‘Law, Custom and Ritual in the Medieval Mediterranean’

– University of Lincoln, 13–15 July 2015

The fourth biennial conference of the Society for the Medieval Mediterranean took place at the University of Lincoln from Monday 13th July to Wednesday 15th July 2015.

The theme of the conference was “Law, Custom and Ritual in the Medieval Mediterranean” and the keynotes were delivered by Professor Simon Doubleday (Hofstra University: "Illegitimate Approaches") and Dr Andrew Marsham (University of Edinburgh: “Rituals of accession in early Islam: a comparative perspective”).

Themes of the Conference

Roman, Canon and municipal law in the medieval Mediterranean

• Lawyers: their identities, status and practice
• Disputes, dispute settlement
• Legal agreements (e.g. charters, treaties)
• Law codes and codification
• Manuscripts of law codes, charters, etc.
• Legal training in the medieval Mediterranean
• Ritual sites and ritual objects
• Law, treaties and rituals in visual and material culture
• Trading and other contractual agreements
• Oath-making and oath-breaking
• Outlaws, criminals and rebels
• Scribal practices and legal record-keeping