PD Dr. Susanne Moraw (guest professor 2021/2022) – Prof. Dr. Natascha Sojc

Family Affairs? The Intergenerational Transmission of Religious Knowledge

29th – 30th April of 2022, Augsburg University, funded by Jakob Fugger Zentrum Augsburg University and Gesellschaft der Freunde der Universität Augsburg e.V.

The conference aims to explore the possibilities and forms of intergenerational transmission of religious knowledge in antiquity. For this purpose, "religious knowledge" is defined in the broadest sense: not only dogma and theology, but also myths and legends of saints, images, rituals, knowledge of sacred places, codes of conduct, dress codes, etc. The conference will examine both the actors of intergenerational transmission and the ways in which religious knowledge was structured and stored: Was this knowledge mainly passed on from parents (or other household members) to children? And did other channels of transmission exist, as for example teaching by priests and priestesses or learning provided by religious groups? Further questions concern the spatial contexts of transmission and their temporal organization: for example, in the periodic care of the graves of already deceased family members or in regular gatherings in sanctuaries, churches or synagogues. The specific forms through which religious knowledge was preserved, modified and passed on are also being investigated. What role did the telling of myths and legends, the explanation of images, the introduction to ritual play? Did transmission take place mainly through imitation and constant repetition?

The conference provided an insight into the different epochs of Greco-Roman antiquity, with a backward glance at comparable phenomena in the Bronze Age. Contributions dealt with one or more of the questions mentioned above, using as sources archaeological findings, ancient images, inscriptions and/or texts.

The conference languages were English and German.

The various conference talks and discussions are planned to be published as conference volume.