Parthian Art and the Graeco-Roman World

External event, organised by the Classical Art Research Centre at the University of Oxford.

We are now taking reservations for the CARC annual workshop on 3 and 4 October 2024, which this year turns to ancient Iran under the umbrella of our #AncientArtConnections theme.

You can book for free, either for in-person or Zoom attendance, via our Eventbrite page. (Note that you do not need to register with Eventbrite or print out your ticket.) The provisional programme is available here but we predict changes, so keep an eye on this page for the latest information. Speakers include Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, Pierfrancesco Callieri, Matthew Canepa, Blair Fowlkes Childs, Henry Colburn, Lucinda Dirven, Stefan Hauser, Barbara Kaim, Ted Kaizer, Rubina Raja and Fabrizio Sinisi.

This hybrid workshop, hosted in Oxford with an online audience via Zoom, will address unresolved questions about the identity of Parthian art and its complex relationship with the classical tradition. Ranging from the origins of the Arsacid dynasty in the 3rd century BC to the emergence of a new visual culture under Sasanian rule in the 3rd century AD, this workshop will bring together a panel of international experts to consider how Parthian art connected with the art traditions of Hellenistic Asia and the Roman Empire. We will consider different media, including sculpture, coins, and luxury art, and use recent discoveries and fresh research to cast new light on old problems, including the issue of whether Parthian art even existed as a coherent phenomenon.

The workshop will be recorded and an open access volume of proceedings will appear in 2025. Further details will be announced soon.

Funding for this event is very generously provided by Richard Beleson in honour of Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis.

Image: Limestone lintel from Hatra, c. 2nd-early 3rd century AD (Metropolitan Museum of Art, open access)