Pristupačnost
We are pleased to invite you to the international scientific conference Global Perceptions and Receptions of Ancient History, which will take place from 3 to 6 November 2026 at the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb, Trg Nikole Šubića Zrinskog 19, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
The international conference Global Perceptions and Receptions of Ancient History brings together scholars from a broad range of disciplines to explore how the past and different historical periods are interpreted, reinterpreted, and employed across diverse cultural, social, and media contexts. Its central aim is to examine the various ways in which the worlds of the past continue to shape contemporary identities, artistic practices, scholarly narratives, and the public imagination. By investigating the circulation of historical motifs in popular culture, digital media, education, heritage interpretation, literature, music, film, and museum practices, the conference highlights the remarkable adaptability of the past as a global cultural resource.
As the first conference of its kind, the event is conceived as a platform that systematically brings reception studies into dialogue with global perspectives on the past. Rather than focusing on a particular region, medium, or historical period, the conference seeks to establish connections between these approaches, demonstrating how history is continually reshaped through processes of translation, reinterpretation, and creative transformation. The contributions presented at the conference illustrate that the past is not a static inheritance but a dynamic field of meaning, continuously constructed and negotiated across continents, disciplines, and communities.
By fostering interdisciplinary exchange and comparative approaches, the conference aims to establish a new framework for the study of the global reception of the past. It invites participants to reconsider established narratives, challenge traditional boundaries, and reflect on the ways in which history operates in today's interconnected world. In doing so, it lays the groundwork for future research that recognises the past as a shared, evolving, and globally relevant cultural phenomenon.
The conference is jointly organised by the Department of History, Faculty of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb; the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb; and the Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb.
Book Presentations – Thursday, 5 November 2026
As part of the conference programme, a series of book presentations will take place on Thursday, 5 November 2026, beginning at 16:00.
16:00–16:45
Das Candeias Sales, José & Mota, Susana (eds.), A Global History of the Reception of Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Archaeopress, 2026 (632 pp.).
Archaeopress – Publisher's Website
16:45–17:10
Rafaelić, Daniel, Sinuhe – staroegipatski roman u stihu [Sinuhe: An Ancient Egyptian Novel in Verse]. Zagreb: Vuković & Runjić, 2026.
17:10–17:30
Vuković Runjić, Milana, Prozirni obluci [Transparent Pebbles]. Zagreb: Vuković & Runjić, 2026.
17:30–18:00
Tomorad, Mladen et al., Slavne žene stare povijesti II: Recepcija mitskih i povijesnih ličnosti kroz stoljeća [Famous Women of Ancient History II: The Reception of Mythological and Historical Figures Through the Centuries]. Zagreb: Faculty of Croatian Studies, 2026 (864 pp.).