Conferences

CONFERENCE REPORTS

SILIUS ITALICUS AND FLAVIAN CULTURE CONFERENCE REPORT

The international conference ‘Silius Italicus and Flavian Culture’ was held in CCANESA from Monday 4th to Wednesday 6th July 2011. It was the 2011 Pacific Rim Latin Literature Conference, as well as being the fifth (the first outside the UK) in a series of conferences on Flavian epic held under the aegis of the Flavian Epic Network. It was also the first conference devoted to Silius Italicus in the English-speaking world and only the second anywhere (after Innsbruck in 2009).

The conference was attended by delegates from universities in seven countries on three continents (Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, UK, Netherlands, Sweden). Germany and Italy were also represented by nationality. A full list of delegates and their institutions is included at the end of this report. There were thirty-eight delegates, including twelve postgraduates.

The conference was opened by Prof. Barbara Caine, Head of the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry, at the University. Twenty-eight papers (including seven by postgraduates) were delivered in eleven panels over three days. Six of the papers were delivered by members of the Department of Classics and Ancient History at The University of Sydney, three by postgraduates and three by academic staff. A seventh was to have been delivered by Lindsay and Patricia Watson, but severe weather prevented them from reaching CCANESA on the day of their panel. The keynote speaker was Assoc. Prof. Raymond Marks of the University of Missouri, who delivered a paper entitled “War, Reconciliation, and the New Flavian Order: the Funeral Games in Punica 16”.

The conference was generously supported by the CCANESA Conference Fund, the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry, University of Sydney, the Australasian Society for Classical Studies and the Sydney Latin Summer School through the Classical Association of New South Wales. I would also like to express my gratitude to the postgraduate assistants, Michelle Borg, Peta Greenfield, Michael Hanaghan, Alina Kozlovski, Peter Merz, Chris Ransom; to all at CCANESA, esp. Wendy Reade; to the SOPHI administrative staff, esp. Cam Pham, Jinfeng Huang, Maria Cortes & Jane Yan in finance, Kaaren Walker-Smith, Adrian Atkins & Johann Loibl in the SOPHI office, Julie-Ann Robson for poster design, and Carolyne Carter; Kit Morrell for her work on the website; and Peter Davis, Frances Muecke & Kathryn Welch for general advice on conference organization.

List of delegates (speakers asterisked)

*Paolo Asso (University of Michigan)
*Hannah Bartonek (Uppsala University)
*Frances Billot (University of Auckland)
*Michelle Borg (University of Sydney)
*Bob Cowan (University of Sydney)
*Peter Davis (University of Adelaide)
*Jessica Dietrich (Australian National University)
*Simone Finkmann (University of Oxford)
Daniela Galli
Judy Goodsell (University of Sydney)
*Peta Greenfield (University of Sydney)
Michael Hanaghan (University of Sydney)
*Mark Heerink (Leiden University/University of Cambridge)
*Liz Klaassen (Carleton University)
Alina Kozlovski (University of Sydney)
*R. Joy Littlewood
*Helen Lovatt (University of Nottingham)
*Raymond Marks (University of Missouri)
*Mark Masterson (Victoria University Of Wellington)
Peter Merz (University of Sydney)
*Frances Mills (La Trobe University)
Frances Muecke (University of Sydney)
*Jen Oliver (Victoria University Of Wellington)
*John Penwill (La Trobe University)
Roger Pitcher (University of Sydney Grammar School)
*Arthur Pomeroy (Victoria University Of Wellington)
*Chris Ransome (University of Sydney)
*Paul Roche (University of Sydney)
*Anne Rogerson (University of Sydney)
*Shawn Ross (University of New South Wales)
*Claire Stocks (University of Cambridge)
*Michiel van der Keur (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
*Lindsay Watson (University of Sydney)
*Patricia Watson (University of Sydney)
Kathryn Welch (University of Sydney)
*Marcus Wilson (University of Auckland)

Robert Cowan
Convenor

THE GREEK THEATRE IN THE FOURTH CENTURY BC CONFERENCE REPORT

Professor Eric Csapo, Emeritus Professor Richard Green and Professor Peter Wilson convened a three-day colloquium in July at CCANESA entitled “Death of Drama or Birth of an Industry? Greek Theatre in the Fourth Century BC”.

Nine esteemed international and domestic presenters, and two guest chairs, participated in the conference. Six University of Sydney research staff also contributed papers. The conference was also able to offer three bursaries to international post-graduate students from Oxford University, the University of Nottingham and the University of Athens, in order to support their attendance at the colloquium.

The colloquium was structured to combine the format of a two-day conference and a one-day workshop, with associated functions. The conference was open to the general public, for which 19 people registered. The workshop was restricted, for practical purposes, to participants and bursary recipients. This allowed for a genuinely interactive platform to discuss the major themes of the presentations.

The colloquium examined the traditional scholarly view that the decline of the city-state in the fourth century BC coincided with the “death” of serious theatre, which was to be replaced by mediocre popular entertainment. Rather, there is much evidence, from varied sources, to support the view that theatre was a rapidly developing “industry” at this time.

The colloquium promoted inter-disciplinary collaboration, bringing together experts from nearly all the sub-disciplines of classical studies: archaeologists, epigraphers, iconographers, literary and social historians. These various areas of expertise afforded presenters the opportunity to engage with colleagues from related fields on the question of why, at the critical moment of the fourth century BC, theatre developed into the world’s first form of mass communication. Theatre is the most pervasive and enduring legacy of democratic Classical Athens, and understanding this historical process is crucial for ongoing research.

Ancient theatre research is a core undertaking of CCANESA. Ancient theatre is the major field of research for four ARC-funded permanent staff members of the Departments of Archaeology and of Classics and Ancient History as well as two post-doctoral research fellows. The “Sydney School” of ancient theatre research is a recognised leader in the field.

The Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens supported the travel expenses of Christina Papastamati-von Moock, thanks to a strong collaboration between the AAIA and CCANESA.

APPIAN AND THE ROMANS CONFERENCE REPORT

The Appian and the Romans conference, convened by Kathryn Welch, was held at CCANESA from 5-7 July 2010. Paper givers included Kavita Ayer (Macquarie); James Chlup (Manitoba University), Eleanor Cowan (Sydney), Danijel Dzino (Macquarie University), Daniel Gargola (University of Kentucky), Bronwyn Hopwood (University of New England), Trevor Mahy (St Andrews), Liam McGowan (University of Sydney), Hannah Mitchell (St Andrews), Josiah Osgood (Georgetown), Luke Pitcher (Somerville, Oxford) Anton Powell (Classical Press of Wales) John Rich (University of Nottingham), Tom Stevenson (University of Queensland), Martin Stone (University of Sydney) Fiona Tweedie (University of Sydney), Kathryn Welch (University of Sydney). The School of Philosophical and Historical Enquiry, the Faculty of Arts and the Australasian Society for Classical Studies generously assisted with funding the conference.

In 2008, Eleanor Cowan, then of the University of Leicester, Kathryn Welch of the University of Sydney and Anton Powell, founding editor of the Classical Press of Wales, began a series of conferences examining the key authors of Roman history whose work is in need of closer attention. The papers from the first conference (on Velleius Paterculus) will appear in September. The Appian conference was the second in the series and work on its publication is well underway. A third conference, on Suetonius, will be hosted by Professor John Marincola at Florida State University in 2013.

HISTORIOGRAPHY AND ANTIQUARIANISM CONFERENCE REPORT

The Historiography and Antiquarianism Conference was held at CCANESA from 12-­14 August, 2011. The organizers, Frances Muecke (CAH) and John Gagné (History), are pleased to report on the successful conclusion of the conference, financially supported by CCANESA, the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, SOPHI, MEMC, and the Sydney Latin Summer School, for whose subvention they are very grateful.

“History and Antiquarianism” was convened with the purpose of inviting scholars in disparate fields to engage in an interdisciplinary dialogue over two interrelated questions. The first was to evaluate the history of antiquarianism, the pursuit, collection, and cataloguing of ancient things – a habit of scholars from the ancient world to the present, though rarely considered as a practice over the longue durée. The second was to investigate the relationship of antiquarianism to history writing, and to press on the similarities and differences between the authoring of history and antiquary works. In asking these questions, the conference assembled delegates who don’t often have the chance to interact: scholars of antique, medieval, and early modern Europe.

The conference revealed the divergence of approaches and encouraged the delegates to discuss and evaluate their fundamental terms. From within the University of Sydney, the conference involved scholars from several units and disciplines: Classics and Ancient History, Celtic Studies, Medieval Studies, History, Art History, Musicology, and Italian Studies. Participants from other institutions also offered perspectives from disciplines such as Theology and Architectural History. Delegates to the conference represented over 10 Australian and New Zealand universities, and about the same number of international institutions, including Toronto, Yale, York (UK), Holy Cross (MA), Harvard, Sheffield, St. Andrews, Oxford, Mt. Holyoke, and others. Roughly 50 people attended the conference, and 30 papers were
presented.

“History and Antiquarianism” derived much of its dynamism from the combination of junior, mid-­-career, and senior scholars; papers were evenly divided between those three groups. We also had two keynote addresses: the first by Chris Given-­-Wilson (St. Andrews) author of Chronicles: The Writing of History in Late Medieval England (Continuum, 2004), and the second by David Karmon (Holy Cross) author of The Ruin of the Eternal City (Oxford, 2010). Several scholars reported making beneficial contacts (including a classicist and a Renaissance historian whose offices are one floor apart at their institution, but who only met at our Sydney conference).

We are currently discussing the possibility of inviting delegates to contribute to a volume on the topic of history-­writing
and antiquarianism.

RECENT CONFERENCE INFORMATION & SCHEDULES

DEATH OF DRAMA OR BIRTH OF AN INDUSTRY? THE GREEK THEATRE IN THE FOURTH CENTURY BC

Conference 19-20 July 2011

Detail from South Italian krater attributed to the Tarporley Painter, Nicholson Museum NM47.1

Conference Program

Tuesday July 19 2011

9:30-10:00 Welcome

10:00-12:30 THEATRE AND SANCTUARY ARCHITECTURE
10:00 – 10:50
Christina PAPASTAMATI-VON MOOCK, Greek Ministry of Culture, Committee for the Study and Restoration of the Sanctuary and Theatre of Dionysos and the Asklepieion in Athens
'The Theatre of Dionysus in Athens:New Data and Observations on its “Lycurgan” Phase’

10:50 – 11:40
Hans Rupprecht GOETTE, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Berlin
‘Archaeology of the Rural Dionysia’

11:40 – 12:30
Jean-Charles MORETTI, Institut de recherche sur l’architecture antique, University of Lyon
'The Evolution of Theatre Architecture Outside Athens in the Fourth Century BC'

12:30-2:00 LUNCH

2:00 -4:30 DRAMA IN THE FOURTH CENTURY
2:00 – 2:50
Sebastiana NERVEGNA, Australian Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, CCANESA
'The Classical Canon in the Fourth Century BC'

2:50 – 3:40
Andrew HARTWIG, Australian Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, CCANESA
'The Evolution of Comedy in the Fourth Century BC'

3:40 – 4:30
Johanna HANINK, Assistant Professor, Brown University
'Aristotle (and others) as evidence of fourth-century drama'

Wednesday July 20 2011

9:00-10.40 THEATRE AND MACEDON
9:00 – 9.50
Brigitte LE GUEN, Professor, University of Paris 8
‘Theatre and Politics at Alexander's Travelling Royal Court’

9.50 –10.40
Eoghan MOLONEY, University of Adelaide
‘“Philippus in acie tutior quam in theatro fuit...” (Curt. 9.6.25): The Macedonian Kings and Greek Theatre’

11:00-3.10 THEATRE IN THE WEST
11:00 – 11.50
Ted ROBINSON, University of Sydney
‘Theatre in Indigenous Italy and Sicily’

11.50 – 12:40
Zachary BILES, Associate Professor, Franklin and Marshall College and Jed THORN, Visiting Assistant Professor, Franklin and Marshall College
‘Imitation and Innovation in West Greek Theatre Vases’

12:40-2.20 LUNCH

2.20 – 3.10
Richard GREEN, Emeritus Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Sydney
‘Boundaries of Comic Theatre in Fourth Century Italy’

3.30 -5.10 THEATRE FINANCE
3.30 – 4.20
Robert PITT, Assistant Director, The British School at Athens
‘Theatres and the Ancient Construction Industry’

4.20 – 5.10
Peter WILSON, Ritchie Professor of Classics, and Eric CSAPO, Professor of Classics, University of Sydney
‘Funding the Athenian Theatre in the Fourth Century’

The conference organisers wish to thank:
Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens
Australian Research Council
Centre for Classical and Near Eastern Studies of Australia
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Sydney
Ian Potter Foundation
School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry, University of Sydney

SILIUS ITALICUS AND FLAVIAN CULTURE CONFERENCE

4th-6th July 2011
Centre for Classical and Near Eastern Studies of Australia (CCANESA) The University of Sydney

Pacific Rim Latin Literature Conference 2011 in association with the Flavian Epic Network

Convenor: Robert Cowan (University of Sydney)

http://classics.org.au/silius/

Silius Italicus' epic on the Hannibalic War, the Punica, has moved from scholarly neglect and even contempt to being the focus of immense interest and research. Yet much scholarship-prompted by Silius' own poetics of nostalgia and his close engagement with Virgil, Livy and Lucan-has tended to divorce the poet and his poem from its context in Flavian and especially Domitianic Rome. This conference, only the second ever devoted to Silius and the first in the English-speaking world, aims to resituate Silius and the Punica in its Flavian context.

Keynote Speaker

The keynote speaker will be Assoc. Prof. Raymond D. Marks, (University of Missouri)

Raymond Marks has rapidly established himself as one of the leading voices in Silius scholarship, with a particular emphasis on situating the Punica in its Flavian and specifically Domitianic context.
His book From Republic to Empire: Scipio Africanus in the Punica of Silius Italicus (Frankfurt am Main, 2005) made a strong case for the poem as an aetiology of the principate, with Scipio serving as a model for Domitian. In addition to this already influential monograph, he has published articles on a wide range of aspects of the Punica in journals such as Mnemosyne and Ramus, and in the edited volumes Brill's Companion to Silius Italicus (Leiden, 2010), Studies in Latin Literature and Roman History XIII (Brussels, 2006), The Blackwell Companion to Ancient Epic (Oxford, 2008), and the Festschrift for Michael Putnam (Afton, 2004). He has also published on Horace and Ovid.

HISTORIOGRAPHY AND ANTIQUARIANISM CONFERENCE

12-14 August 2011
University of Sydney, Australia

Convenors: Frances Muecke (CAH, Sydney) & John Gagné (History, Sydney)
Sponsors: Centre for Classical and Near Eastern Studies of Australia & School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry, University of Sydney
Organising Committee: Dr. Jenny Spinks (Postdoc, History, Melbourne); Dr. Gary Ianziti (Centre for the History of European Discourses, Queensland); Dr. Amelia Robertson Brown (CAH, Queensland); Prof. D. Potts (Archaeology, Sydney); PG rep.: Christian Callisen (QUT)

Periods of focus

• Antiquity
• Late antiquity / Byzantine period
• Middle Ages
• Early Modernity