Interdisciplinary approaches to antiquity
- Submission status
- Open
- Submission deadline
This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions.
The ancient world refers to the earliest period in which complex, urbanised societies emerged, beginning with the rise of cities and writing around 3000 BC in ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) and later elsewhere. Although scholars often place the end of antiquity around AD 500, this is best understood as a moveable guideline rather than a strict boundary.
Major transitions occurred at different times across regions, for example, the fall of the western Roman Empire in AD 476, the end of the Gupta Empire in India around AD 550, the collapse of early Chinese dynasties by AD 316, and the Arab conquests in the Near East in the 7th century AD. These varied timelines reflect the diversity and complexity that characterise the close of the ancient era worldwide.
This call for papers invites interdisciplinary research that deepens understanding of the people, societies, environments, and ideas that shaped the ancient world in all its global variations.
We particularly encourage work that adopts cross-regional or comparative perspectives, bridges scientific and humanities-based methodologies, and highlights understudied cultures, regions, or source types.
We welcome submissions from a wide range of fields, including archaeology; ancient history; historical geography; anthropology; digital humanities and computational approaches; linguistics, epigraphy, and philology; art history and material or visual culture; religious studies, philosophy, and intellectual history; science and technology studies in ancient contexts; numismatics; comparative literature studies; and cultural heritage or museum studies.
