Conference: Antiquity and Modern Times - Oriental Studies and Cultural Contacts
Conference: Antiquity and Modern Times - Oriental Studies and Cultural Contacts in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy
The Egypt and Austria conference will take place from Thursday, 8 October to Saturday, 10 October 2026, at the University of Graz (Styria) and at the Archaeology Museum at Eggenberg Palace (Universalmuseum Joanneum).
The conference is organized by the Egypt and Austria Research Society in cooperation with the Institute of Classics of the University of Graz and the Department of Archaeology & Coin Cabinet of the Universalmuseum Joanneum.
Egypt and Austria XV will focus on the study of the Orient (Near and Middle East) within the context of the Habsburg Monarchy and on the complex relationship between antiquity and modern times.
The conference aims to examine how scholarly research and cultural interest in antiquity developed during the Austro-Hungarian period and how these interests manifested themselves in art and science, particularly in Egyptology and Oriental studies. Special emphasis will be placed on the cultural, scientific, artistic, and social contexts, as well as on the networks that shaped these developments.
The conference will address both the perspectives of European researchers and the voices and contributions of scholars, travellers, and historical actors from the regions of the Orient. In doing so, it seeks to highlight a dialogue that goes beyond a purely disciplinary history of scholarship and instead encompasses broader questions of perception, reception, and the transfer of knowledge.