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Teaching Fellows’ Day

Posted On March 18, 2015 | 13:59 pm | by lainw | Permalink
Byzantium’s Eastern Frontier

The Post-Doctoral Teaching Fellowships in Byzantine Studies at Dumbarton Oaks are part of an innovative program to support the work of early-career scholars through academic appointments that bridge their research on an institutional project with teaching experience at local universities. Over the past four years, the Teaching Fellows have held annual conferences attended by students from D.C.–area universities. Centered on a single topic, these conferences introduce students to research and resources at Dumbarton Oaks through scholarly presentations and gallery tours.

This year, over eighty participants from seven universities convened in the fourth floor of the Fellowship House, where four speakers presented on “Byzantium’s Eastern Frontier.”

Scott Johnson (Dumbarton Oaks/Georgetown University) opened with a talk on the political and linguistic ambiguities along Byzantium’s border. Our newest Post-Doctoral Teaching Fellow, Elizabeth Williams (Dumbarton Oaks/George Washington University), followed with a lecture on silk and its imitations at the edge of the empire, replete with many vibrant images. After lunch, Jonathan Shea (Dumbarton Oaks/George Washington University) guided the group through the coins and seals collection, and gave a talk on the museum’s seals and the light they shed on the administration of the eastern frontier. During the afternoon session, Lain Wilson (Dumbarton Oaks) discussed the importance of easterners—specifically Armenians—to the functioning of the empire. Eric McGeer (Dumbarton Oaks) closed with a lecture about Nikephoros Ouranos, ruler of the east during Basil II’s reign.