Oktober 2025

The first month of the new academic year has flown by. We hope you all have enjoyed your classes and all the interesting discussions! As the days slowly become shorter and colder, Teiresias is here to brighten things up with fun activities. Take a look below, we hope you’ll find something that sparks your interest!

Lots of love,
The Board

Activities and events

Friday 3 October 17:30 onwards: Monthly drinks October. On Friday 3 October, Teiresias will hold their monthly drinks from 17:30 onwards at Café de Stadsgenoot (Breedstraat 8, 3512 TW Utrecht). You are more than welcome to unwind, catch up with friends, and chat about anything from your favourite historical figures and research interests to life’s big philosophical questions (or simply whatever’s on your mind), or to simply enjoy a nice drink with good company!

Thursday 16 October 17:00-20:00: Movie Night. On Thursday 16 October we are watching Gods of Egypt (2016)! Prior to the film Darina Knoops (who has studied Egyptology at Leiden University for a year) will hold a brief introduction about Egyptian mythology and other elements which the film portrays. Feel free to join us! The activity will take place at Janskerkhof 2-3, room 0.22.

Activities and events outside of Teiresias

Utrecht University:

Monday 27 October 15:00 to 16:00: Seminar: Working Women on the Seventeenth-Century Dutch Art Market. In this Cultural History seminar, Marleen Puyenbroek (University of Amsterdam) explores women’s professional involvement in the art market of the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic — from the production and sale of materials to dealing and the second-hand trade. 

For more information, see: https://www.uu.nl/en/events/seminar-working-women-on-the-seventeenth-century-dutch-art-market 

Friday 31 October – Saturday 1 November: Workshop: Sacred Landscapes in the Premodern World. The workshop focuses on the concept of ‘spatiality’, landscape, and the sacred (or religion) in the premodern world, from antiquity to the renaissance, and focusing in particular, though not exclusively, on medieval literature (and specifically saints’ lives), manuscript history, and the connection between that and the history of early printed books. The workshop encourages discussion of concepts such as ‘sacred space’, sacred landscapes, sacrality and cultural heritage in the related disciplines of literature, history, archaeology and art. Lunch and drinks will be provided by the workshop. There will be contributions from both lecturers and students of all tracks!

Attendance is free and we warmly invite you to participate. RMA students affiliated with the Research School Medieval Studies can earn 1 ECTS by attending both days of the workshop and writing a 1200 word paper on its central questions and themes.

The course is open to research MA students in their second year and PhD students.

Registration
To register, please send an email to dr. Natalia Petrovskaia n.petrovskaia@uu.nl.
For more information, see: https://medievalstudies.nl/events/sacred-landscapes-in-the-premodern-world/ 

Friday 31 October: Publieksdag Vroegmodernisten: Sport en Spel in de Vroegmoderne Tijd. Op vrijdag 31 oktober organiseert het Utrecht University Centre for Early Modern Studies (UUCEMS) weer een Publieksdag. Dit jaar is het thema ‘sport en spel in de vroegmoderne tijd’. Wat deden mensen voor hun plezier in de vroegmoderne tijd (ca. 1500-1800)? Kom het ontdekken met interessante lezingen, een panelgesprek en een loterij. Met bijdragen van de RMA AMRS!

Voor meer informatie, zie: https://www.uu.nl/agenda/publieksdag-vroegmodernisten-sport-en-spel-in-de-vroegmoderne-tijd 

External activities:

Saturday 4 October –  Sunday 5 October: Geneeskunde Weekend (‘Medicine Weekend’; at Archeon, Alphen aan den Rijn). Beautiful on the inside, beautiful on the outside. Health and Beauty are inextricably linked to each other. People have known this as long as they’ve existed.

For more information, see: https://www.archeon.nl/nl/agenda/geneeskunde-weekend_3.html.

Sunday 5 October: Sint Francicus Processie (‘Saint Francis Procession’; at Archeon, Alphen aan den Rijn). Visitors who would like to live through the Middle Ages are invited to join the Procession of Saint Francis of Assisi. The procession starts and ends at the Minderbroeders-klooster.

For more information, see: https://www.archeon.nl/nl/agenda/sint-franciscus-processie_2.html.

Thursday 9 October 19:30 – 20:30: Door de ogen van de oude Egyptenaren (‘Through the eyes of the ancient Egyptians’; lecture (in Dutch!) by Toon Sykora at the National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden). Toon Sykora, RMO-curator of the Egypt and Nubia collections, is giving a lecture on how the ancient Egyptians themselves looked for traces of their ancestors. This happened because of various reasons, just like in the present day. People obviously did this due to curiosity, but also because connecting yourself with a glorious past could provide you with power and prestige.

For more information, see: https://www.rmo.nl/uw-bezoek/activiteiten/door-de-ogen-van-de-oude-egyptenaren/.

Monday 13 October 19:30 – ca. 20:30: De Archeologie van Sakkara (Egypte) (‘The Archaeology of Saqqara (Egypt)’; lecture (in Dutch!) by Nico Staring and Toon Sykora at the National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden). On this Monday evening Nico Staring (archaeologist, specialized in pharaonic archaeology) and Toon Sykora (curator of the Egypt and Nubia collection at the National Museum of Antiquity) will talk about the archaeology of Saqqara in Egypt.

For more information, see: https://www.rmo.nl/uw-bezoek/activiteiten/de-archeologie-van-sakkara/.

Wednesday 15 October 20:00 – 21:00: Dode Zeerollen (‘Dead Sea Scrolls’; Egeria-lecture 2025 (in Dutch!) by Mladen Popović at the National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden). During the ninth edition of the yearly Egeria-lecture, professor prof. dr. Mladen Popović (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen) will talk about innovation in manuscript research regarding the Dead Sea Scrolls. With this research it is hoped to answer two fundamental questions: when were the manuscripts written and by who?

For more information, see: https://www.rmo.nl/uw-bezoek/activiteiten/egeria-lezing-2025/.

Thursday 16 October onwards: Discovering Ancient Egypt (exhibition at the National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden). Discovering Ancient Egypt is coming to the Netherlands! Previously shown in twelve cities in Japan, South Korea and Australia, this touring exhibition has attracted more than 1.5 million visitors since 2020. Five years on, the exhibition is returning to the Netherlands and can be seen in Leiden until March 2026.

For more information, see: https://www.rmo.nl/en/exhibitions/temporary-exhibitions/discovering-ancient-egypt/.

Saturday 18 October: Excursie 2000 jaar Albaniana + Bezoek Archeon (‘Excursion 2000 years Albaniana + Visit to Archeon’). Join us on a historical discovery tour through the Roman past of Alphen aan den Rijn! During this unique city walk you will experience 2000 years of the history of Albaniana, including a visit to Museum Park Archeon.

For more information, see: https://www.archeon.nl/nl/agenda/excursie-2000-jaar-albaniana-bezoek-archeon_4.html.

Saturday 18 October – Sunday 19 October: Smeedweekend (‘Smithing Weekend’; at Archeon). Smithing is of all times! Before the use of metal there was already a flint smith. Flint was used to make sharp objects, sich as knives, axes, and adzes. Later these objects were first made from bronze and later from iron and steel.

For more information, see: https://www.archeon.nl/nl/agenda/smeedweekend_4.html.

Sunday 19 October 14:00 – 15:00: Egyptische miniatuurkapel (‘Egyptian miniature chapel’; online lecture (in Dutch!) by Toon Sykora organised by the National Museum of Antiquities). On this sunday afternoon Toon Sykora, curator of the Egypt and Nubia collection, will talk about a very special miniature chapel: a small monument made for four commanders from the Egyptian Middle Kingdom (1980-1760 BC). During his lecture Sykora will explore the individuals behind the monument and take you along to the south of Egypt, almost four thousand years ago.

For more information, see: https://www.rmo.nl/uw-bezoek/activiteiten/topstukkenlezing-egyptische-miniatuurkapel/.

Sunday 26 October: Processie Sint Crispijn en Crispiaen (‘Procession of Saints Crispin and Crispinian’; at Archeon). Celebrate the feast of Saint Crispin and Saint Crispinian of the shoemakers. We invite visitors of Archeon who want to experience the Middle Ages to join a festive parade, also known as a procession.

For more information, see: https://www.archeon.nl/nl/agenda/processie-sint-crispijn-en-crispiaen_3.html.

Monday 27 October 19:30 – ca. 20:30: De archeologie van Kreta (‘The archaeology of Crete’; online lecture (in Dutch!) by Gert Jan van Wijngaarden organised by the National Museum of Antiquities). On this Monday evening Gert Jan van Wijngaarden (associate professor of Mediterranean archaeology at the University of Amserdam) will talk about the archaeology of Crete.

For more information, see: https://www.rmo.nl/uw-bezoek/activiteiten/de-archeologie-van-kreta/.

Thursday 30 October 19:30 – 20:30: Toekomst van de Egyptologie (‘The future of egyptology’; lecture by Monica Hanna at the National Museum of Antiquities). In this lecture (in English) the Egyptian Egyptologist Monica Hanna will discuss her vision on the direction the field of Egyptology should take. She argues that the past two hundred years of Egyptology has mainly focused itself on “wonderful things”, as the British archaeologist Howard Carter spoke at the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. But according to Hanna the future of the field depends on transcending this fascination for gold and secrets.

For more information, see: https://www.rmo.nl/uw-bezoek/activiteiten/toekomst-van-de-egyptologie/.

Saturday 15 November: Zenobiacongres (‘Zenobia Congress’; in Dutch!, at Thomaskerk, Amsterdam). On saturday 15 november the 19th Zenobia Congress will take place at the Thomaskerk in Amsterdam, with the title: ‘De Zwarte Zee: Scythen en Sultans van Colchis tot Constantinopel’ (‘The Black Sea: Scythians and Sultans from Colchis to Constantinople’). 

How did the waves under the Argo roll according to the Roman poet Valerius Flaccus? What king of role did the Kerch Strait play in the later Middle Ages? To what extent did the Ottomans control this large body of water, and which significance did it have in the 19th-century Great Game?

Speakers will be: dr. Mathieu de Bakker, dr. Houssine Aloul, dr. Mark Heerink, prof.dr. Peter van Nuffelen, prof.dr. Serena Ferente, dr. Ewan Short and prof.dr. Daniëlle Slootjes. 

For more information, see the website of Stichting Zenobia: https://www.stichtingzenobia.nl/congressen/zenobiacongres-xix-de-zwarte-zee/.

Further things of interests

10% Discount Bookshop Athenaeum
Especially for members of Teiresias, it is currently possible to get a 10% discount on all orders of non-Dutch (study)books, for both pick-up and delivery! Go to https://athenaeumscheltema.nl/ and use the discount code STUDENT10%.

Have fun shopping! 📚✨

Vacature Roma Aeterna
Stichting Roma Aeterna zoekt een beeldredacteur!

Functieomschrijving:
Als beeldredacteur bepaal je mede de aanblik van het tijdschrift Roma Aeterna. Je ontfermt je tweemaal per jaar over het beeldmateriaal van een aantal bijdragen. Je controleert door auteurs aangeleverde afbeeldingen op technische en beeldende kwaliteit, originaliteit en beeldrechten, bewerkt ze waar nodig of zoekt naar passend nieuw beeld. Je onderhoudt contact hierover met de andere redactieleden en auteurs.

Voor meer informatie, zie: https://romaaeterna.nl/vacatures.

Stichting Roma Aeterna maakt het enige tijdschrift in het Nederlands taalgebied met exclusieve aandacht voor de Eeuwige Stad. Daarnaast organiseert de stichting meerdere Rome-activiteiten per jaar. Het bestuur van de stichting en de redactie van het tijdschrift bestaan uit jonge liefhebbers met uiteenlopende expertises die zich belangeloos en onbezoldigd inzetten voor het maken van het tijdschrift en het verzorgen van allerlei Rome-activiteiten.