Events Calendar – British School at Athens

BSA Friends’ Lecture

Dr Conor Trainor (University of Warwick), “What Happened Under Roman Rule? A View From Two Greek Cities”

Abstract: Traditionally, the Roman period of Greek history has been interpreted as a period of economic decline, or stagnation. In recent years, new research, especially from survey projects, has begun to challenge this picture. This talk will present some results from two urban survey projects that appear to indicate some level of economic growth in Greece during the Roman period. Survey data is critical here because it provides us with a long term overview of an area. In this case, two cities Sikyon and Knossos, came under Roman command through very different circumstances, at different time periods, but present us with a very similar pattern of sectoral growth, and begin to call into question the economic narrative that Roman rule led to economic decline or stagnation in Greece.

Bio: Dr Conor Trainor is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick. His research focuses on ancient cities, urban survey and pottery, and has worked as a specialist on several dozen archaeological projects in Greece (and Canada) since 2000. Conor has a long involvement with the BSA, having taught on the Undergraduate Summer School in 2011-2013, and helped to set up and teach classes on Archaic-Late Roman pottery for the Knossos Pottery Course since 2013, we well as holding a research bursary at the Fitch Lab. Conor is currently a co-director of the Knossos Legacy and Sustainable Archaeology Project at Knossos (along with Emilia Oddo [Tulane] and Jo Day [University College Dublin]).

Hybrid lecture, 17:00 (UK) / 19:00 (Greece) 

Please register here to attend online via Zoom webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4u6aqkj1QMm5kWakCltzow

Please register here to attend in-person in London: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/what-happened-under-roman-rule-a-view-from-two-greek-cities-tickets-888270901177

image: Roman Imperial statue at Knossos, photo by C. Trainor