UPCOMING CONFERENCES

Oxford Plutarch Conference
14-15 July 2008

Plutarch and Philosophy- scholarship and/or dilettantism?

Plutarch quite possibly would have wanted to be remembered as a philosopher or teacher of philosophy. Yet it is his monumental Lives of Greek and Roman statesmen that, for the most part, have lent him a standing reputation through the centuries. Plutarch’s philosophical side remained more or less in the shadow of his moralist biographies partly, it seems, because of its dilettante and popularised appearance and partly because of its sometimes mystical obscurity. Fortunately, this no longer seems to be the case: in the last few decades there has been a growing interest in, and appreciation of, Plutarch as a philosopher-scholar. The conference on ‘Plutarch and Philosophy’ seeks to appraise the changing tide in the approaches to Plutarch’s philosophical activity and move the debate forward, by bringing together international scholars with expertise on different aspects of Plutarch’s oeuvre.

Keynote Address: Professor Donald Russell (Emeritus Professor, University of Oxford)

Speakers: Prof. Keimpe Algra (Utrecht), Dr Mauro Bonazzi (Milan), Prof. Frederick Brenk (Pontifical Biblical Institute of Rome), Prof. John Dillon (Trinity College Dublin), Prof. Heinz Gerd Ingenkamp (Bonn), Prof. Judith Mossman (Nottingham), Prof. Jan Opsomer (Cologne), Prof. Chris Pelling (Oxford), Prof. Aurelio Pérez Jiménez (Málaga), Prof. Luc van der Stockt (Leuven), Prof. Frances Titchener (Utah State University), Dr James Warren (Cambridge)

Conference Organiser: Dr Eleni Kechagia (Keble College, Oxford)

Venue: Ioannou Centre for Classical and Byzantine Studies, 66 St Giles, Oxford

STUDENT BURSARIES AVAILABLE

DEADLINE FOR BOOKINGS: 10 JUNE 2008

The Conference is funded by: the John Fell OUP Fund, the Hellenic Society, the Classical Association and the Faculty of Classics, University of Oxford.

For further information please see:
http://www.classics.ox.ac.uk/plutarch/index.htm or contact the conference organiser (eleni.kechagia@classics.ox.ac.uk)

Messages to the list are archived at http://listserv.liv.ac.uk/archives/classicists.html

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE ANCIENT NOVEL

(ICAN 2008)

21 to 25 July 2008, Lisbon

Dear Colleagues:

I would like to inform that you can NOW submit your Abstract to ICAN 2008 (International Conference on the Ancient Novel) that will be held in Lisbon, from 21 to 25 July 2008.

For further details, please see ICAN 2008 WEBPAGE: http://www.ican2008.ul.pt.

The deadline for Abastracts Submission is 30 June 2007.

Looking forward to seeing you in July 2008.

Your sincerely,

Marília P. Futre Pinheiro
(Organizing Committee)

8º Congresso da International Plutarch Society
Coimbra, 23-27 de Setembro de 2008

“Symposion e philanthropia em Plutarco”

Na antiguidade clássica, o acto ritualizado de partilhar a comida e a bebida tinha um significado especial, na medida em que constituía uma excelente oportunidade para vencer barreiras e firmar laços de natureza social e afectiva, antes de mais, mas também de cariz político e religioso. Além disso, a vertente de lazer, que acompanhava igualmente grande parte desses momentos, podia traduzir-se em criações culturais, que encontravam no symposion um enquadramento de eleição; basta pensar em manifestações artísticas como a música, a poesia, a retórica e a discussão político-filosófica, para vermos plenamente justificadas as implicações culturais destes eventos.

Aliás, estes propósitos viam-se facilitados pelo papel que o vinho detinha no banquete e que acabava por ser até mais importante do que a refeição propriamente dita, conforme se deduz do sentido primitivo do termo symposion (‘beber em conjunto’). A bebida aproximava os convivas, da mesma forma que o espaço relativamente limitado da sala de jantar e o facto de se encontrarem reclinados ajudavam a concentrar as atenções dos comensais, criando assim um cenário privilegiado para manifestações de philia e de philanthropia. Por isso, era importante que o vinho fosse misturado com água, a fim de permitir o prolongamento da conversa e da diversão, sem que o convívio descambasse em excessos, colocando em risco a harmonia do encontro.

É com este convivalis spiritus que a Sociedade Portuguesa de Plutarco (SOPLUTARCO) o convida a participar no 8º Congresso da International Plutarch Society, que será dedicado ao assunto “Symposion e philanthropia em Plutarco’ e que procurará, igualmente, servir de estímulo à publicação em Portugal de obras clássicas relacionadas com esta temática.

Temas para enquadramento de comunicações
Symposion (como género literário e como espaço de reunião social); técnicas argumentativas, narrativas e dramáticas no symposion; discussões político filosóficas e formas de expressão artística em contexto de banquete; philanthropia, philia e eros; Quaestiones convivales; Convivium Septem Sapientium.

Comissão Organizadora
José Ribeiro Ferreira (rifer@fl.uc.pt)
Delfim Ferreira Leão (leo@fl.uc.pt)
Paula Barata Dias (pabadias@hotmail.com)
Frances Titchener (f.b.titchener@usu.edu)
Carla Rosa (classic@ci.uc.pt)

Comissão Científica
Luc Van der Stockt
Aurelio Pérez Jiménez
Arnaldo do Espírito Santo
Maria Helena da Rocha Pereira
Maria de Fátima Silva
Francisco Oliveira
Maria do Céu Fialho
Nair de Castro Soares

Linhas gerais do programa
Dia 23, à tardinha: recepção dos congressistas.
Dias 24-26: apresentação de comunicações (edifício da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra).
Dia 27: visita a Conimbriga, villa Romana do Rabaçal, villa Romana de Santiago da Guarda, Tomar (em especial o convento de Cristo) e Mosteiro da Batalha ou de Alcobaça.
Encerramento do congresso, com jantar solene nas caves, na companhia de um bom akratos oinos da Bairrada.

Preços de inscrição
Apresentação de comunicação com direito a publicação*: 100 Euros.
Apresentação de comunicação com direito a publicação*, juntamente com todo o programa social (jantar de encerramento e excursão no dia 27, com almoço incluído): 150 Euros.
Participação no Congresso sem comunicação: 50 Euros (público em geral); 35 Euros (sócios da SOPLUTARCO e da APEC); 25 Euros (estudantes).

Programa social como opção individual suplementar
Jantar de encerramento: 30 Euros.
Excursão no dia 27, com almoço incluído: 30 Euros.

Prazos de inscrição e entrega de resumos
Inscrição com comunicação: Setembro de 2007; entrega de resumos: Janeiro de 2008.
Inscrição sem comunicação: Maio de 2008 (a partir desta data, poderão ainda ser recebidas inscrições sem comunicação, mas sofrendo um agravamento de 20 Euros).

Alojamento e alimentação
As despesas de estadia não previstas nas diferentes modalidades de inscrição serão suportadas pelos participantes. No entanto, a organização poderá fornecer sugestões de alojamento e alimentação, dentro da oferta disponível na cidade.

8th International Plutarch Society Congress
Coimbra, 23-27 September 2008

“Symposion e philanthropia em Plutarco”

In classical antiquity, the ritualized act of sharing food and drink had a very important meaning, as it constituted an excellent opportunity not only to erode barriers, but also to firm social, affective, political and religious bounds. Besides that, the leisure that usually accompanied most of these moments could also give rise to cultural creations, which would find in the symposion a natural and wonderful scenario; it is enough to think of artistic manifestations such as music, poetry, rhetoric or political and philosophical discussions to have completely justified the cultural implications of this kind of event.

In fact, these goals were facilitated by the role of wine in the feast and thus wine was, in a certain way, even more important than the food itself, as we can deduce from the meaning of the very term symposion (‘to drink together’). Sharing drinks had the ability to bring the guests closer to one another, just as the relatively narrow space of the dinning room and the fact that everyone reclined would help to concentrate the banqueters’ attention, and in this way create a good moment for manifestations of philia and philanthropia. Because of that, it was appropriate to serve the wine mixed with water in order to allow talking and diversion, without incurring the risk of leading the symposion into excesses, which could bring an end to the harmony among symposiasts.

Touched by this convivalis spiritus, the Portuguese Plutarch Society (SOPLUTARCO) invites you to participate in the 8th International Plutarch Society Congress, which shall be dedicated to the subject “Symposion and philanthropia in Plutarch”, and will also try to give a decisive encouragement to the publication, in Portuguese, of classical works connected with this topic.

Themes for possible communications
Symposion (as a literary gender and as a space for social meetings); argumentative, narrative and dramatic techniques applied in the symposion; political-philosophical discussions and forms of artistic expression in symposiac context; philanthropia, philia and eros; Quaestiones convivales; Convivium Septem Sapientium.

Organizing Commission
José Ribeiro Ferreira (rifer@fl.uc.pt)
Delfim Ferreira Leão (leo@fl.uc.pt)
Paula Barata Dias (pabadias@hotmail.com)
Frances Titchener (f.b.titchener@usu.edu)
Carla Rosa (classic@ci.uc.pt)

Scientific Commission
Luc Van der Stockt
Aurelio Pérez Jiménez
Arnaldo do Espírito Santo
Maria Helena da Rocha Pereira
Maria de Fátima Silva
Francisco Oliveira
Maria do Céu Fialho
Nair de Castro Soares

Provisional Outline of the program
23: by the end of the afternoon: reception of the participants.
24-26: papers’ presentation (Faculty of Letters of the University of Coimbra).
27: visit to Conimbriga, villa Romana of Rabaçal, villa Romana of Santiago da Guarda, Tomar (specially the Convent of Christ) and the Monastery of Batalha or Alcobaça.
Final dinner, at a wine cellar, with a good akratos oinos from Bairrada.

Registration fees
Communication and publication*: 100 Euro.
Communication and publication*, together with the entire social program (final dinner and the bus excursion of day 27, with lunch included): 150 Euro.
Participation in the congress, without communication: 50 Euro (public in general); 35 Euro (for associates of SOPLUTARCO and APEC); 25 Euro (students).

Social program as a separated supplement
Final dinner: 30 Euro.
Bus excursion of day 27, with lunch included: 30 Euro.

Deadlines for the registration and the sending of abstracts
Registration with communication: September 2007; sending of abstracts: January 2008.
Registration without communication: May 2008 (from this deadline on, the organization may accept registrations without communication, although charging a supplement fee of 20 Euro).

Accommodation arrangements
Hotel and meal costs not included in the different kinds of registration are the responsibility of the participants. Nevertheless, the organization can supply information concerning accommodation arrangements, according to the possibilities available in town.