Symposium 'Cities in Ancient Literature: Rome and Beyond'

For whom
Employees , Students
When
23-10-2026 from 11:30 to 17:00
Where
Paviljoen Vandenhove, Rozier 1, 9000 Ghent
Language
English
Organizer
Department of History - Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Contact
dorien.slotman@ugent.be
Website
https://www.rug.nl/research/research-let/oikos/calendar/theme-in-context-day-tic

This workshop explores how cities were represented, imagined and idealised in the Roman world and beyond.

Bringing together specialists in Classical and Late Antique studies as well as Arabic literature, the event examines how cities function as sites of memory, identity, ideology, and imagination.

Through discussions of foundation narratives, urban landscapes, political symbolism, and literary praise, the workshop invites participants to reflect on the many ways in which cities are shaped by and through literature.

Program

  • 11.30-12.30: Diederik Burgersdijk, Was Rome ever founded? Coalitions and coalescence in early Latium
  • 13.30-14.30: Christian Caspers, Invisible Cities: the urban landscape in Greek & Roman literature
  • 14.30-15.30: Floris Bernard, Ideological Land- and Cityscapes: Rome and New Rome in literature under Justinian
  • 16.00-17.00: Gabrielle Russo, Praise of the City in Classical Arabic Literature, from Mecca to Samarra