Announcing the call for abstracts for “The Concepts of the Antique in Antiquity,” an art history session to be held at the SECAC 2024 meeting​ in Atlanta, GA from 23 to 26 October. Those interested may find the description of the session as well as submission information below.

The temporal scope and significance of adjectives like “ancient” or “antique” and “modern” are contingent upon the period in which they are used. The dominant periodizations of current art historical scholarship constitute just the latest attempt to organize past human cultural achievements from the vantage point of the present. But what about the makers and users of the artifacts and monuments that we characterize as ancient? How did they relate to their more remote past? In short, how was the ancient or antique conceptualized in the period we now call antiquity? This session seeks scholars working in any geographic or cultural context from the Bronze Age through Late Antiquity to interrogate the concept of the antique, with a focus on art and architecture. Topics may include, but are not limited to: the use, display, and circulation of relics or heirlooms; ancient conservation or restoration practices; antiquarianism; revivalism; ancient forgeries; and heritage and identity formation.

Interested scholars should submit for consideration an abstract of 200 words (max) via the following online portal: https://secac.secure-platform.com. The portal will remain open for submissions from Monday, 4 March 2024 through Wednesday, 1 May 2024 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

Questions regarding the above art history session may be addressed to the chair at fowlerma@etsu.edu. For general inquiries about the annual meeting, please contact Conference Director Tracy Stonestreet (SECACdirector@umw.edu).

N.B. Any scholar whose paper is accepted to the session must be (or become) an active member of SECAC through the date of the conference and pay the conference registration fee.