“my year in late antiquity” wrapped 2025
1. visiting the monastery of St Catherine’s at Mt Sinai for the feast of the Nativity in January was the wildest way to start my year. An easy #1
2. Tied for 2nd are the new late antique finds uncovered at the excavations in Stromboli (Italy) and Golemo Gradište, Konjuh (N Macedonia). These projects continue to teach me so much about rituals sites in peculiar regions—and I’m grateful to work with incredible teams in such wonderful locations
3. I think I may well be in the “top 1%” of late antique sarcophagi observers. In Marseille, Arles, Rome, the Vatican, Istanbul, and NYC, I spent dozens of hours this year looking at these stone burial boxes. The imperial porphyry sarcophagi at the Istanbul Archaeological Museums were spectacular!
4. Speaking of imperial purple, not a day has gone by since May 3 that I haven’t thought just a little bit about the 5th/6th c. purple dye production center at Andriake (ancient port of Myra in Lycia/s. Turkey). Excavators estimate 300 cubic meters of sea snail shell debris!!!!
5. co-organizing the Late Antiquity Reading Group the last few years has been a real joy—and this last year was especially exceptional with readings from
@jennisifire.bsky.social @chancebonar.bsky.social @lsnasrallah.bsky.social, Georgia Frank, Ignazio Tantillo, & John Matthews
6. I gave two papers this year, which were both thrilling & terrifying. I presented on epigraphy, icons, and frames at Mt Sinai for the Newman Seminar in Late Ancient & Byzantine Cultures and, just yesterday(!), I talked about 6th century amulets at the Yale Medieval Lunch Colloquium
7. Now that my semester has officially finished(!), I can add that I wrote 5 term papers about religion & late antiquity this year. My topics included the famous BM crucifixion amulet; a gold medallion with St Thomas; liturgy and Santa Costanza; Eucharist fraction; and Samaritans in late Roman laws.
Dec 19, 2025 00:03
