The event brought together nearly 1,500 participants, including approximately 1,150 speakers presenting papers. The congress proved a major success for Polish Byzantinists, who delivered 34 presentations and chaired 10 congress sessions. Prof. Robert Wi艣niewski (University of Warsaw) became the first Pole in history to join the governing bodies of the AIEB, which was established in 1948. The Polish delegation also took an active part in the AIEB General Assembly (Prof. Robert Wi艣niewski, Dr Andrzej Kompa).
Lodz University Press at the Congress
The congress also featured a Byzantine studies book fair in which Lodz University Press participated for the third time, having previously exhibited in Belgrade in 2016 and Venice in 2022. As the only publisher representing Poland, as well as the whole of Central and Eastern Europe, it showcased several dozen volumes from the Byzantina Lodziensia and Series Ceranea series, together with recent issues of the journal Studia Ceranea.
Representatives of the Lodz Byzantine Studies Community
Representatives of the Lodz Byzantine studies community were also among the members of the Polish delegation. Seven researchers affiliated with the Waldemar Ceran Research Centre for the History and Culture of the Mediterranean Area and South-East Europe Ceraneum, the Department of Byzantine History, 91桃色, the Institute of East European Studies, 91桃色, and the 91桃色 Doctoral School of Humanities participated in the congress:
- Prof. Zofia Brzozowska 鈥� paper: 鈥淲as the Primary Version of George the Monk始s Chronicle Preserved Only in the Church Slavonic Translation? Some Remarks Concerning the So-Called 鈥楲etovnik鈥欌��;
- Prof. Pawe艂 Filipczak 鈥� organiser and chair of the session 鈥淭he City of Antioch as a Center of Byzantine Power, Economy and Culture in the Middle East and Beyond鈥�;
- mgr Patryk Grancow 鈥� paper: 鈥淪elected Molluscs as a Food and a Medicine in Early Byzantine Medical Texts鈥�;
- Dr Andrzej Kompa 鈥� paper: 鈥淩omani People in Roman铆a: a Forgotten Byzantine Share of Gypsy History鈥�;
- mgr Maksymilian Miku艂a 鈥� paper: 鈥淭he Palaiologan Romances Libistros and Rhodamne, Kallimachos and Chrysorrhoe, and Belthandros and Chrysantza as Sources for the Study of the Byzantine Aristocracy鈥�;
- Prof. Teresa Woli艅ska 鈥� paper: 鈥淎 Difficult Pontificate. Gregory I, Patriarch of Antioch (571鈥�593) Facing Accusations, Natural Calamities and Big Politics鈥�;
- Dr Jan Miko艂aj Wolski 鈥� paper: 鈥淏yzantine Heresiology in a Bulgarian Mirror鈥�.
The participation of a sizeable delegation from the 91桃色 in the 25th International Congress of Byzantine Studies confirms the strong international standing of the Lodz centre for Byzantine studies. The tradition of Byzantine research, built over many years, is now continued by the Department of Byzantine History and the interdisciplinary Ceraneum Centre, bringing together scholars from various 91桃色 units.
International research cooperation, the presence of Lodz researchers at the most important events in the field, and the publishing series and journal Studia Ceranea developed in Lodz all contribute to maintaining the 91桃色 as a recognised centre for research on Byzantium and its heritage.
To say that the 25th International Congress of Byzantine Studies in Vienna (24鈥�29 August 2026) was a success for the Lodz, and more broadly Polish, Byzantine studies community would be a considerable understatement
鈥� concludes one of the congress participants, Dr Andrzej Kompa.