The Australian Early Medieval Association 8th annual conference will be held from Friday 27 to Saturday 28 April 2012, at the University of Queensland.

Please visit the conference website for more details.

Call for Papers

This conference addresses the theme of LAND and SEA in the Early Medieval World, ca. 300-1100. 

Papers are invited which explore the persistence of contact by sea across coastal and riverine landscapes from Late Antiquity into the Middle Ages, in areas ranging from Ireland to the Levant, Scandinavia to the shores of North Africa. The early Middle Ages were a dynamic era of seaborne travel which enabled important advances in technology, distributed new religious ideas and laid the foundations of the modern globalized world. Loss of some communications routes and cohesive aspects of ancient civilization happened alongside the expansion of the Vikings or the establishment of the Islamic hajj. Around the shores of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, along the English Channel and down the Red Sea, coastal communities built boats, imported and exported raw materials, manufactured and traded in goods and services and interacted with people across the waters.

Papers on any aspect of the continuing historical, cultural and social impact of trade and travel networks throughout Late Antiquity and into the Middle Ages are invited. Topics of focus could include, for example, travel literature, shipwreck archaeology, piracy, trade routes, fishing or pilgrimage.

Abstracts on the conference theme, of about 300 words for papers of 20 minutes are now sought from interested participants. Panel proposals of three 20-minute papers are also welcome. All submissions should be sent to the organizers by email to conference@aema.net.au by 12 January 2012.

Limited travel assistance may be available upon application, to support visitors to Brisbane for this conference.

Enquiries and submissions should be directed to the conference convenor:

Amelia R. Brown
School of History, Philosophy, Religion & Classics
University of Queensland
St Lucia, Qld 4072
conference@aema.net.au