News from the Centre

29 10 2024

Time passes inexorably and, unfortunately, far too quickly. It’s already been almost a month since we last posted any updates. The whirlwind of academic events, the start of the new academic year, and the need for short, post-excavation holidays all contributed to a slight delay in posting our news.

The first significant event was the 7th International Conference dedicated to the Lower Danube Limes. Sometimes referred to as the “small limes congress,” it focuses on one, but a very important, section of the Roman limes. This contrasts with the so-called “large” congress, which, as we previously reported, took place this year in Georgia.

This conference, organised by the Institute of Archaeology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences under Professor Zdravko Dimitrov, with the cooperation of Maria Avramova (a PhD student at our Centre!), Alexander Ivanov, and Atanas Danov, commenced on 23rd September at the Archaeological Museum in Sofia. The opening ceremony was led by Professor Christo Popov, Director of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, and Italian Ambassador to Bulgaria, Josephina Dzara.

In the following days, until 28th September, the conference was held in the riverside city of Vidin, in a beautifully restored synagogue, now a cultural centre. Over 140 presentations were delivered, focusing on the main theme: “Frontier Landscapes along the Danube.”

We also had the opportunity to learn about the latest research findings on ancient Vidin and ancient Ratiaria. For participants from a variety of countries, not only “Danubian” ones, the excellent organisation and fascinating programme will undoubtedly leave lasting memories. Our Centre was also represented at the conference by Professor Piotr Dyczek, who presented the highly intriguing topic of the famous “refrigerators” from Novae.

Alongside the start of the academic year and numerous inauguration ceremonies across various faculties at the University of Warsaw, an event was also held to appoint new leadership for various UW units. On 4th October, in the Golden Hall of the Rectorate, His Magnificence Rector of the University of Warsaw, Professor Alojzy Z. Nowak, presented directors with appointments for the upcoming term, spanning 2024 to 2028. One of those appointed was our “old-new” Director of the Centre, Piotr Dyczek.

On 19th and 20th October, the UW Foundation, in collaboration with the Open University, organised the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the publication of Mythology by J. Parandowski. On this occasion, a series of lectures and numerous outdoor events were held for both young and older audiences.

A large audience gathered in the hall of the Faculty of Modern Languages to attend the celebrations, including a lecture by Professor Dyczek dedicated to ancient cuisine.

At the 20th National Conference on the Philosophy of Physics, there was also an archaeological element introduced by our Director. This time, participants – in true physicist style – “teleported” to ancient Palestine, learning about daily life in those times.

There seems to be no end to conferences! The next will be organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Poland and our colleagues from Adam Mickiewicz University under the auspices of Margarita Ganeva, the Bulgarian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. This meeting of Bulgarian and Polish scholars, entitled Legio I Italica – at the Edge of the Empire, will be dedicated to the 65th anniversary of Bulgarian-Polish research and will take place in Warsaw from 26th to 28th November. Naturally, the Centre’s team will be in attendance, presenting various aspects of our research conducted in Novae.