Lecture Series: Material Religion

This year's CAMS lecture series will focus on various explorations of the spaces, rituals, texts, and visual realms that constituted the physical stages and mental landscapes of the religious experience in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. The series will include speakers representing a range of topics and regions, from ancient Mesopotamia and the Phoenician world to Early Judaism and Christianity in Late Antique Egypt.

December 2: "Making Space: The Huqoq Synagogue Mosaic and the Viewing Experience" - Dr. Ra'anan Boustan, Princeton University.

January 27: "When the Gods and Goddesses Eat: The Daily Ritual of Feeding the Gods in Ancient Mesopotamia" - Prof. Nicole Brisch, University of Copenhagen.

February 24th: "Anchoring Sacred Space: Objects, Architecture, and Ritual in the Greek House" - Dr. Hannah Smagh, Pennsylvania State University.

March 17: "The Medinet Madi Library of Coptic Manichaean Codices" - Prof. Paul Dilley, University of Iowa.

April 7: "Phoenician Religious Iconography and Its Adaptations: Resilience and Innovation in Ancient Mediterranean Religions" - Prof. Carolina López-Ruiz, University of Chicago.