Swiss Inventory of Coin Finds

Volume edited by F. Spingou.

More than a hundred scholars have collaborated for this unique collection of texts speaking about Byzantine art and aesthetics in eight medieval languages. Each text is printed in its original language and is accompanied by an introduction, translation and commentary. For the full description of the volume and the complete list of contributors see the document attached.

This one day and a half conference combines a symposium and a workshop.
The aim is to
examine and contextualise the artistic and cultural production of the geopolitical centres
that were controlled by or in contact with the late Byzantine Empire, such as the Adriatic
and Balkan regions, the major islands of Cyprus and Crete, and the regions surrounding the
cities of Constantinople, Thessaloniki, and Mystras. This conference will explore the many
intellectual implications that are encoded in the innovative artistic production of the
Palaiologan Era often simplified by a rigid understanding of what is Byzantine and what is
not.
In its last centuries, the political entity of the Empire of the Romaioi released cultural and
artistic energies migrating towards new frontiers of intellectual achievements. The intent is
to counter-balance the innovation of these works of art with the notion of decline and the
narrative of decay frequently acknowledged for this period; and to promote an
understanding of transformation where previous cultural heritages were integrated into
new socio-political orders.
The Symposium – hosted on the afternoon of the 24 and the morning of the 25 February -
will bring together established scholars, early-career scholars, and postgraduate students.
Three keynotes will provide the methodological framework for the discussion; while the
selected papers will focus solely on the visual expressions and cultural trajectories of the
artworks produced during the late Palaiologan Era.
The Workshop, hosted on the afternoon of the 25 February, will offer the opportunity to
further the discussion in a more informal setting and for a selected number of Master
students to interact and offer brief presentations.
Postgraduate students and early-career scholars are invited to submit proposals for twentyminute
papers on art and architecture history, material culture, visual aspects of
palaeography and codicology, and gender studies.
Topics may include but are not limited to:
- Gift exchange in view of diplomatic missions or dynastic marriages both within the
Empire and with its neighbours
- Visual evidence of the interaction between the Emperor and the Patriarch
- Innovations in the visual agenda of the Palaiologan dynasty
- Aspects of religious iconography and visual representations of theological
controversies, i.e. Hesychasm
- Artistic patronage and manuscript production as the outcome of dynastic and
institutional interactions
- Visual and material production as the outcome of political and social
circumstances, i.e. the Zealot uprising or the Unionist policy
- Evidence of artistic exchanges in the depictions of women, men, and children
during the Palaiologan Era