Conference on Barbarians Attracting International Scholars to University of Richmond
March 3, 2003
Scholars from around the world will gather in Richmond March 21-23 to discuss and "meet" Barbarians - or indigenous peoples - of ancient Europe. Sponsored by the University of Richmond, conference sessions will be held on campus at Jepson Hall, as well as the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Omni Hotel.
Speakers represent universities in the United States, England, Germany, Russia and Bulgaria. The conference is open to the public at a cost of $25.
"Our conference will examine indigenous peoples of Europe in touch with Greek culture during the period of its flowering," said Larissa Bonfante, NEH distinguished visiting professor in Richmond's Department of Classical Studies and co-chair of the conference with colleague Stuart Wheeler. "We will look at the archaeological and historical reality of these peoples as they express their identities using the language of Greek art, their own languages, sculpture, pottery and metalwork."
While most of the conference will be panel discussions and presentations of scholarly research, it also will include time to mingle with "Barbarians" themselves. A Saturday evening "Barbarian fashion show" will feature the work of Norma Goldman, retired Wayne State University professor, who has designed and created a variety of Barbarian costumes.
Bonfante, a professor of classics at New York University, is an Etruscan scholar and author of "Out of Etruria" and other books on Etruscan life. While at Richmond, she is teaching a course on the Etruscans.
For more information, call (804) 289-8420. Online registration is available at http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/as/classics.