Dear Colleagues,

In the framework of the European program: Timisoara European Capital of Culture 2021, the
Banat National Museum of Timișoara, Romania – in collaboration with various cultural and research
institutions – plan to organize an international symposium entitled:

Sarmatians between the Central Europe and the Black Sea:

From Material Culture to Ethnic Interpretations.

The event will take place between 15-19 September 2020 in Timișoara, at Banat National
Museum. We will expect some 40-50 participants from various countries (such as Romania, Serbia,
Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, Republic of Moldova, Poland, etc.). We shall be able to cover all expenses
in place (for accommodation and meals), though unfortunately we shall not be able to subsidize travel
expenses to Timișoara.
The conference aims at gathering senior and junior academics from Europe and beyond to
discuss the Sarmatian history and legacy: traditional and contemporary interpretations. Recently,
interdisciplinary studies and the increasingly objective analysis of ancient sources challenged the
concepts of „Sarmatization”, „Scythisation”, and „migrations” – in generaly. In an attempt to take a step
back from the theory of „Sarmatization” (that was accepted a priori in modern historiography), a number
of historians went to the other extreme: they completely denied the process and regarded the Sarmatian
migrations as a product of historiographical imagination. Therefore, a reinterpretation of the
Sarmatian cultures is required, probably avoiding these two extremes destinations: the „Sarmatization”
and the absolute denial of the process.
We think that our proposed session with different approches (lectures, posters, pottery and bones
displaies, excursions on sites, etc.) cand help us to find toghether new paths in the archaology of this
facinated gentes, that we call today: Sarmatians. As such we propose an exchange of knowledge and
methodological skills amongst colleagues of various disciplines (history, archaeology, anthropology,
and archaeozoology), working in different countries and pursuing research in different areas of the
Sarmatia Europae and Sarmatia Asia.
The session proposes the following topics for discussion:
1. What is a „Sarmatian” nowadays? Cemeteries and communities in various regions of Eurasia
(i.e. near the border of the Roman Empire, in Nord-East of the Black Sea, etc.).
2. Materials attributed to the Sarmatians (interdisciplinary analyses); case studies: local pottery
(and other materials) versus Roman imports.
3. Sarmatians and their „Barbarian” neighbors (Dacians, Vandals, Scythians, etc.).
4. Lifeways in different Sarmatian communities; anthropological and archaeozoological evidence
(archeo-genetics, DNA and strontium studies).
We consider that Timișoara is a proper place for such scientific encounter, due to its position
between East and West and due to its historical background. For example, the city center largely consists
of buildings from the Austrian Empire period. Also, during rescue excavations various sites attributed
to the Sarmatins were found within and outside the city. The Banat National Museum of Timișoara
(established in 1872) is an important cultural institution in Romania, with an impressive collection of
antiquities. Together with our partners we plan to organized pottery and bones displays from various
sites from Carpathian Basin and East Carpathian Basin. Thus, the symposium will have 4 parts:
1. Main section with presentations and posters (the language used will be English).
Presentations should not be longer than 20 min, to allow for detailed feedback and discussion.
2. Ceramic display (session organized in collaboration with museums from Arad, Satu Mare,
Oradea, Zalău/Romania, Novi Sad/Serbia and Szeged/Hungary).
3. Bones display (session organized in collaboration with Olga Necrasov Centre for
Anthropological Research, Iași/Romania and Laboratory for Anthropology, University of
Belgrade\Serbia.
4. Excursions on Roman and Sarmatian sites from the West Plain of Romania.
 If you are interested to attend the conference, please, confirm us as soon as possible, and send us
the title of your paper and the abstract by the end of May 2020 (abstract of 250 to 300 words; color
plates and bibliography are allowed). We intend to publish a detailed brochure of the conference.
We look forward to reading your responses and hope to come together with you in Timișoara this
autum, to celebrate culture and archaeology.

Organizing committee

Dr. Călin Timoc Dr. Lavinia Grumeza

Drd. Andrei Bălărie (Institute of Archaeology of the Romanian
Drd. Andrei Georgescu Academy, Iași)
Drd. Dan Leopold Ciobotaru Dr. Angela Simalcsik
PR Dep. Alexandra Marian (Olga Necrasov Centre for Anthropological
Manager Claudiu Ilaș Research, Iași)
(Banat National Museum of Timișoara) Dr. Robert Gindele (County Museum of Satu Mare)