CALL. 19.12.2015: Indian Ocean Trade in Antiquity (9th Celtic Conference in Classics) - Dublin (Irel

FECHA LÍMITE/DEADLINE/SCADENZA: 19/12/2015

FECHA CONGRESO/CONGRESS DATE/DATA CONGRESSO: 22-23-24-25/06/2016

LUGAR/LOCATION/LUOGO: University College Dublin (Dublin, Ireland)

ORGANIZADOR/ORGANIZER/ORGANIZZATORE: Matthew Adam Cobb (University of Wales Trinity Saint David)

INFO: web - m.cobb@uwtsd.ac.uk

CALL:

The Indian Ocean has for millennia provided a means through which contact and exchange could take place between various cultures on its peripheries. Over time the development of sophisticated sea, riverine and overland transport networks meant regions beyond the littoral had also been linked into the Indian Ocean trading sphere. Indeed, by the beginning of the first millennium CE it is clear that various peoples from India, East Africa, Arabia, Persia and the Mediterranean world, among others, were involved in the exchange of substantial volumes of goods. The development of this activity should, of course, not be seen as an uncomplicated linear progression. Recent studies and fieldwork at a number of sites connected to the Indian Ocean trade, particularly in Egypt and India, have strongly indicated that the significance of this trade in Antiquity should not be underestimated.

The increasing volume of new archaeological and textual information (ostraka, papyri, inscriptions etc.) which has been unearthed has provided the opportunity to further our understanding of this complex trade. It allows new questions to be asked and long running assumptions to be challenged about the nature of the Indian Ocean trade in Antiquity. This panel seeks to explore these issues and contributions from a range of disciplines are very much welcome. This may include, but is not limited to, Classics, History, Archaeology, East African, Near Eastern, Middle-Eastern and Central Asian studies, Indology and Sinology. Papers exploring aspects of the Indian Ocean trade within the period running from 300 BCE to 700 CE are particularly welcome, but papers relating to earlier periods will certainly be considered. Possibly topics may include (but again are not limited to): The types of commodities exchanged The economic and material impact of the Indian Ocean trade on a particular society The social and cultural impact of the Indian Ocean trade on a particular society Trade networks and sailing schedules Emporia, ports and coastal peripheries Naval technology and shipping Merchant Diaspora The interaction and interest of states/ruling powers in the Indian Ocean trade The Celtic Conference in Classics provides scope for up to 15 hours’ worth of discussions over three days. For this panel papers will ideally be about 40 minutes long, leaving room for 10-20 minutes of questions/discussion. The intention is for the papers presented at this conference to subsequently form the basis of an edited volume. For those interested in giving papers abstracts should be about 250-500 words in length and need to be submitted to Dr Matthew Adam Cobb at the following email address - m.cobb@uwtsd.ac.uk. Please include your name, institution, contact information, and the title of your abstract in the body of your email. The closing date for submission of papers is December 19th 2015. Notification about whether your paper will be included in the conference will be sent out at the beginning of January. Any questions about the conference should also be emailed to the aforementioned email address.