Global academics gather at Welsh university to rethink ancient Eurasia
The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) will welcome academics from across the world to its Lampeter campus this autumn for an international workshop exploring the dynamics of exchange, politics, and culture across ancient Eurasia.
The conference, titled Going beyond Empires: Oasis polities, Imperial frontiers and trade across Ancient Eurasia in antiquity, will take place between 2–3 October 2025 and is the result of a collaboration between UWTSD and the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL).
The event forms part of the Norwegian Research Council-funded project, Like Islands in a Sea of Sand. Understanding the Silk Roads of Late Antiquity as a layered network model, led by Dr Tomas Larsen Høisæter with UWTSD’s Dr Matthew Cobb as a key project participant.
Cultural transfer
The workshop aims to move beyond traditional empire-focused perspectives on the Silk Roads by comparing regions and local actors that played vital roles in long-distance networks of trade and cultural exchange.
Case studies will include the Tarim Basin, Sogdiana, Arabia, and the frontier regions of the Roman and Parthian/Sassanian empires.
The programme features keynote lectures from leading international scholars, including Annie Chen (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich), Eivind Heldaas Seland (University of Bergen), and Lauren Morris (Charles University), as well as presentations from specialists in archaeology, history, and cultural studies.
Sessions will cover themes ranging from borderland dynamics and cultural transfer to microhistories of the marginalised in Silk Road and Indian Ocean studies
‘Stimulating discussions’
Dr Matthew Cobb, Lecturer in Ancient History at UWTSD said: “We are delighted to be hosting this international conference here in Lampeter, bringing together scholars who are reshaping our understanding of the so-called ‘Silk Roads’.
“The programme promises to spark stimulating discussions that go beyond the traditional empire-centred narratives and highlight the diverse voices and actors who sustained networks of exchange across Eurasia. I look forward to welcoming colleagues and participants to Lampeter for what promises to be an engaging and inspiring event.
“Finally, I want to express my thanks to the Lampeter Society for kindly giving a donation to support this event.”
Dr Tomas Larsen Høisæter (Western Norway University of Applied Sciences) added: “This conference represents a wonderful opportunity to share insights from the ongoing SilkRoMo project with a wider community of researchers.
“By looking beyond the empires themselves and focusing on the smaller polities, traders, and local communities who shaped the flow of goods and ideas, we aim to gain a richer and more nuanced picture of ancient Eurasian connectivity.
“I very much look forward to the conversations, collaborations, and discoveries that will take place in Lampeter.”
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