The Network
One of the aims of this project is to create a network of specialists that work on the topic at hand to facilitate exchange of knowledge and expertise. Interaction is enabled in the form of regularly organised workshops and an expert blog function, which will be added to this platform in the near future. The programmes of past workshops, as well as future events, will also be published here as they are held.
Upcoming:
ESSHC Conference Panel - Roman Colonization as a Structure, Leiden, 26–29 March 2025
Building on insights from settler colonialism studies, this panel explores Roman colonialism as a structural process that extends beyond the initial phase of settlement. The panel argues that understanding colonial rule requires examining how colonies evolve over time. A key takeaway from settler colonialism theory—that different logics operate within colonial projects—shapes this analysis. While imperial powers often establish colonies for control or resource extraction, these settlements can swiftly develop into centers for diverse settlers, whose motivations may diverge from imperial objectives but align with settler colonial goals of land acquisition. This perspective challenges traditional views of colonial function, highlighting how early settlement infrastructure can act as a foundation for subsequent waves of migration and imperial expansion, each with its own agendas. By conceptualizing early colonial settlements as strategic hubs in information networks and as gateways to new territories, the panel broadens the discussion on Roman colonialism.
Participants: Anita Casarotto, Jitse Daniels, Andrew Dufton, Lisa Goetz, Bradley Jordan, Dies van der Linde, Jeremia Pelgrom, and Tesse Stek
16th Celtic Classics Conference - Rethinking Colonisation in Ancient Italy and the Western Mediterranean (500-250 BCE), Coimbra, 15-18 July 2025
This panel re-examines ancient Italian colonisation through a comparative lens, moving beyond traditional Romanocentric, state-driven narratives. By adopting a multi-polar perspective, the panel situates Roman colonisation within the broader context of Western Mediterranean colonising practices, including those of the Etruscans, Sabines, Samnites, Gauls, Carthaginians, Massalians, and Syracusans. The aim is to highlight the diverse and evolving forms of colonisation practised by these societies, challenging the view of Roman exceptionalism. The panel will also explore alternative forms of group mobility and settlement, such as secessions by lower classes, and movements such as the ver sacrum, broadening the scope beyond elite-driven, imperial models. By comparing Roman practices with those of other colonising polities in the region, the panel will aim to reveal the interconnected and shifting nature of ancient colonisation. So, is it accurate, for instance, to claim that early Roman colonisation followed Etruscan and Italic patterns (Torelli 1999), while later developments aligned with broader Mediterranean imperial trends in colonisation strategies and settlement planning?
Past Events:
Comparative Colonisation conference - Online, 16-17 December 2021
The first major step in establishing a network of scholars on ancient colonisation took place on the 16th and 17th of December 2021. In this online conference, which was co-organised with the Netherlands Institute in Athens, scholars from across the globe explored the problems and possible solutions of colonisation research, engaging in fruitful discussions with each other and a group of students of the University of Groningen. These students each in turn wrote a blog on one of the speakers. These blogs can be accessed on this website, either through the navigation bar or by clicking here. For the full program of this conference, click here.
Participants: Gabriel Zuchtriegel, Gianluca Tagliamonte, Wouter Henkelman, Ed Bispham, Peter van Dommelen, Thomas J. Figueira, Nathan L. Pilkington, Jeremia Pelgrom, Irad Malkin, Manuela Mari, Manolis Pagkalos, Anita Casarotto, Tesse Stek, Peter Attema, José Luis López Castro and Nicola Terrenato.
Young Scholar Event: Masterclass with Michel Tarpin (University of Grenoble), Groningen, 15 November 2022
This event featured a masterclass where several PhD candidates researching the impact of Roman territorial colonization in the provinces received feedback from Michel Tarpin and other senior scholars with expertise in Ancient Colonialism.
Workshop Anchoring Ancient Colonisation - Groningen, 1-2 December 2022
The next big step was taken on the first and second of December 2022 with the Workshop Anchoring Ancient Colonisation at the University of Groningen (which was co-organised with Marleen Termeer from the Radboud University Nijmegen), funded by the Oikos - Anchoring Innovation project, the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome and the CRASIS research institute. Having identified problems, pitfalls, and possible solutions and hypotheses during the 2021 conference, scholars from the fields of history, archaeology, religious studies, and other presented new and innovative research on ancient colonisation in a broad, comparative perspective, also presenting papers on Archaic, Late Republican and Imperial forms of colonisation. For the full program of this conference click here.
Participants: Eelco Glas, Tymon de Haas, Anita Cassarotto, Tesse Stek, Jan Paul Crielaard, Emily Hurt, Elon Heymans, Evan Jewell, Daniel J. Martín-Arroyo Sánchez, Marion Bolder-Boos, Xenia Charalambidou, Anouk Vermeulen, Manual A. González, Brian Garnand, Lou Godefroy, Saskia Roselaar, Dies van der Linde, Michele Valandro, Martina C. Parini, Taariq A. Sheik, Marleen Termeer, and Jeremia Pelgrom.
Young Scholar Event: Excursion to Roman Nijmegen & Masterclass with Rolf Strootman (University of Utrecht), Nijmegen, 16 June 2023
PhD and (Re)MA candidates working on ancient colonization presented their research and received guidance from Rolf Strootman and other senior experts. The event began with an excursion to the Valkhof Museum's temporary exhibition showcasing recent Roman-period discoveries in Nijmegen and surroundings. The day concluded with Strootman's keynote lecture, Colonization and Migration in Hellenistic Syria: The Role of Religion.
Young Scholar Event: Masterclass and Lecture with Greg Woolf (University of California), Groningen, 28 February 2024
Greg Woolf offered feedback to young scholars on projects related to ancient colonialism and other relevant topics. The event, co-hosted by the Crasis Research School, concluded with a public lecture by Woolf.
Mini-Symposium: Changing Strategies in Ancient Colonization, Groningen, 26 April 2024
This mini-symposium focused on discussions inspired by Nicola Terrenato’s comparative study of ancient colonization in the Classical and Hellenistic periods. Floris van den Eijnde (Utrecht University) and Brian Garnand (NINO, Leiden) presented papers that offered reflections on this study through the lens of their own expertise, with a focus on Athenian and Carthaginian colonization, respectively.
Young Scholar Event: Excursion and Lecture with Ruurd Halbertsma (RMO), Leiden, 28 May 2024
This event featured a visit to the RMO Museum’s temporary exhibition on Paestum, complemented by a lecture from curator Ruurd Halbertsma, who explored the fascinating history and archaeology of the Greek and later Roman colony.