Agenda
International conference ‘Studying Non-Elites in the Medieval Caucasus’ – register before 11 March 2026
The SHOC Research Group at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in association with the Medieval Caucasus Network and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, will organise the international conference ‘Studying Non-Elites in the Medieval Caucasus’ on 13 and 14 March 2026 at the premises of the VUB Campus in Elsene, Belgium. The conference can also be attended online.
The conference features two days of papers on a variety of topics, from the Caucasian slave trade, to the place of women in medieval Armenian society, to the bioarchaeology of the medieval Caucasus. The keynote speakers are Nik Matheou (University of Edinburgh) and Irina Arzhantseva (Insitute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences). The organisers welcome anyone, including academics, students and members of the public, with an interest in the history of the Caucasus or in methodologies for studying the experience of non-elite groups, such as women, peasants, or enslaved people.
Registration is now open until 11 March 2026 via the online registration form. A participation fee of 20 euros applies for postdoctoral and permanent staff members, for members of the public, students, and PhD candidates a reduced fee of 10 euros applies.
