URBiS Library Network

Congratulations to URBiS on its first ten years!

PLINY THE ELDER: ON MAGIC AND RELIGION
ROME CONFERENCE
BIBLIOTECA VALLICELLIANA, Thursday, November 9th
ACCADEMIA DI DANIMARCA, Friday, November 10th

The Centre for Classical Studies Universuty of Lisbon), in collaboration with Sapienza Università di Roma, has organized an international conference to celebrate the bimillenary birth of Pliny the Elder. Taking place in Lisbon (October 19-20, 2023) and Rome (November 9-10, 2023), the conference aims to examine Pliny’s Natural History in three areas that frequently intersect and at times blur together—medicine, magic, and religion—from antiquity to the modern age.
Both conferences will feature the participation of experts in Pliny’s work and the three areas of the congress, totaling approximately 40 participants from seven countries, with the hope that this will be a landmark event in Plinian studies and serve as inspiration for the future.
Organising Committee: Gabriel Silva (University of Lisbon), Giorgio Ferri (Sapienza University of Rome), Paolo Garofalo (University of Lisbon)
START AND END DATE: 2023-11-09 / 2023-11-10
Further information:https://centroclassicos.letras.ulisboa.pt/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Pliny-Programme-Rome.pdf

SAVE THE DATE

Dec. 5th 2022, 6 pm

We're pleased to invite you to the lecture by Laura Mecella (Università degli Studi di Milano Statale):

"Giulio Africano e una nuova arte della guerra sotto i Severi"/"Julius Africanus and a new art of war in the Severan age"

The lecture will be in Italian with English Texts.

Il sofista cristiano Giulio Africano è stato uno degli intellettuali più importanti alla corte di Severo Alessandro, al quale ha dedicato l’opera intitolata Cesti. Questa è una collezione enciclopedica in 24 libri sui più diversi soggetti: letteratura, medicina, veterinaria, botanica, metrologia, alchimia, agricoltura e, in particolare, l’arte della guerra. Il grande interesse per la scienza militare va compreso nel più ampio contesto della difesa contro i Persiani, contro i quali l’imperatore fu costretto a intraprendere una spedizione. Africano tratta di dettagli tecnici e uso di stratagemmi, ma presenta anche un insieme di pratiche che, per la loro natura ibrida (tra scienza, alchimia e magia) può essere definito “paratecnologia”. Questo particolare approccio si inserisce perfettamente nel clima culturale dell’impero tra la fine del II e l’inizio del III secolo d.C.

The Christian sophist Julius Africanus was one of the most notable intellectual at the court of Severus Alexander, whom he devoted his second major work, the Cesti. It is a encyclopaedic collection in 24 books on the most diverse subjects: literature, medicine, veterinary science, botany, metrology, alchemy, agriculture and, in particular, the art of war. The great interest in military science has to be put in the broader context of the tactics to defeat the Persians, against whom the emperor was forced to plan a military campaign. Africanus dealt with both technical details and the use of stratagems; but he also offered a whole set of practices that, by their hybrid nature (combining science, alchemy, and magic), can be defined as “paratechnology”. This approach fit perfectly into the cultural context of the Roman empire at the end of the second and beginning of the third century.
https://www.acdan.it/homepage

REMINDER!
Tomorrow, Tuesday November 22 at 5 pm
"Stories and stereotypes. From Livius to Augustinus: women (of power?), fathers and husbands"
Lecture by Beatrice Girotti (University of Bologna).

In the week dedicated to Women, and especially to the battle against violence on women (of all kinds, physical but also verbal), in conjunction with a piece of news in our current affairs (the first female prime minister) we intend to address the topic of women and power in the ancient world. We will take a look at the sources on women in Roman word, as a result of the description of Livius, Svetonius and Historia Augusta. Special attention will be paid to Livia, Messalina, Zenobia and some Christian womens (from the Historia Augusta and Hieronymus/Augustinus). How and when did they exercise power? What kind of real power did they have? How much did gender stereotypes influence their representations in the sources?

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