Archaeology of Roman Palestine
Program Unit Type: Consultation
Accepting Papers? Yes
Call For Papers: Three sessions will focus on the material culture of pilgrimage in Roman Palestine: 1) "The Material Culture of Pilgrimage in Early Roman Jerusalem"; 2) "The Material Culture of Pilgrimage in Late Roman and Byzantine Jerusalem/Aelia Capitolina"; and 3) “The Material Culture of Pilgrimage in Roman Palestine (Apart from Jerusalem), 63 BCE to 640 CE,” which is a joint session co-sponsored by the unit on Jewish, Christian, and Graeco-Roman Travel and in the Hellenistic, Roman, and Early Byzantine Periods. The first session consists of invited papers only, but we are inviting proposals for the second and third sessions. Session 2 will focus on the newly founded city of Aelia Capitolina, which shifted to a place of religious life and pilgrimage for non-Jews—including Greeks and Romans (during the 2nd and 3rd centuries) and Christians (during the 4th century and beyond)—as alternative shrines and other holy sites were established. The goal of Session 2 is to explore the material culture of the shifting pilgrimage dynamics in Jerusalem/Aelia Capitolina and its hinterland during the late Roman and Byzantine periods. Session 3 will focus on other forms of pilgrimage that flourished in the larger region of Palestine. These include travel to and worship at Samaritan, Greco-Roman, Idumean, and Nabatean shrines along the coastal plain, in Herodian urban centers, Decapolis cities, Samaria, Petra, and elsewhere during the 1st century BCE to 4th century CE, and a shift in the 4th century CE toward Christian pilgrimage to holy sites in Galilee, the Judean desert, Transjordan, and other locations associated with the life of Jesus. To this end, we invite proposals on papers dealing with any aspect of these two topics, including archaeological perspectives on specific sites, travel logistics, lodging, market exchange, and artifacts that may have facilities the experience of pilgrims in Jerusalem and around Palestine from the 1st century BCE to the early 7th century CE.
Program Unit Chairs
|