CFP: Augustus through the Ages (Brussels, 6-7 Nov 14)

Brussels, November 6 – 07, 2014
Deadline: Feb 28, 2014

Augustus through the Ages: receptions, readings and appropriations of
the historical figure of the first Roman emperor

Augusti Manes volitant per auras.

In 2014, many academic institutions and museums will celebrate the
bi-millennial of the death of Augustus with colloquiums, exhibitions
and publications. The life, the political ingenuity, and the era of the
founder of the Roman Empire have not been honoured or discussed in this
manner since 1937-1938, when an exhibition, the Mostra augustea della
Romanità, at the instigation of the Fascist regime, celebrated the
two-thousandth anniversary of the birth of the Emperor. Yet the outcome
of the re-examinations in 2014 will not be complete if emphasis is not
put on the enduring fame and fortune he experienced in the West, for
this renowned figure created an empire which united, for the first
time, the Mediterranean with the regions north of the Alps. The
importance of this personage throughout our recorded cultural history
makes a multidisciplinary approach essential. It is therefore, as
diverse field and period specialists, that we wish to invite our
Belgian and foreign university colleagues to bring together their
skills and knowledge – in the distinct fields of history, cultural
history, literature, art history, semiotics, etc. – to retrace the
multiple interpretations and appropriations of Augustus from his death
to the present days.

A colloquium will take place in Brussels, November 6-7th, 2014 where
historians, philologists, archaeologists and art historians of
different periods are invited to present papers on various topics in
accordance with the following guidelines:

· Receptions of Augustan politics and ideology and their appropriations

· Religious appropriations

· Representations of Augustus in mixed media (e.g. comics, television
series)

·  Augustus in literature and the arts, or in movies and on the Web

·  Memory of Augustus as the “urban designer” who transformed Rome into
a city of marble

The presentations, which will last for 30 minutes, can be made in
French, English, Italian or German. Paper proposals (title and abstract
with a maximum of 500 words) must be submitted to
marco.cavalieri@uclouvain.be by Friday February 28, 2014 at the latest.

Organizing Committee:

Pierre Assenmaker (F.R.S.-FNRS/UCLouvain)
Mattia Cavagna (UCLouvain)
Marco Cavalieri (UCLouvain/Università degli Studi di Firenze, SSBA)
David Engels (ULB, Bruxelles)
Costantino Maeder (UCLouvain)