amado Román: “What words would the hero say in the face of danger? Ethopoeia in Achilles Tatius’ Leucippe and Clitophon”

20
Nov
2024
16:00
Faculteitszaal, first floor Blandijnberg 2

On 20th November at 4pm, guest researcher Carlos Amado Román will give a presentation entitled ‘What words would the hero say in the face of danger? Ethopoeia in Achilles Tatius’ Leucippe and Clitophon’.

 

Abstract: Progymnasmata play a key role in the composition of ancient Greek novels. One of the most profitable exercises for their authors was the ethopoeia, since it allowed the introduction of direct speeches. However, novelists did not simply follow the recommendations prescribed by the rhetors, but rather adapted them to their needs. My aim is to analyse the presence of the ethopoeia in Leucippe and Clitophon, delving into its narrative implications and the differences between its use in Achilles Tatius and in other novelists.

 

All welcome. Contact evelien.bracke@ugent.be for information.

Symposium on Ancient Narrative and its Reception: a Tribute to Prof. Saiichiro Nakatani (1972-2023)

14
Mar
2025
Faculty Room, first floor, Blandijnberg 2, 900 Ghent

Evelien Bracke and Koen De Temmerman warmly invite you to a symposium on ancient narrative and its reception, organized in tribute to the late Prof. Saiichiro Nakatani (1972-2023).

Speakers have been invited to present a scholarly paper on a topic related to Prof. Nakatani’s work on ancient fiction, its reception, or the reception of Classics in Japan more broadly. This symposium aims to commemorate Prof. Nakatani and celebrate his work and contributions to these fields of study.

 

The symposium will take place on 14th March 2025, from 10am to 4pm CET. The event will take place live at Ghent University, but online attendees are also welcome.

 

To attend the symposium, please register by Friday 14th February 2025 by emailing evelien.bracke@ugent.be. Please mention whether you would like to attend in person or online.

Live participants, please note that refreshments and lunch are included in the event. Online participants will be sent a link after registration.

 

Programme:

10.00-10.10   Welcome by Koen De Temmerman and Evelien Bracke

10.10-10.40   Yasuhiro Katsumata: Reception of the Ancient Greek Novel in Japan: The Work of Prof. Saiichiro Nakatani

 

10.40–11.10   Coffee

 

Panel 1:         Achilles Tatius and reception

11.10-11.40     Ian Repath: Achilles Tatius’ reception of Chariton and Xenophon of Ephesus

11.40–12.10    Olivier Demerre: Inside the Elephant’s Mouth. Rhetorical joy in Charmides’ Descriptions (Achilles Tatius 4.3–5)

12.10–12.40   Nicolò D’Alconzo: ”…εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον.” Achilles Tatius travels

 

12.40–13.40   Lunch

 

Panel 2:         European and Japanese receptions

13.40–14.10    Stelios Panayotakis: Psyche and her infernal journey in French opera

14.10–14.40    Aline Henninger and Pierre-Alain Caltot: La réécriture de l’histoire de la période néronienne dans Pline et d’autres mangas

 

14.40–15.10   Coffee

 

Panel 3:         Book project: Receptions of Greek and Roman Antiquity in Japan (eds. Luciana Cardi, Tomohiko Kondo and Saiichiro Nakatani†)

15.10–15.40    Tomohiko Kondo: Anatopistic receptions of Greek and Roman antiquity in Japan

 

15.40–16.00    Satoko Tokunaga: Closing remarks

 

 

TALK: Rafael Semedo: ‘Live fast, die young: Penthesileia’s aresteia in Quintus’ Posthomerica 1

25
Mar
2024
16:00
Camelot, third floor of Blandijnberg

The Novel Echoes group is happy to invite you to listen to Rafael Semedo, who will give a paper on Quintus of Smyrna’s Posthomerica on Monday 25th of March, 4pm in Camelot.

Title: Live Fast, Die Young: Penthesilea’s Aristeia in Quintus’ Posthomerica 1

 Abstract: Each of the 14 Books of Quintus’ Posthomerica is centered around a single character or event – it is therefore often referred to as an episodic epic. Book 1 revolves around the figure of Penthesilea, the queen of the Amazons, who, along with her female warriors, arrives at Priam’s citadel to boost spirits of the Trojans and encourage them back into the fight. The Quintean narrator accentuates her protagonism using an important traditional epic device, the aristeia, which is comprised of a series of type-scenes, including her arming, departure for battle, and killing frenzy on the battlefield. The outcome is her own death at the hands of Achilles. In this paper, we explore the strategies of the Quintean narrator to provide this female warrior with a solid characterization, which, in turn, also contributes to the overall portrayal of Achilles, the central figure of Books 1-5 as a whole. I argue that Penthesilea serves as a character doublet of Achilles, a miniature version of the Iliadic warrior, and her death at his hands actually foreshadows his own demise by the arrows of Apollo in Book 3.

Rafael de A. Semêdo, São Paulo Research Foundation, University of São Paulo; Visiting Ph.D. Scholar, University of Amsterdam

Second International Conference on Early Christian Literature, Late Antique and Byzantine Hagiography – Novel Saints presence

06
Sep
2023

The second international conference on Early Christian Literature, Late Antiquity and Byzantine Hagiography this year is on the theme of ‘Imitationes Christi and women martyrs’ starts in Valencia. Three of our researchers will be presenting! Koen De Temmerman is one of the keynote speakers, Julie Van Pelt is a member of the Comité Científico and is giving a paper, and Emma Huig is also presenting her research.

More information here.

Novel Saints at the Celtic Conference in Classics

11
Jul
2023
14
Jul
2023
Coimbra

Did Apuleius read ancient Greek love novels? The question is asked by Olivier Demerre (Ghent, Novel Saints), Rachel Bird and Ian Repath (Swansea, Kyknos) in a panel for the next Celtic Conference (Coimbra, 11–14/07). Speakers also include Nicolo D’Alconzo and Claire Jackson, members of our research group. Further information and the timetable can be found here. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Workshop: The Reuse of Ancient and Late Antique Narratives in the Medieval Middle East and Beyond

31
Jan
2023
Het Pand, Onderbergen 1, Gent

We are delighted to invite you to a one-day workshop on The Reuse of Ancient and Late Antique Narratives in the Medieval Middle East and Beyond.

The workshop will be held in the Zaal August Vermeylen in Het Pand (Onderbergen 1, Gent, Belgium) on January 31st, 2023, and will be streamed online via Microsoft Teams.

The workshop focuses on the reception of ancient and late antique narratives across languages and cultures in the Middle Ages and brings together participants from Latin, Greek, Middle Eastern, Iranian, and Georgian studies.

Please register here by January 25th. Please email Mara Nicosia (mara.nicosia@ugent.be) if you have any queries.

 

Programme

9.00-9.10 Introduction

 

Work-in-progress session 1

9.10-9.30 Ingela Nilsson (Uppsala University): “Reuse, translation or reception of ancient texts? Methodological challenges”.

9.30-9.50 Lilli Hölzlhammer (Uppsala University): “Christianity vs Homer: the use of quotes and references in Symeon Seth’s Stephanites and Ichnelates”

9.50-10.10 Mara Nicosia (Ghent University): “Homer, Heliodorus and Pseudo-Callisthenes in Antony of Tagrit’s Rhetoric”

10.10-10.30 Discussion

 

10.30-11.00 Coffee

 

Lecture 1

11.00-11.40 Teddy Fassberg (Tel Aviv University): “Greek novels and narratives in Arabic”

 

Work-in-progress session 2

11.40-12.00 Uffe Holmsgaard Eriksen (University of Southern Denmark): “A broader case of reuse: epic and drama in Byzantine hymns”

12.00-12.20 Christian Høgel (Lund University): “The conditions of a Georgian-Greek translator. The Byzantinization of the Barlaam and Ioasaph story”

12.20-12.40 Discussion

 

12.40-14.10 Lunch

 

Lecture 2

14.10-14.50 İpek Hüner Cora (Boğaziçi University): “Becoming Ottoman: How an ancient tale gets native in the Ottoman literary world”

 

Work-in-progress session 3

14.50-15.10 Simon Ford (Ghent University): “An ancient story in a medieval manuscript: the Syriac riddle of the sphynx”

15.10-15.30 Ali B. Langroudi (Göttingen University): “Jesus’ bat among exegetical, apocryphal, and polemical echoes”

15.30-15.50 Lingli Li (Göttingen University): “Sanskrit narratives in Persianate India”

15.50-16.10 Discussion

 

16.10-16.40 Coffee

 

Lecture 3

16.40-17.20 Cameron Cross (University of Michigan): “Grammars of globality” (online)

 

17.20-17.30 Conclusion

 

Organisers: Mara Nicosia, Koen De Temmerman, Ingela Nilsson.

The workshop is funded both by the European Research Council through the Novel Echoes project hosted at Ghent University and by the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond through the “Retracing Connections: Byzantine Storyworlds in Greek, Arabic, Georgian, and Old Slavonic (c. 950 – c. 1100)” programme hosted at Uppsala University.

Workshop: The Politics of Style in Ancient Rhetoric and Oratory

09
Dec
2022

Style matters. In his Rhetoric, Aristotle argues that a speaker should adopt a style that fits the context and circumstances of the speech. For each species of rhetoric, a different lexis is appropriate – political speakers cannot address their audience in the same way as epideictic orators and vice versa (Rh. 3.12.1). This workshop investigates the importance of style in political speeches. How did political speakers (broadly defined) employ stylistic features to achieve their rhetorical agendas?

The OIKOS Research group Ancient Rhetoric and Aesthetics, in cooperation with the International Society for the History of Rhetoric, cordially invites you to the workshop ‘The Politics of Style in Ancient Rhetoric and Oratory.’ The event takes place on the 9th of December in Ghent.
The workshop can be attended both physically and digitally. If you are interested in attending, please email Thierry.Oppeneer@UGent.be before the 2nd of December specifying whether you would like to participate in person or digitally and you will receive the necessary information.

 

Programme
12.30-13.30 Lunch

13.30-14.15 Christos Kremmydas (London): ‘Logoi Enteuktikoi and their Style in the Classical and Hellenistic Periods’

14.15-14.55 Olivier Demerre (Gent): ‘Stylistic Debates and Persuasion in Ancient Greek Novels’

14.55-15.10: Break

15.10-15.50 Thierry Oppeneer (Gent): ‘The Political Uses of Imperial Greek Rhetoric: Hermogenes’ Idea- and Stasis-Theory in the Popular Assembly’

15.50-16.30 Leanne Jansen (Leiden): ‘Ciceronian Words, Demosthenic Style: Cassius Dio’s Rendition of the Amnesty Speech of 44 BCE’

16.30-16.45: Break

16.45-17.30 Henriette van der Blom (Birmingham): ‘Elocutio in Roman Deliberative Speeches: Theory and Practice’ [Via Teams]

17.30 Drinks

The organisers and co-ordinators,
Casper de Jonge, Koen De Temmerman and Thierry Oppeneer