The second round of the online series, “Writing Transcultural Histories in the Ancient Mediterranean” commences on 21 October with a talk by Professor Carlos Noreña (University of California, Berkeley) on the topic of ‘Similarity and Difference’ in Ancient Transcultural Histories‘.
This is an interdisciplinary series aimed at bringing scholars together to discuss the joys and struggles of working in ancient cross-cultural studies, and is run collaboratively by colleagues at Merton College Oxford, the Department of Greek and Latin at UCL, and the Budapest-based Palladion project.
Date and Time: Wednesday 21st October 2026, 4:30pm BST (Online)
Description:
This paper explores the use of historical comparison in the writing of ancient transcultural histories. Arguing that explicitly comparative approaches are essential for the study of ancient cultures, it examines the (productive) tension in the identification of similarities and differences between ancient cultures — both within and outside of the Mediterranean — and suggests that cultural historians are often inclined to emphasize the latter, missing some insights that can derive from the former. A case study in the comparison of “religion” in ancient Rome, early China, and ancient Mesoamerica illustrates how the identification of structural similarities across discrete ancient cultures can not only shed light on each of those cultures, but can also contribute to the study of a fully “global” antiquity.
To attend this event, please register via Eventbrite.
Previous talks and further details about this seminar series can be found here.
Any questions can be directed to Mridula Gullapalli: mridula.gullapalli@merton.ox.ac.uk.
Note: this is not a Classical Association event – please contact the organisers directly with any enquiries.
