Transformations of the Seventh Century II: Disciplines in Dialogue

Sponsoring Organization(s)

Dept. of History, Durham Univ.

Organizer Name

Helen Foxhall Forbes

Organizer Affiliation

Durham Univ.

Presider Name

Sarah Semple

Presider Affiliation

Durham Univ.

Paper Title 1

Perspectives in Conflict: Recuperation and New Interpretation of a Botanical-Medical Passage

Presenter 1 Name

Arsenio Ferraces-Rodríguez

Presenter 1 Affiliation

Univ. da Coruña

Paper Title 2

Biomolecular Archaeology and the Seventh Century: New Techniques for Old Questions?

Presenter 2 Name

Samantha Leggett

Presenter 2 Affiliation

Univ. of Cambridge

Paper Title 3

Prayer for the Dead and the Relocation of Purgatorial Fire in the Seventh Century

Presenter 3 Name

Helen Foxhall Forbes

Start Date

10-5-2018 3:30 PM

Session Location

Schneider 1340

Description

Transformations of the Seventh Century I: Connected Cultures

Transformations of the Seventh Century II: Disciplines in Dialogue

The seventh century saw significant transformations across Europe and the Mediterranean world, resulting in profound religious, political, cultural, social and economic changes which affected communities and societies in diverse ways. This session seeks to examine specific moments of transformation within the seventh century, and the ways in which scholars can bring together different kinds of disciplines to investigate the evidence for these changes. . The seventh century is also crucial in considering periodisation of late antiquity and the early middle ages. The Italian peninsula in AD 600 is usually understood to be firmly part of ‘late antiquity’ while northern Europe in the same period is generally perceived as the ‘early middle ages’; at the same time, some recent scholarship argues that ‘Byzantium’ begins only in the seventh century. However, all these areas were connected via political, economic, cultural, religious and other networks and this varying periodisations are problematic if not considered as part of a whole. A similar issue is seen in terms of methodological approaches. Scholarship of the seventh century often uses a range of different types of evidence or disciplinary approaches, but even so interdisciplinary study presents challenges as well as offering potential. Moreover, even the concept of ‘interdisciplinary research’ is taken in substantially different ways by practitioners who operate within the frameworks of different scholarly traditions, disciplines or departments, and with unspoken disciplinary assumptions.

Session one will consider how different societies and cultures experienced and negotiated these changes, and the ways in which different cultures came into contact with new networks of trade, exchange, knowledge and communication which were built up across Europe and the Mediterranean.

Session two will examine the disciplinary structures, approaches and assumptions which underpin research into the seventh century, and in particular will focus on how to bring different disciplines together for fruitful dialogue.

Helen G. Foxhall Forbes

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May 10th, 3:30 PM

Transformations of the Seventh Century II: Disciplines in Dialogue

Schneider 1340

Transformations of the Seventh Century I: Connected Cultures

Transformations of the Seventh Century II: Disciplines in Dialogue

The seventh century saw significant transformations across Europe and the Mediterranean world, resulting in profound religious, political, cultural, social and economic changes which affected communities and societies in diverse ways. This session seeks to examine specific moments of transformation within the seventh century, and the ways in which scholars can bring together different kinds of disciplines to investigate the evidence for these changes. . The seventh century is also crucial in considering periodisation of late antiquity and the early middle ages. The Italian peninsula in AD 600 is usually understood to be firmly part of ‘late antiquity’ while northern Europe in the same period is generally perceived as the ‘early middle ages’; at the same time, some recent scholarship argues that ‘Byzantium’ begins only in the seventh century. However, all these areas were connected via political, economic, cultural, religious and other networks and this varying periodisations are problematic if not considered as part of a whole. A similar issue is seen in terms of methodological approaches. Scholarship of the seventh century often uses a range of different types of evidence or disciplinary approaches, but even so interdisciplinary study presents challenges as well as offering potential. Moreover, even the concept of ‘interdisciplinary research’ is taken in substantially different ways by practitioners who operate within the frameworks of different scholarly traditions, disciplines or departments, and with unspoken disciplinary assumptions.

Session one will consider how different societies and cultures experienced and negotiated these changes, and the ways in which different cultures came into contact with new networks of trade, exchange, knowledge and communication which were built up across Europe and the Mediterranean.

Session two will examine the disciplinary structures, approaches and assumptions which underpin research into the seventh century, and in particular will focus on how to bring different disciplines together for fruitful dialogue.

Helen G. Foxhall Forbes