The Period of the Middle Maccabees: from the death of Judas through the reign of John Hyrcanus (ca. 160–104 BCE) / 9th Nangeroni Meeting (2018 Milan), conference
The Period of the Middle Maccabees (2018) is the topic of the ninth conference in the series of Nangeroni Meetings organised by the Enoch Seminar in Milan, Italy (June 10-15, 2018).
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Ninth Nangeroni Meeting (Milan, Italy; June 10-15, 2018)
Conference Chair: Andrea Berlin
Co-Chair: Paul Kosmin
in collaboration with the director of the Enoch Seminar Gabriele Boccaccini and the secretary Jason M. Zurawski
Preliminary Information
When: June 10-15, 2018
Location of Seminar: Milan, Italy
The Issue: Historical assessment of the Maccabean Revolt and the early Hasmonean monarchy poses an increasingly complex conundrum. While few scholars reject the essential facticity of the main figures and events, there has been a sea-change in modern assessments of the ancient literary evidence on which historians rely. Much recent scholarship focuses on how profoundly content and form were shaped by the authors’ motivations, ideology, rhetorical strategies and literary precedents. In concert with new archaeological evidence, this has led to a recognition of a number of political and social improbabilities and incongruities, and to hypotheses of authorial fabrications. Increasingly, reading the ancient accounts compels choosing between a perspective of factual reliability and engineered re-imagining.
How can we make sense of the implications of this new scholarship? To what extent does reevaluation and consideration of all evidence, literary and archaeological, from within and beyond Judea, affect our reconstruction of events? How should we integrate the breadth of this material and its attendant historical revisions into our readings of the ancient narrative accounts? What new insights into ancient narrators and their strategies might result?
In this conference we will consider the era encompassing the two generations between the death of Judas and the reign of his nephew John Hyrcanus, c. 160-104 BCE, from three overlapping perspectives:
- narratives and narrators, recognizing the complex modes by which written accounts became invested with authority and used both to communicate and instantiate political control.
- distinguishing cultures, reading the full array of material evidence from the wider region to reconstruct patterns of settlement and exchange among its diverse populations, and understand when and how people began charging places and goods with distinct cultural identities.
- the international stage, considering how forces and interests far beyond Judea affected local events, actions, and reactions, whether by serving as inspiration, catalyst, warning, or threat.
There is a special challenge in trying to see a well-documented and deeply studied period afresh. In this conference, we seek new insights by integrating multiple lines of testimony—archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic, and textual—into a holistic view that acknowledges contingent political developments and evolving social responses. While we do not pretend that this effort will resolve long-contentious issues, we hope that it will result in new treatments that foreground the complexity of the evidence and the results of wide-ranging cooperation. Our goal is to situate our modern understanding of this vital period in ancient and Jewish history within an enlarged scholarly platform, and thereby put it on a new footing.
Submission: Major papers (5000-8000 words) and short papers (3000-4000 words) should be submitted by April 1, 2018, so as to allow respondents and the other participants sufficient preparation time.
Proceedings: A volume will of select papers from the Meeting, revised in light of the seminar, will be published.
Accommodations
Contribution for 5 nights lodging and meals, to be paid in Milan at the Meeting:
- 0 euros - Major Paper Authors
- 300 euros - Respondents
- 400 euros - Short Paper Authors, Attendees
- 300 euros - Guests staying in the same room (children under 12, free)
Registration
Participation in the Ninth Nangeroni Meeting is by invitation only. If you are interested in joining the meeting, please contact the organizers.
The registration fee is $0-225, based on level of past participation in Enoch Seminar events.
Registration is now open and online! Please visit the registration site here and complete your registration and payment by February 28, 2018.
Program
Sunday, June 10
Arrivals
17:00 -- Opening Session & Welcome
OLD STORIES AND NEW ACTORS
17:30-19:30 -- Session 1
- Andrea Berlin, "The case of Kedesh"
- Benedikt Eckhardt, respondent
19:30 -- Dinner
Monday, June 11
7:00-8:45 -- Breakfast
NARRATIVES AND NARRATORS
9:00-10:30 -- Session 2
- Katell Berthelot, "Jonathan and Simon: 1 Maccabees 10-16"
- Edward Dabrowa, respondent
10:30-11:00 -- Coffee Break
11:00-12:30 -- Session 3
- Robert Doran, "Eupolemos and other Hasmonean-era Writers and Texts"
- Avner Ecker, respondent
12:30 -- Lunch
14:30-16:00 -- Session 4
- Francis Borchardt, "Judean Scribal Culture and Education"
- John Kampen, respondent
19:30 -- Dinner
Tuesday, June 12
7:00-8:45 -- Breakfast
DISTINGUISHING CULTURES: EVIDENCE FROM THE CENTER
9:00-10:30 -- New Archaeological Evidence from Jerusalem and Judea
- Ayala Zilberstein, "Givati and the Haqra"
- Yuval Gadot, "Hasmonean Remains in Givati"
- Moran Hagbi, "Fortifications in Judea"
10:30-11:00 -- Coffee Break
11:00-12:30 -- Plenary Discussion
- Donald Ariel, respondent and discussion leader
12:30 -- Lunch
14:30-16:00 -- New Archaeological Evidence from the South and Center
- Deby Sandhaus, "Idumea and the Shephelah"
- Yehiel Zelinger, "The Plain of Sharon"
16:00-16:30 -- Coffee Break
16:30-18:00 -- Plenary Discussion
- Gerald Finkielsztejn, respondent and discussion leader
19:30 -- Dinner
Wednesday, June 13
7:00-8:45 -- Breakfast
DISTINGUISHING CULTURES AT QUMRAN AND MT. GERIZIM
9:00-10:30 -- Session 6
- Jutta Jokiranta, "The Dead Sea Scrolls Sect in the 2nd c. BCE"
- Lester Grabbe, respondent
10:30-11:00 -- Coffee Break
11:00-12:30 --
- Dvir Raviv, "The Southern Samaritan Countryside"
- Jonathan Bourgel, "Samaritans and Mt. Gerizim"
- Magnar Kartveit, respondent
12:30 -- Lunch
14:00 -- Lake tour
Thursday, June 14
7:00-8:45 -- Breakfast
DISTINGUISHING CULTURES: EVIDENCE FROM THE NORTH
9:00-10:30 -- New Archaeological Evidence from the North
- Uzi Leibner, "The Lower Galilee"
- Danny Syon, "The Northern Coast, with emphasis on the numismatic perspective"
- Sylvie Honigman, respondent and discussion leader
10:30-11:00 -- Coffee Break
THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE: SMALL STATES IN A GREAT POWER WORLD, PART I
11:00-12:30 -- Session 7
- Catherine Lorber, "The Circulation of Ptolemaic Silver Coins in Seleucid Coele Syria and Phoenicia: Implications for the History of Judah"
- Julien Olivier, respondent
12:30 -- Lunch
14:30-16:00 -- Session 8
- Christelle Fischer-Bovet, "The Machinations of the Ptolemaic State"
- Boris Chrubasik, respondent
16:00-16:30 -- Coffee Break
16:30-18:00 -- Session 9
- Altay Coskun, "The Disintegration of the Seleucid Empire from Antiochus IV to Demetrius II (iterum)"
- Paul Kosmin, respondent
19:30 -- Dinner
Friday, June 15
7:00-8:45 -- Breakfast
THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE: SMALL STATES IN A GREAT POWER WORLD, PART II
9:00-11:00 -- Session 10
- Duncan MacRae, "1 Maccabees, John Hyrcanus and Roman Mediterranean Hegemony"
- Erich Gruen, respondent
11:00-11:30 -- Coffee Break
11:30-12:30 -- Wrap-up Discussion
12:30-14:30 -- Lunch
Departures
Participants
- Donald Ariel (Israel Antiquities Authority)
- Andrea Berlin (Boston University)
- Katell Berthelot (CNRS)
- Gabriele Boccaccini (University of Michigan)
- Francis Borchardt (Lutheran Theological Seminary, Hong Kong)
- Jonathan Bourgel (Open University of Israel and Kibbutzim College of Education)
- Boris Chrubasik (University of Toronto)
- Altay Coskun (University of Waterloo)
- Edward Dabrowa (Jagiellonian University, Poland)
- Robert Doran (University of Masschusetts, Amherst)
- Avner Ecker (Bar Ilan University)
- Benedikt Eckhardt (University of Bremen)
- Torleif Elgvin (NLA University College, Norway)
- Gerald Finkielsztejn (Israel Antiquities Authority)
- Christelle Fischer-Bovet (USC)
- Yuval Gadot (Tel Aviv University)
- Lester Grabbe (Hull University)
- Erich Gruen (University of California at Berkeley)
- Moran Hagbi (Israel Antiquities Authority)
- Sylvie Honigman (Tel Aviv University)
- Jutta Jokiranta (University of Helsinki)
- Magnar Kartveit (School of Mission and Theology, VID, Oslo)
- Gerald Knoppers (Notre Dame)
- Paul Kosmin (Harvard University)
- Catherine Lorber (Independent Scholar)
- Uzi Leibner (Hebrew University)
- Duncan MacCrae (University of California at Berkeley)
- Julien Olivier (Bibliothèque nationale de France)
- Dvir Raviv (Bar Ilan University)
- Deby Sandhaus (Tel Aviv University)
- Danny Syon (Israel Antiquities Authority)
- Yehiel Zelinger (Israel Antiquities Authority)
- Ayala Zilberstein (Tel Aviv University)
- Jason Zurawski (University of Groningen)
Arrival Times at Malpensa Airport
- Saturday, June 9
10:30, John Kampen (United 8700)
18:40, Jason Zurawski (KL 1633)
- Sunday, June 10
8:00, Deby Sandhaus
8:40, Erich Gruen (United 19)
9:35, Altay Coskun (Air Canada 9391)
10:00, Ayala Zilberstein
10:05, Jutta Jokiranta
10:30, Boris Chrubasik (AC 894)
10:35, Robert Doran (TAP Air Portugal)
10:50, Lester Grabbe
10:55, Danny Syon (El-Al LY 0381)
11:45, Gerald Finkielsztejn (Turkish Air 1901)
12:00, Benedikt Eckhardt
12:30, Torleif Elgvin (Norwegian DY 1876)
13:00, Uzi and Efrat Leibner
13:30, Magnar Kartveit (SK 4719)
16:30, Katell Berthelot
21:40, Yuval Gadot
22:15, Jonathan Bourgel (Linate)
Departures
- Friday, June 15
11:20, Magnar Kartveit
11:40, Lester Grabbe
12:45, Ayala Zilberstein (needs to be at Malpensa by 13:15; can also share taxi to Milano Centrale)
14:00, Robert Doran (can leave anytime in the afternoon)
14:00, Danny Syon (To Milano Centrale after lunch)
14:00, Christelle Fischer-Bovet (to Milan)
14:00, Sylvie Hongiman (to Milan)
14:00, Altay Coskun (to Milano Centrale)
16:25, Torleif Elgvin
17:20, Jason Zurawski
19:00, Jutta Jokiranta
- Saturday, June 16
8:35, John Kampen (United 9934)
10:30, Erich Gruen (Leave Villa by 8:30)
11:15, Cathy Lorber
12:10, Boris Chrubasik (AC 895)
Getting to the Seminar
Villa Cagnola:
Istituto Superiore di Studi Religiosi “Villa Cagnola”
Via Cagnola 21
21045 GAZZADA SCHIANNO (VA)
Tel. +39 0332 461304
fax +39 0332 870887
E-mail: reception@villacagnola.it
You should try to fly into Malpensa Airport instead of Linate, as it is much easier and cheaper to get to the conference site from Malpensa. Also, we will organize a taxi sharing system from Malpensa (see above).
From Malpensa Airport
Taxi: ~25 minutes; ~60 Euros (see above for sharing a taxi)
Train: 1-2 hours; ~6 Euros (See trenord.it, Departure = "Malpensa Aeroporto" Arrival = "Gazzada-Schianno-Morazzone")
- There are several different ways of getting from Malpensa to Gazzada via train, depending on the time of departure. Therefore, please check the local train operator trenord.it. Trenitalia does not always have the most accurate info for this train line.
- The station in Gazzada is about 1km from the Villa (see map)
From Milan
Train: ~1.5 hours; ~6 Euros (See trenitalia.com, Departure - "Milano Porta Garibaldi" or "Milano Centrale" Arrival = "Gazzada-Schianno-Morazzone")
- You can find direct connections between Milano Porta Garibaldi station and Gazzada. If you depart from the "Milano Centrale" station, you will need to connect to another train to get to Gazzada (connection will depend on time of day. check the schedule).
- The station in Gazzada is about 1km from the Villa (see map).
From Linate
Taxi: Cost - ~120 euros; There is a shuttle which runs from Linate to Malpensa where you could share a taxi with those arriving at Malpensa.
Train: Take shuttle or bus to Milano Centrale station (see above).