CALL FOR PAPERS.<\/p>\n
THE ORIGINS OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF\u00a0OLYMPIA BEFORE THE 5th CENT. BC<\/p>\n
PANEL OF THE 9th CELTIC CONFERENCE IN CLASSICS.<\/p>\n
DUBLIN (UCD, 22nd TO 25th\u00a0JUNE 2016)<\/p>\n
The early foundation date of the Olympic Games, traditionally referred to as\u00a0776 BC, has often been discussed and there are also many theories for the\u00a0origins of the Games ranging from funeral games to vegetation magic, harvest\u00a0festivals and even to initiation ceremonies. No consensus has been reached\u00a0and given the nature of the evidence, there is much room for speculation.<\/p>\n
Based on the archaeological record, it is quite clear however, that during\u00a0the Early Iron Age the sanctuary existed and flourished for a long time\u00a0without the games and there is no evidence to demonstrate that it would have\u00a0been established originally or primarily to house athletic or equestrian\u00a0events. The origins, the rapid development and the high prestige attached to\u00a0the Olympic Games, coupled with the remote location of the sanctuary present\u00a0a series of problems, and the same holds true for the early history of the\u00a0sanctuary: despite the intensive investigations conducted during the last\u00a0decades, questions concerning the cult practice, the identity of the\u00a0worshipped gods and the interpretation of buildings and votive offerings are\u00a0still open to debate.<\/p>\n
An interdisciplinary conference on these interrelated topics seems therefore\u00a0due and contributions are welcome from different fields of research such as\u00a0archaeology, archaeometry, archaeozoology, archaeobotany, ancient history,\u00a0history of religions, landscape archaeology, epigraphy, topography etc.<\/p>\n
Papers may concern but are not restricted to the following topics: the\u00a0sanctuary and its natural environment; the relationship between the\u00a0sanctuary and its neighbourhood; contacts with individual poleis;\u00a0dedications of the Geometric and Archaic Periods; authenticity of the\u00a0Olympic victor list; establishment of the athletic and equestrian\u00a0disciplines; chronological problems; victory monuments; historiography of\u00a0the Olympic Games; relationship between cult and competitions; old and new\u00a0theories concerning the origins of the Games; ethnographic parallels;\u00a0mythical tales surrounding Olympia and its Games; cults of gods and heroes.\u00a0The discussion of individual monuments, artefacts, inscriptions is also\u00a0possible, provided they add something to our understanding of some broader\u00a0questions.<\/p>\n
The conference will be hosted as a panel by the 9th CELTIC CONFERENCE IN\u00a0CLASSICS at Dublin (UCD) from 22nd\u00a0 to 25th June 2016. Papers in English or\u00a0French should not exceed 35-40 minutes. Titles and abstracts (up to 300\u00a0words) including the name and the address\/affiliation of the candidate\u00a0should be sent by email to\u00a0olympiaseminar@gmail.com<\/a> by 30th December 2015.<\/p>\n Decision on acceptance will be sent in January 2016. Participation fees will\u00a0be announced later, but are estimated to reach ca. 150 Euro. Preliminary\u00a0information on the event is available at the web site:<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.ucd.ie\/classics\/conferences\/firstcallforpanels\/<\/a> .<\/p>\n Further details will be available at the same web site in due corse. The\u00a0proceedings will be published as soon as possible.<\/p>\n Please circulate this call among your colleagues, who might be interested in\u00a0the event. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to\u00a0contact us.<\/p>\n Franziska LANG (TU Darmstadt) flang@klarch.tu-darmstadt.de<\/a><\/p>\n Andr\u00e1s PATAY-HORV\u00c1TH (ELTE\/MTA Budapest) pathorv@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n