'Materiality, Religion and the Senses': L*CeSAR organizes its first workshop
On 11 December 2025, students and staff members from many fields of study had the opportunity to take part in a day-long workshop on the role of the senses in ancient religions.
The workshop was organized by the Leiden Center for the Study of Ancient Religions, whose primary mission is to promote interdisciplinary collaboration in the field. The theme of this workshop, the senses, highlighted the embodied nature of religious experience; this was reflected in the selection of topics discussed during the day.
A visit from Dr. Jerry Toner
The guest of honour was Dr. Jerry Toner of Cambridge University, a leading scholar in the subject of popular culture in antiquity. The first session of the day was a masterclass, during which advanced students got the opportunity to talk with Dr. Toner about one of his recent publications, his academic career, and methodological approaches to research. Afterwards, Dr. Toner took students through some examples of historical sources and debated with them how these could be interpreted from different points of view. After a brief break, Dr. Toner delivered his keynote lecture, open to the wider public. The lecture centered on textuality, advancing the idea that interaction with (religious) texts does not require literacy: sensory experiences of texts could also play an important role in this non-literate textuality.
Presentations by Early Career Scholars
Subsequently, three early career scholars presented their own recent research, which led to a varied programme in the afternoon. First was Patricia Kret, who shared her research about amulets, and how approaching them from the angle of the senses could explain their perceived effects – for example, constantly being reminded of the amulets’ presence by feeling it rub against your skin could help to explain how these artifacts could be thought to ‘work’. Camilla Marraccini, the next speaker, gave a talk about the famous Dogmatic Sarcophagus and explained how the depictions of touch and gestures could simultaneously be interpreted both in a worldly and religious sense. The final presentation of the day was given by Joëlle Kraaijeveld:
‘I thought the lecture that Dr. Jerry Toner delivered was very interesting. Learning about new research other people are doing is always a valuable way to gain new perspectives in your own work. My presentation addressed the emergence of the cult of the martyrs in Roman North Africa as a traumascape, focusing on how the memory of persecution became central in the emergence of this institution. I appreciated the discussion that followed, as well as the thoughtful questions and suggestions that will be useful for my further research.’
The success of this event was owed in no small part to the engaged audience, whose lively participation in the discussions allowed everyone to gain new perspectives and leave with a much richer appreciation of the issues discussed.
Many thanks to Leiden University, the A.G. Leventis Foundation and the Leiden Center for the Study of Ancient Religions (L*CeSAR) for organizing this event.