Doctoral School organized by Julie Van Pelt (Department of Literary Studies, Ghent University), Dimitri Van Limbergen (Department of Archaeology, Ghent University), Gerd Haverling (Department of Linguistics and Philology, Uppsala University) in collaboration with Academia Belgica, KNIR & Swedish Institute in Rome.

The central theme of the Enlight/U4 Winter School in Classics 2023 is tradition and innovation in the ancient world. It focuses on the ways in which change was introduced, acknowledged, and handled in Greco-Roman and late antique society. We are especially interested in the tension between the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ and the various mechanisms, agents, and motivators of continuity and change in text, material culture (tangible and intangible) and architecture. We also reflect on the concepts of tradition and innovation as heuristic tools to explicate patterns of development and transition in ancient society. By taking a multidisciplinary approach, participants will conceptualize the notions of tradition and innovation broadly, as overarching cultural phenomena that encompass all facets of ancient society. They will also reflect on tradition and innovation as cultural phenomena in our own society and appreciate their role today.

The Enlight/U4 Winter School in Classics is an annual event that promotes cross-institutional exchange. This edition hosts keynote lectures by experts of the ancient world, guided field trips, research papers by junior scholars, and a workshop on conference and presentation skills for PhD students. The Winter School offers a platform to (especially first- and second-year) PhD students from all disciplines dealing with Classical Antiquity (ancient history, archaeology, cultural studies, ethnology, philosophy, religion studies, art history, linguistics, literary studies, ancient science, law, reception studies, etc.), who are looking to build and strengthen academic and transferable skills in presenting, research communication and networking.

The Winter School is a result of a collaboration with the universities of Göttingen, Groningen, Tartu and Uppsala.

Program