Dumbarton Oaks sponsored sessions at the 58th International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, May 11–13, 2023

Dumbarton Oaks will be hosting two panels at the 2023 ICMS – Coins and Seals in Byzantium and North Africa, Byzantium, and the Latin West. The panels are now live and accepting submissions.

Coins and Seals in Byzantium
Cosponsored by Princeton Univ. Numismatic Collection
Contact: Jonathan Shea
Modality: In person

Byzantine coins and seals survive in enormous numbers, and thus provide some of the most important sources of evidence for economic and administrative history, historical geography, imperial messaging, and individual identity. Lead seals in particular are under exploited by scholars despite the rich onomastic and prosopographic data encoded on each specimen. Although focusing on coins and seals from Byzantium this panel welcomes speakers working on materials from a comparative perspective.

North Africa, Byzantium, and the Latin West
Contact: Colin M. Whiting
Modality: Virtual

North Africa saw unparalleled upheavals in late antiquity, from its place as a breadbasket of the western Roman Empire to its conquest in turn by the Vandals, Byzantium, and the Arabs. Through it all, North Africa remained a focal point of Mediterranean politics, thought, and commerce. Papers on this panel might investigate the region’s historical or theological developments; the material reflections of its ever-shifting political or social climates; or the changing economic bases that allowed the region to thrive despite these disturbances. Particularly welcome are papers that highlight connections between all three of these regions.