Conference

Making Waves on the Nile: Change and Continuity In Hellenistic Egypt

Date

Thursday 17 September 2026

Time

09:00 - 17:00 hour

Address

Johan Huizinga
Doelensteeg 16
2311 VL Leiden

Room

2.60

Leiden University’s Institute for History is pleased to invite submissions for papers for the conference Making Waves on the Nile: Change and Continuity in Hellenistic Egypt to be held at Leiden University on Thursday 17^th September 2026.

The conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE has long been considered a watershed moment in the history of the country, and has undoubtedly shaped the parameters of various academic disciplines. Whether or not this moment should be considered a divide, the Hellenistic period that followed certainly produced significant change and innovations across Egyptian society, from large scale economic innovations such as the first widespread coinage in Egypt (Von Reden 2007; Colburn 2018) to highly specialised developments such as the increasing number of hieroglyphs (Wilson 2003; Vandorpe 2010).  Such developments drew on both imported practices and the continuation of indigenous traditions, but to what degree were they also creating a uniquely Hellenistic Egyptian way of life? And how universally was this felt across all layers of society?

The conference will bring together early career scholars from diverse fields with a shared interest in Hellenistic Egypt and in particular the societal developments of the period to both share their own research, and create links with colleagues they might otherwise not get to meet.

If you have any queries please direct these to [e-mail] or [e-mail].