#classics conferences

Amphorae XIII – Future Directions

Monash University, 9 to 11 June 2019

We invite all submissions of abstracts for the 13th Annual Meeting of Postgraduates in Hellenic or Roman Antiquities and Egyptology (AMPHORAE) to be held at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia from 9-11 June 2019.

The theme for Amphorae XIII is Future Directions. As postgraduate students in ancient world studies, our research represents the leading edge of study in our respective fields. We also live in exciting times, with rapid social and technological changes impacting the way we approach the ancient world. Indeed, change and consideration of the future was undoubtedly a concern for the peoples and cultures of our research.

Amphorae invites you to submit an abstract relevant to the theme of Future Directions to present in June, 2019. 

Abstract guidelines:

Abstract submissions for papers and poster presentations should include the following:

Presenter’s name

Presenter’s university, department and position (postgrad or honours student)

Paper title

Abstract of about 200-300 words, giving a clear idea of what you intend to argue

Type of presentation (paper, brief communication, or poster)

Send all abstracts to: [email protected]

Please use the abstract cover sheet, provided on the web site.

Information for Presenters:

Presentation Formats

20 minute paper presentation with 10 minutes of discussion

10 minute brief communication with 5 minutes of discussion

Please make every effort to stick to the 20 minute limit so there can be a solid period for questions and comments.

Poster presentation (see below for more details)

Technological facilities: all the standard facilities (data projector, Powerpoint, internet connection, etc) will be available in the presentation rooms. If you have a Powerpoint, please bring it on a USB stick and arrive a few minutes before the start of your session so it can be set up in advance. We also recommend having an easily accessible copy saved online in case your USB is lost or does not work.

Timeslot requests: Unfortunately, due to the expected volume of papers we cannot generally take requests. However, if there is absolutely no possible way for you to make it to the conference on a particular day, please let us know as early as possible and we will see what we can do.

Poster Presentations:

We will be running a poster session during AMPHORAE to provide another option for delegates, particularly honours students, who may not have the time to prepare a full paper. To take part, you will need to put together an A1 or A2 sized poster that displays your research. You will not need to give a formal presentation with your poster, but should be prepared to talk about your research during the session, which will run as a casual get-together. Please indicate on the registration form if you will be presenting a poster, and submit an abstract in accordance with the guidelines above.

To Register:

Information for abstract submissions and conference registration (for non-presenters) can be found on the conference web site.

Submission deadline 31 March

ALIA ASTRA: A History of Australasian Women in Ancient World Studies

An Australasian Women in Ancient World Studies Workshop

Macquarie University, 26 April 2019

While women are conspicuous in number and achievement in Australian history, they remain largely unacknowledged and underrepresented in continuing positions and research fellowships in Australasian Ancient World Studies. The absence of any comprehensive history of Australasian women involved in the study of the ancient world contributes to marginalising the impact of women on the discipline.

This workshop aims to consolidate efforts to collect and work up data towards a history of Australasian women in Ancient World Studies by bringing together everyone who has worked on, or is undertaking, research on women in the field in Australia and New Zealand.

If you are working on the living or past history of women in the discipline please come and share your findings and join us to map out a special journal issue dedicated to a history of women in the discipline in the next two years as well as a five-year strategy for the ongoing effort to collect, archive, and disseminate information on women in the discipline for the future.

The workshop will involve three planning sessions on Friday the 26th of April at Macquarie University in which research already completed or underway will be reported on, desiderata identified, and tasks assigned. The day will culminate in a panel presentation, open to the public, which will discuss the issues involved in developing a history of women in the field.

If you are interested in participating in this workshop and /or contributing to the project, please register here (https://mqedu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3ftDiKr5nFhlC6N). If you cannot attend but have worked in this area, please register to let us know about your efforts.

An additional registration page will be established for the public panel event.

Website: https://socawaws.wordpress.com/2019/01/30/alia-astra-a-history-of-australasian-women-in-ancient-world-studies/

Roman Memory: Pacific Rim Roman Literature Seminar 33

University of Newcaslte, 10-12 July 2019

The thirty-third meeting of the PacRim Roman Literature Seminar will be held at the University of Newcastle from 10-12 July 2019. The theme for the 2019 conference will be Roman Memory.

We are inviting papers on Roman literature on the subject of memory. This might include: representations of Roman history in subsequent periods, the ways in which Latin authors rewrite earlier Roman literature, the use of the Muses as repositories of cultural memory, commemorations of the dead, the methods by which Roman writers position themselves in the literary tradition, the reception of Latin literature in both antiquity and later eras, the loss and recovery of historical memory, the processes of collective memory, the art of forgetting, and resistance to official efforts to erase memory through damnatio memoriae.

The theme may be interpreted broadly and papers on other topics will also be considered.

Papers should be 30 minutes in length (with fifteen minutes of discussion time). The Pacific Rim Seminar does not run parallel sessions; participants may attend any or all papers. Abstract proposals of 200-300 words should be sent to Marguerite Johnson ([email protected]) and/or Peter Davis ([email protected]). Submissions from graduate students and early-career researchers are welcome. Please submit abstracts by 28 February 2019. Earlier submissions are of course welcome.

We expect that conference will be held in a venue in the city of Newcastle. A conference web site will be built in due course.

It is now less than two weeks until I depart for my first Classics conference in Auckland! With this in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to use this #TipTuesday to talk about three tips for staying on top of conferences. If you’re not a Classics student please read on anyway - these tips are useful for postgraduates studying in any field!

1: Know your conferences

The most important step is, of course, to know which conferences are available for you to attend in any given year. For me, the most obvious choices are: 

Amphorae (Annual Meeting of Postgraduates in Hellenic Or Roman Antiquities and Egyptology), a yearly Classics postgraduate conference held in either Australia or New Zealand.

ASCS (The Australasian Society for Classical Studies), a yearly Classics conference held in Australia. 

It’s best to sign up to newsletters where possible so you can stay up to date about conference information. If possible, it’s also a good idea to join societies. ASCS, for example, has a student rate, which offers a significant discount to the membership price. And, in a world of social media, it’s not uncommon for conferences to have pages - join them for a convenient way to access the latest news and ask questions. 

There are also numerous smaller events which happen throughout the year in every field. While it would be great to attend all Classics events, for most students it is simply not possible, so keep an eye out for events in your state. If you are travelling to a conference, be sure to look into any other seminars which may be held close to your conference dates. Usually, these will be listed on the department website of the local university. 

2: Make a note of key dates

If you’re planning to attend a conference you’ll need to know the key dates. This is particularly important if you plan on presenting because many conferences require abstract submissions months in advance. The ASCS conference, for example, requires submission a full six months before the conference. 

While the ‘key dates’ list for a conference can be very long, here are the items which are most important for any conference:

Call for papers closing date.

Conference registration opening/closing date.

Conference dinner registration opening/closing date.

Always have a list of important dates pinned up at your desk or put them into your calendar so you don’t miss them. I include the conference dinner as an important item because the dinner is a great way to network in a setting outside of the formality of the conference. 

3: Look into funding options

Like many of you, money has been very tight for me as a postgraduate. There haven’t been a lot of opportunities for work that don’t impact research commitments. This is why most universities have funding available for postgraduate students specifically for research or conference travel, and this funding can often be accessed in a variety of ways. Funding for my trip to Auckland comes directly from my faculty and although I had to fill out a few forms it was relatively easy to secure, and there is still some available for me to request for the ASCS conference next year in late January.