Cross-cultural Contact between Egypt and the Roman Empire, Rome, April 13–14, 2023

Egypt was part of the Roman world for seven centuries, from the Roman conquest of Egypt in 31 BC to the annexation of Egypt by the Rashidun caliphate in AD 646. This dynamic period saw the exchange of languages, cultural and religious ideas and concepts across borders, including the spread the Egyptian Isis cult into the Roman West and the emergence of Christian monastic culture in Egypt’s deserts. We call for proposals for 20-minute papers from scholars across diverse disciplines such as Egyptology, Classical archaeology, art history and religious studies, examining the ways in which cross-cultural encounters between Egypt and the Roman Empire resulted in the exchange of religions and ideas, and impacted visual and material culture. We welcome papers dealing with any Roman or Byzantine province, including Egypt; papers focusing on the Western Roman provinces are particularly encouraged. 

This interdisciplinary conference will be arranged by the University of Bristol and will take place on 13 and 14 April 2023 at the British School at Rome and the Norwegian Institute in Rome.