International Workshop: The Ancient World between City and Countryside Interactions, Contrasts, and Continuities

Munich, 3-4 April 2025

The (inter)connection between cities and countryside life in antiquity has been the focus of numerous historical, archaeological and sociological debates. Although cities and countryside are often presented as separate entities, their interactions had a profound impact on the social, economic and cultural structure of ancient civilisations. Analysing the relationship between city and countryside in antiquity not only sheds light on power dynamics and everyday practices, but also allows us to understand how these two spheres contributed to the
definition of distinct but intrinsically linked cultural and social identities. Urbanisation, agriculture, religion, politics and everyday life are just some of the areas in which the city and the countryside interacted and influenced each other.
This workshop aims to explore the multiple ways in which city and countryside influenced each other, both in the Greco-Roman world and in other ancient civilisations. In order to do this, the workshop aims to provide an interdisciplinary view, combining approaches from various perspectives and disciplines for a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between city and countryside in antiquity.

Scholars from any field that focusses on ancient cultures from the Mediterranean to China are invited to send in proposals for papers, including (but not limited to) archaeology, art history, iconography, architecture, epigraphy, literature, and history.

The following topics are proposed as suggestions:
• Topology: Communication and trade routes linking city and countryside.
• Urbanisation and Migration: Movements from the countryside to cities.
• Economy: Economic interactions between (consumption) cities and (production) countryside.
• Society: Social structures and classes in urban and rural settings.
• Politics and Power: The influence of the countryside on urban governance.
• Religion: Processions, pilgrimage, and further religious interactions between town and countryside.
• Symbolisation: Idealised depictions of urban and rural life in literature, philosophy, and art.
• Art and Architecture: Urban influences on rural artistic and architectural styles and vice versa.

You are invited to submit an abstract (maximum 300 words) accompanied by a short CV by 15 February 2025. All submissions should include your name, affiliation, and e-mail address. Participants are expected to give a 20–30 minute talk, followed by an extended session for discussion. The workshop is primarily aimed at PhD students, but scholars who consider they can give a contribution in line with the workshop theme are invited to send in their abstracts.

The workshop will take place in person at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität on 3-4 April 2025.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact: lennart.lundgreen[at]campus.lmu.de

Lieu de la manifestation : Munich
Contact : lennart.lundgreen[at]campus.lmu.de