Ancient World Seminar

The Ancient World Seminar offers an opportunity for students and staff from all Groningen faculties and departments with an interest in the Ancient World (e.g. Classics, Ancient History, Philosophy, Religion and Theology, Archaeology, Law) to meet and discuss their research. The Ancient World Seminar gathers monthly during term time and invites early stage as well as advanced scholars: not only from the University of Groningen and other universities in the Netherlands, but also from abroad. Papers are given on a broad variety of subjects and from a wide range of disciplines and perspectives.

The Ancient World Seminar takes place every month on a Tuesday and starts at 16.15. After each lecture, we offer the opportunity to have drinks and dinner with the lecturer and all other interested parties.

Upcoming lectures (2026-2027)

20 October

Dr Thierry Oppeneer (Ghent): 'Assemblies in Action: Reconstructing Popular Political Practice Across Epigraphic and Literary Sources'

17 November (preliminary date, t.b.a)

8 December

Dr Ayhan Aksu (Groningen): 'From Petra to Jerusalem: Nabataean connections in the Dead Sea Scrolls'

19 January

Dr Jessica Plant and Prof. Bettina Reitz-Joosse (Groningen): 'Women Garland Makers: Mediating and Naturalising Art-Work in Roman Antiquity.'

Past lectures

2026-2027

• 15 september: Opening Lecture Henriette van der Blom (Birmingham): 'Speaking up for themselves. The diversity of orators in the ancient world – and today'
• 24 September: Prof. Jeroen Wijnendaele (Ghent): 'Constantine and the Barbarian Revolution'

2025-2026

• Opening Lecture September 16: Dr. Jitse Dijkstra (University of Ottawa)
• 23 September: Jonathan Prag (Oxford)   
• 4 November: Emma Jayne Graham (Open University)
• 18 November: Martina Vercesi (Leuven)
• 16 December: Felix Budelmann (Groningen) and Saskia Peels-Matthey (Groningen)
• 20 January: Shiyanthi Thavapalan (VU Amsterdam)
• February 17: Tom de Bruin (Radboud University)

• March 5-6: Masterclass and Annual Meeting: Roberta Mazza 

• March 17: Pauline LeVen (Yale)

• April 21: Ellen Adams (KCL) 

• May 19: Laura Loporcaro (UGent)
  The Visionary Philologist: F.A. Wolf in His Self-Staging and Reception

• June 16: Rafal Matuszewski (Leiden, OG)
  Being Young Is No Excuse: Child Labor in Democratic Athens

2024-2025

• October 15th Ancient World Seminar: Sofie Remijssen (University of Amsterdam) (Time & Temporalities Network) "The introduction of clock time in the Hellenistic era"
• November 12th Ancient World Seminar: Katharina Schön (University of Groningen) 'Voces tacitae clamare videntur - Latin as a Literary Refuge in the 20th Century'
• December 10th Ancient World Seminar: Tesse Stek (University of Leiden) 'Roman Colonialism on the Ground. Historiographical and Archaeological Approaches to Republican Period Expansion'
• January 21st Ancient World Seminar: Dr. Phil Forness (KU Leuven): 'Translations and the Spread of Christianity in Late Antiquity.'
• March 25: Ancient World Seminar: Prof. dr. Caroline Vander Stichele (Tilburg University) 'Playing her Part: Herodias in the Gospels and Josephus.'
• April 15: Ancient World Seminar: Dr. Axel Frejman (Uppsala University) 'Translations and the Spread of Christianity in Late Antiquity.'
• May 14: Special edition: Professor Nicolas Purcell (University of Oxford)
• May 20: Ancient World Seminar: Prof. dr. Tom Harrison (British Museum)
• June 17: Ancient World Seminar : Dr. Sarah Cullinan Herring (University of Kansas)

For a full overview of the seminars of the previous years, please use this page.

Organisation

The Ancient World Seminar is organised by CRASIS with the help of Phd and (under)graduate students from the different departments:

• Paula Rothmund (Research Master Archaeology)

• Maddalena Capoferri (PhD)

Contact

Please contact us at crasis.aws@rug.nl.