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H2020Individual fellowship2016–2018

CHRISLAS · Christian Diversity in Late Antique Sirmium (ca 350 – ca 450): A Historical, Literary and Theological Study

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2016-09-01 → 2018-08-31
EU contribution
€183,455
Participants
1
Scheme
MSCA-IF-EF-ST

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Results in brief

Christian Diversity in Late Antique Sirmium (ca 350 – ca 450): A Historical, Literary and Theological Study

"Christian Diversity in Late Antique Sirmium (ca 350 – ca 450): A Historical, Literary and Theological Study" is dedicated to the study of Christianity in the capital of the Roman province Pannonia Secunda, Sirmium (today Sremska Mitrovica in Serbia), during the 4th and 5th centuries AD (a period broadly known as Late Antiquity). Both the time-frame and the town can be considered constitutive for the development of Christian thought, life and values still lying at the core of modern Christianity and, to a certain extent, European cultural heritage. Historically, Christian identities, both personal and communitarian, are shaped differently in function of geographic location, social composition, cultural antecedents and, not in the least, political and administrative importance. CHRISLAS aims to highlight the significance of religious diversity in the local context of late antique Sirmium through and exhaustive analysis of available sources, both literary and material. To that end, methodologies of literary, historical, socio-cultural and theological analysis, were employed to to: (1.) map major events, personalities, as well as the material culture of the Christian community in late antique Sirmium; (2.) analyse the doctrinal and devotional dynamics of Sirmian Christians; (3.) outline the development and local features of Christian identity in Sirmium, its expressions across society, culture and art; and (d.) identify the themes, tropes, motifs that characterize Sirmian Christianity.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

This research follows a Christian community situated on the edge of Central Europe and the Balkans during an intense period of struggles towards its self-definition amongst religious dissent, socio-cultural diversity and political and military hardships. All these resulted in a regionally coloured Christianity, the main characteristics of which are visible in the material as well as literary heritage of this community. The setting is the 4th - 5th century A.D. Sirmium – modern Sremska Mitrovica (Serbia). At the time, Sirmium was one of the capitals of the Roman province Pannonia, an area which now comprises parts of modern Austria, Hungary, Croatia and Serbia. It is vital to understand the history of religious diversity and identity in that region, which continues to puzzle Europe with its rich cultural heritage, but also with its controversial political, ethnical and religious past. This research will contribute to the better understanding of European culture, and its religious and cultural memory, reinforcing the idea that the concrete realization of Christian identity varies according to context and that there is a complex relationship between religious diversity and identity in a particular place. Once verified with regard to Sirmium, this type of research can be extended to other places / regions in the late antique Mediterranean world. In particular, the applicant envisages a long-term research project on Christian identity in Roman Pannonia and a network of late antique Middle Danube studies. All these will lead to the pursuit of a tenure-track academic position that will enable the applicant to implement this larger Pannonian research. The University of Exeter is the ideal location: it is a growing centre of Late Antique studies, with a cluster of research projects on ‘Identities and beliefs’ in the ancient world. The fellow will extend her skills by being in Exeter, and will contribute her linguistic and historical expertise to their on-going research.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

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Data: CORDIS, © European Union