Colloquia Ceranea VI Waldemar Ceran Research Centre for the History and Culture of the Mediterranean Area and South-East Europe Dear Colleagues, It is for the sixth time that we have the pleasure of inviting you to take part in the international, interdisciplinary scholarly conference Colloquia Ceranea, organised by the Waldemar Ceran Research Centre for the History and Culture of the Mediterranean Area and South-East Europe “Ceraneum”, University of Łódź, Poland, to take place between 9 and 11 May 2024. As in the recent years, Colloquia Ceranea VI will be held in a hybrid mode. However, as our meetings tend to turn into lively discussions (which are often continued after the official debates) and since we are planning a few extras to the main sessions, we would encourage you to visit Łódź in person Plenary lectures will be delivered by: • Dr. Andrew Dalby (independent scholar) • Prof. Alessia Guardasole (French National Centre for Scientific Research) In 2024 Colloquia Ceranea will be held under the auspices of: • The Committee on Ancient Culture of the Polish Academy of Sciences • The Commission for the Investigation of Byzantine Medical Studies, International Association of Byzantine Studies. Moreover, we will be supported by our local and international partners, i.e.: • Faculty of Philosophy and History, University of Łódź • Institute of History, University of Łódź • Department of Byzantine History, University of Łódź • Department of Slavonic Philology, University of Łódź • Faculty of History, University of Warsaw • Institute for the Preservation of Medical Traditions (Washington, DC). During our symposium, we would once again like to focus on issues from the main research fields of the Ceraneum Centre, i.e. food and medicine from Antiquity to the Early Modern Period, the history and culture of Byzantium and the Slavic World in the Middle Ages. History of medicine and food We intend to conduct further interdisciplinary discussion on various aspects of medical and culinary history in Antiquity and Byzantium. To that end we have secured collaboration with a group of eminent scholars representing diverse research areas to form the conference’s international Scientific Committee. They are: • Dr. Alfred Galik, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna • Dr. phil. Dr. habil. Isabel Grimm-Stadelmann, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities • Prof. Alessia Guardasole, French National Centre for Scientific Research, Paris • Dr. Andrew Dalby, independent scholar • Prof. Maciej Kokoszko, University of Łódź • Dr. Paulina Komar, University of Warsaw • Dr. Erica Rowan, Royal Holloway, University of London • Prof. Alain Touwaide, Institute for the Preservation of Medical Traditions, Washington, DC • Prof. John Wilkins, Emeritus Professor, University of Exeter • Dr. Barbara Zipser, Royal Holloway, University of London The diverse fields of the committee members guarantee that the conference will be truly multidisciplinary, furthering our strong believe that only by means of mutual support will we be able to boldly step across the borders between our separate research fields, and thus paint a more holistic picture of everyday life in Antiquity and Byzantium in their social and economic context. We are particularly interested in papers covering such topics as: • Reception and modification of Greek medical theory in Byzantium; • Transmission of ancient medical heritage into the Arab and Western world; • Byzantine and Post-Byzantine medical manuscripts; • Plant, animal and mineral substances in cosmetology and pharmacology from Antiquity to the modern times – continuity or change?; • New arrivals in the cuisine and pharmacology of Byzantium; • Dangerous foodstuffs: materia medica between poison and remedy; • Archaeology of Ancient and Byzantine medicine; • Archaeology of Ancient and Byzantine alimentation; • Ancient and Byzantine dietary patterns; • Reconstruction of ancient and Byzantine culinary recipes; • Foods and medicaments as markers of social status in the Mediterranean of Antiquity and Byzantium. State administration in the early Byzantine Empire (4th – 7th c. AD) Since the reign of Emperor Diocletian, the governance of the Roman state went through such a profound transformation that its full understanding by modern scholars still remains only a postulate. A number of new offices were created, the competences of which were never precisely defined. Although these were generally divided into civilian and military, the process was never ubiquitous nor uniform. Eventually, for our contemporary norms based on precision and clarity of structures, the system of state governance was unclear and sometimes even chaotic. Other factors, undeniably present in the Roman administration of the late imperial period which were intensifying its disorganisation, were such vices as corruption and nepotism (both commonly condemned nowadays). At the same time, it is generally accepted that the administrative changes introduced by Diocletian and continued by many of his successors, up to Justinian I, ensured that the Byzantine state was able to survive for hundreds of years. Thus, perhaps, what today we perceive as a symptom of administrative imperfections was, in fact, an intentional act of its creators. Such a complex administrative structure provokes a whole range of further questions: who administered the provinces, dioceses and prefectures, and how? Who were ‘Emperor’s men’? Were they loyal and merit-worthy ‘statesmen’, or rather the careerists they are usually perceived as in later epochs? What do we know about their ethnic or religious identity (and is it worth considering these issues today and were such issues considered in Antiquity)? How far did the division of the Roman state into smaller and smaller provinces affect the efficiency of the tax system? What was the real role of dioceses and prefectures in the governance of the whole Empire? Was there subordination of service, as one would expect from a strictly hierarchical structure? Finally, what effect did the transition from paganism to Christianity (which though reasonably smooth in the 4th c. AD, later became more difficult) have on the functioning of the state administration? Given the new publications on the Roman and Byzantine administration, and even on topics that would seem to have been well covered previously (prosopography is the best example), it proves that we are still seeking answers to the above-mentioned questions, as well as many others. Medieval dualist heresies in the Balkans and Asia Minor, a return to the sources Recent years have brought new editions and translations of the most important sources on Bogomilism: the works of Kosmas the Priest, Euthymius Zigabenos, Euthymius of Peribleptos and also minor writings on the subject. The work in this direction serves to strengthen our knowledge of the Bogomil heresy, as well as to clarify a number of specific issues related to the confessions or history of the heretics. Focusing research on the sources themselves is important because of how intricate the materials are and how incomplete a picture they give us. We should always distinguish between the interpretations, hypotheses and historiographical facts accumulated over the years and what is actually found in the actual texts that witness history. Therefore, it should also be appreciated that the "return to the sources" we have been observing in recent years is also being realized in another way: the subject of lively interest is the history of the discipline itself, that is, the history of the study of Bogomilism and related movements. Submissions of papers on the heretical movements of the area and also on interreligious relations will be accepted, especially with a focus on the topics of Bogomilism, Paulicianism, the Patarenes; the eastern connections of the Cathars; new interpretations of original sources; analysis of the contradictory information from the source material or coherent reports from different traditions (apocryphal and heresiological, Latin and Greek, etc.) As always, we await papers discussing other research fields, such as: • material culture and everyday life; • historical and political geography; • historiography;  • peace and war studies; • society, mores and social norms; • education; • language; • art and visual culture; • political culture and ideology. INDIVIDUAL AND PANEL SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit your thematic proposals or thematic group proposals, organised around one specific topic (i.e. thematic panels). Each panel should consist of a minimum of 3 speakers. Individual submissions are also welcome. Proposals for panel topics (including the list of panel speakers) as well as individual submissions should be sent by February 29, 2024 to: colloquia.ceranea@uni.lodz.pl. Application forms for individual and panel submission are available here. Although we expect the majority of papers to be delivered in English, other languages are also acceptable, provided that the speaker prepares an English hand-out (or multimedia presentation) outlining the main points of the talk. CONFERENCE PUBLICATION: Selected conference papers will be published in article format in “Studia Ceranea”, a yearly journal indexed in Scopus, the Web of Science Core Collection (Emerging Sources Citation Index), EBSCOhost, and a number of other databases. The deadline for submitting papers to “Studia Ceranea” is May 31, 2024. However, if you are not able to finish by that time, there will still be the possibility to deliver your text by December 31, 2024, for it to be published in the volume covering 2025. You will find all editorial instructions on the journal’s website. CONFERENCE FEE: In-person participants will be charged a 300 PLN (Polish zloty) conference fee, which will cover organisational costs, including lunches and coffee break snacks. For on-line participants the fee will be 200 PLN. Please note: if your university is unable to cover the conference fee, there may be the possibility to have it reduced to 100 PLN or waived. In order to obtain conference fee discounts or waiver, please specify your request unambiguously in the application form. CONFERENCE SECRETARIES: • Dr. Krzysztof Jagusiak • Dr. Karolina Krzeszewska • Dr. Zofia Rzeźnicka • Dr. Jan Mikołaj Wolski Should you have any question, please contact us at colloquia.ceranea@uni.lodz.pl.