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The programme offers an advanced undergraduate and postgraduate seminar on ancient Roman culture through the lens of “mobility”.

The developments of Roman culture as it moved across Europe demand multidisciplinary reflection on research questions relating to identity, the relationship between contemporary culture and local histories, and the different approaches to the past demanded by varied source materials.

The added dimension for 2026 responds to the context of the Southern France, and more specifically Provence: the 2026 edition will focus on the interactions between Rome and Gaul (Gallia Narbonensis), in their cultural and artistic dimensions (architecture, shows, manuscripts).

Central to this programme is the investigation of Roman Civilisation through its encounters with other cultures and of the interaction between the centre of empire and its extremities. The investigation emphasises the ambivalent processes of cultural appropriation, exchange, and dominance in the self-definition of communities under Roman rule as Rome confronted a wide range of cultures: Greeks, other ancient Mediterranean and Black Sea communities, including those in North Africa, Spain, Gaul, Briton, as well as diasporic Jews. 

The online seminars explore mobility through case studies: the portability of religious rites; the dynamics of change in ancient religion, including the imperial cult; the role of translation in the transmission of philosophical and scientific ideas; the transmission of culture through language; the cultural transference of literary, rhetorical, and artistic motifs; the performative power of the moving body; the ethical dimension of travel; the status of citizens subject to relegation and exile; military mobility; mobility and monuments.

This BIP will place a new focus on issues of cultural heritage, its preservation, restoration, and management. These will be of special relevance to the mobility element in Provence, region which is particularly rich in Roman vestiges.

At the heart of this programme is the desire to provide a space for critical thinking to an array of students from different countries and backgrounds and to generate an ongoing debate about the timeliness of studying ancient cultural discourses in the present moment.

By focusing on the extremely mobile nature of ancient Rome in terms of space and time, we will question traditional claims about the legacy of Roman imperialism in the creation of European values and propose more innovative methods for exploring this dialectic from a broad interdisciplinary perspective, always counting on the added value of our Alliance’s goals regarding issues of multiculturalism and civic approach.

The physical mobility part will take place between 8-12 June 2026 in Aix-en-Provence, France: 

  • 08.06.2026: Introductory workshops - Welcome Cocktail - Preparatory work on the posters.
  • 09.06.2026: Field trip to Arles: Glanum archaeological site - Musée Départemental de l'Arles Antique with lectures  - Visit to the town of Arles (Cryptoporticus, Alyscamps, Ancient Theatre, Amphitheatre, Bath of Constantin) with lectures.
  • 10.06.2026: Field trip to Nimes. Musée de la Romanité, “Maison Carré” and arena with lectures - Preparatory work on the posters.
  • 11.06.2026: Field trip to Orange (Ancient theatre) and Vaison-la-Romaine with lectures – Preparatory work on the posters.
  • 12.06.2026: Presentation of the posters to the whole group and feedback from the teaching team. 

The virtual module will take place between 6 February - 15 May 2026, every Friday at 2 PM CET, on Moodle and Zoom. Each session will last around 2-2,5 hours. Each online lecture will be followed by an interactive discussion and will be devoted to a specific topic that relates to the notion of Roman "mobility". It will include a theoretical introduction to the critical methodologies selected by the instructor. 

6.02.2026 

  • Course introduction, and 'meet and greet', hosted by Katell Berthelot, Pedro Duarte and Sabine Luciani
  • Matthew Fox: Mobility, Nation, and Culture: Greek education in Rome

13.02.2026 - lectures:

  • Florica Mihuț (University of Bucharest): Exile, social mobility, and the exclusion from the citizen body in ancient Rome
  • Sabine Luciani (Aix-Marseille Université): Rome’s relationship to Greece through the case of Philosophy”citizen body in ancient Rome

20.02.2026 - lectures:

  • Luis Unceta Gómez (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid): Mobility in Latin
  • Pedro Duarte (Aix-Marseille Université): Mobility and language contacts through the Roman Empire in the 1st century CE

6.03.2026 - lectures:

  • Zoa Alonso Fernández (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid): The moving body and Roman dance. A study on performativity
  • Giorgio Ferri (Sapienza Università di Roma): Ritual movements of persons and animals in Roman Religion

13.03.2026 - lectures:

  • Katell Berthelot (Aix-Marseille Université): Jewish mobilities in the Roman Empire
  • Sanaa Hassab (University Hassan II Casablanca): The mobility between Morocco and Spain during Roman Antiquity

20.03.2026- lectures:

  • Alexandra Lițu (University of Bucharest): Religious practices and mobility on the edges of the Empire
  • Valentin Bottez (University of Bucharest): Mithra

10.04.2026  - lecture & workshop 1 

  • lecture
  • concluding discussion, debate and synthesis

17.04.2026 - student workshop 2

  • preparatory work on the portfolios
  • planning towards the team projects

15.05.2026 - student workshop 3 

  • meeting to consolidate preparations for the mobility element of the course
  • students meet tutors in groups to share progress on research topics
 This course offers an interdisciplinary exploration of the ancient Roman world and its heritage through the lens of "mobility" (movement of people, animals, objects and ideas).