| Date | 13 October 2025 |
| Time | 10:00 - 18:00 |
| Location | Trajanuszaal, Rijksmuseum van Oudheden |
On October 13th at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden, there will be a one-day workshop with Basil Dufallo, Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Michigan, to discuss his book Disorienting Empire: Republican Latin Poetry's Wanderers.
The book sets out to explore the cultural experience of the Romans between 240 and 30 BC, during the rapid expansion of their empire, as they were confronted with a vast and very different Hellenistic world. It focuses on literary texts and in particular the pervasive motif of error ('wandering'), emblematic of the disorienting experiences the Romans encountered through contact with the Orient. In the morning, Prof. Dufallo will present the book and explain how it came to be and what questions he was seeking to answer, and we will discuss the book's ideas in more depth. In the afternoon, four colleagues (Miguel John Versluys, Nicky Schreuder, Francesco Busti, and the Anchoring guest fellow, Manuel Baumbach, from Ruhr University Bochum) will respond to Disorienting Empire, applying its proposals to their own work. Please see the attached timetable for more details.
Everyone is welcome but please register by October 3rd, by emailing Matthew (m.f.payne@hum.leidenuniv.nl). If you would like to have lunch (which will be in the RMO and is offered free of charge), please state that when you register, along with any dietary requirements.
Timetable
From 10.00 | Registration, tea and coffee |
10.30 | Welcome and Introduction |
10.40 – 11.40 | Basil Dufallo – Disorienting Empire #1 Overview and background to the book Chapters 1 & 2 Q&A discussion will be interweaved through the presentation |
11.40 – 12.00 | Coffee break |
12.00 – 13.00 | Basil Dufallo – Disorienting Empire #2 Chapters 3-6 Where next? Q&A discussion will be interweaved through the presentation |
13.00 – 14.15 | Lunch |
14.15 – 14.45 | Presentations in 30 minute slots (15 minute presentation, 10 minute discussion): Miguel John Versluys – Globalisation, embedding, anchoring: On the cognitive impact of globalization in the Roman world Nicky Schreuder – Hellenism in (the Second) Style: Dwelling through painting in the Late Republic |
14.45 – 15.15 | |
15.15 – 15.35 | Coffee break |
15.35 – 16.05 | Presentations in 30 minute slots (15 minute presentation, 10 minute discussion): Francesco Busti – Cinna's Zmyrna: Roman Wanderings in the East Manuel Baumbach – Hellenistic Poetry and the Expansion of Empire |
16.05 – 16.35 | |
16.35 – 16.45 | Wrap up |
16.45 – 16.55 | Pack up (museum shuts at 16.55) |
17.00 – 18.00 | Drinks |