Projects
Ongoing Projects
Research Training Group 2571: Empires. Dynamic Change, Temporality and Post-Imperial Orders
The Research Training Group (graduate school) examines imperial temporal structures, their reflections, and their deliberate manipulation during periods of dynamic change – whether in the transition between empires or in post-imperial orders. This interdisciplinary project brings together Ancient History with other historical periods and disciplines. From 2020 to 2024, Prof. Dr. Peter Eich served as its spokesperson, with Prof. Dr. Sitta von Reden having taken over the role on 1st of November 2024.
ConTrans: Constitution as Practice in Times of Transformation
Constitutions are not merely legal frameworks but also social practices, playing a crucial role in the adaptation of societal orders – especially during times of economic, social, and political transformation. The ConTrans project unites perspectives from different disciplines in a groundbreaking, long-term effort to explore constitutions from this perspective. Prof. Dr. Sitta von Reden serves as the project’s spokesperson for Ancient History.
Selection of Completed Projects
BaSaR – Beyond the Silk Road
From 2017 to 2023, the BaSaR project, funded by the European Research Council, introduced a new global perspective on economic development and trans-imperial exchange in the Afro-Eurasian world. Focussing on the period 300 BCE to 300 CE, this multidisciplinary project led by Prof. Dr. Sitta von Reden culminated in the publication of the three-volume Handbook of Ancient Afro-Eurasian Economies.
CRC 948: Heroes – Heroisation – Heroisms
The CRC 948 ‘Heroes – Heroisations – Heroisms’ investigated the concept of the heroic from antiquity to the present through a transdisciplinary, cultural-historical, and social perspective. Within this framework, Ancient History explored the role of heroism in intercultural Hellenism and the political and intercultural dynamics of the Roman Empire. One of the project’s outcomes is a biography of Gregory the Great, authored by Prof. Dr. Peter Eich.
Digitisation of the Coin Collection
Since autumn 2016, the Department of Ancient History has been part of the NUMiD network, which has enabled the launch of a major digitisation project. By 2020, the entire university coin collection had been indexed in an interactive online catalogue, which is continually updated with new entries. The collection is now also linked to international numismatic portals OCRE and CRRO, making it accessible online.
CEPL: Connecting – Editing – Programming – Learning. Sowing the Seeds for Joint Teaching and Research in Digital Papyrology, Philology and Ancient History in the European Campus
The tri-national project CEPL is a research and teaching consortium based at the Freiburg Papyrus Collection. Its objectives include developing new research perspectives, fostering collaborative teaching in papyrology, history, and digital humanities, and exploring the introduction of a tri-national teaching programme in historical studies focused on ancient papyri.