Ancient Borderlands

For a list of all meetings and readings this year, click here.

The meetings of our research focus group are open to all interested individuals. The standing meeting time is every other Monday from 12-2. Faculty and advanced graduate students present their work in progress in the context of a discussion of the methods and theoretical approaches available to scholars of antiquity. The seminar functions simultaneoulsy as the Core Seminar for the Ancient Mediterranean Studies Ph.D. emphasis program. Graduate students may take the seminar for 2 units of credit each quarter. For information on how to register for credit, see below.

January 22 (Friday), 3:30 pm • HSSB Third Floor Seminar Room (HSSB 3041)
Reading
Prof. Dennis MacDonald, Claremont School of Theology
“Why Scholars Have Been Unable to Define the Gospel Genre:
The Underappreciated Role of Literary Models (including Homer)”

February 1, 12 pm • HSSB Third Floor Seminar Room (HSSB 3041)
Participants of the History Graduate Research Seminar 2009
Individual presentations on “The Ancient City”

February 19 (Friday), 3:30 pm • HSSB Third Floor Seminar Room (HSSB 3041)
Prof. Heidi Marx-Wolf, Religion, University of Manitoba
“Porphyry, Origen, and Cognitively Optimal Religion”

March 1, 12 pm • HSSB Third Floor Seminar Room (HSSB 3041)
Prof. Glenn Patten, Classics, UCSB
Topic TBA

March 8, 12 pm • HSSB Third Floor Seminar Room (HSSB 3041)
Prof. Philip Rousseau
Andrew W. Mellon Distinguished Professor of Early Christian Studies
Director, Center for the Study of Early Christianity
Catholic University of America
Topic TBA

Other Events in the Ancient Mediterranean

April 16-18, 2010
The Ancient Borderlands International Graduate Student Conference
Beyond Borders: Ancient Societies and their Conceptual Frontiers

Registering for the Core Seminar for Credit
Interested graduate students can receive 2 credits per quarter for attending the meetings by registering for the seminar under INT 594AB – ANCIENT BORDERLANDS. They should register for 2 credits, and for a non-letter grade option. Completion of one year of the Core Seminar is a requirement for the Ph.D. emphasis. Contact the instructor Christine M. Thomas for more information.

Courses in Ancient Mediterranean Studies

Winter 2009:
Art History 103B: Roman Art.
History 112A: Roman Imperialism. Prof. DePalma Digeser.
History 114A: History of Christianity to 800 CE. Prof. DePalma Digeser.
Classics 102: Greek Tragedy. Prof. Morales.
Classics 165: Greek Painting. Prof. Erickson.
Religious Studies129: Religions of the Ancient Near East. Prof. Suriano.
Religious Studies 131J: Introduction to Rabbinic Literature. Prof. Holdrege.

Art History 252B: Seminar in Roman Art. Prof. Yegül.
Classics 231: Seminar in Literary Studies. Prof. Lindheim.
Greek 242: Plato. Prof. Patten.
Greek 271: Lyric Poets & Homeric Hymns. Prof. Athanassakis.
History 201E: Graduate seminar in Roman Imperialism (Hist 112A). Prof. DePalma Digeser.
History 211A: Research Seminar in Greek History. Prof. Lee.
History 200ME: Historical Literature. Prof. Humphreys.
Latin 216: Cicero. Prof. Morstein-Marx.

Religious Studies 10B: Arabic II. Prof. M. Campo.
Religious Studies 10E: Arabic V. Prof. M. Campo.
Religious Studies 17B: Biblical Hebrew II. Prof. Garr.
Religious Studies 57B: Persian II. Prof. Oladi.
Religious Studies 57E: Persian V. Prof. Rafizadeh.
Religious Studies 90BT: Turkish II. Prof. Muslu.
Religious Studies 90ET: Turkish V. Prof. Erugal.
Religious Studies 90BP: Pashtu II. Prof. Shafique.
Religious Studies 148B: Advanced Arabic. Prof. El Omari.
Religious Studies 288: Classic Arabic Texts. Prof. El Omari.

Spring 2009:
History 211B: Research Seminar in Greek History. Prof. Lee.
Religious Studies 252A: Christian Origins: Jewish-Christian Relations in Antiquity. Prof. Thomas.

Past Course Offerings

this is text
Contact Information and List of Participants

Elizabeth Digeser (Associate Professor, History), co-convener, edepalma@history.ucsb.edu
Christine Thomas (Associate Professor, Religious Studies), co-convener, thomas@religion.ucsb.edu

Participation is open to all interested scholars. Please contact Prof. Digeser or Prof. Thomas if you wish to be included and receive mailings about our events, or sign up online.

Statement of Purpose

The Ancient Borderlands Research Focus Group unites UCSB faculty and graduate students with common research interests in the history of Mediterranean antiquity, broadly conceived. We are investigating the process by which groups define, create and maintain their identities over time. The creation of boundaries, among ethnic, political, or religious groups, is a dynamic activity that can be reflected, not only by changes in material culture, but also in the rhetorical strategies adopted by ancient authors and the political tactics pursued by those seeking power. As members of several departments, including Classics, History and Religious Studies, we are also interested in challenging the disciplinary boundaries between us, believing that we have much to learn from one another.
more info

Other Resources and Links

UC Multicampus Research Group in Late Antiquity

Bibliography of Related Materials