Call for Papers for the international workshop “Animals and thermal landscapes: multidisciplinary perspectives” – submission deadline 31 May 2026
[Fonte originaria: QUI]
Iuav University of Venice and Unistrasi and University for Foreigners of Siena invite scholars to submit contributions for a multidisciplinary workshop exploring the complex relationships between animals, landascapes and thermalism in antiquity and beyond. The workshop aims to bring together archaeological, historical, anthropological, environmental, and design-oriented perspectives to investigate how thermo-mineral waters have shaped human-animal interactions across time. Recent discoveries and ongoing research have highlighted the importance of thermal landscapes as shared spaces of interaction among humans, animals, and natural resources. This workshop seeks to expand the discussion by including both ancient and contemporary perspectives, as well as theoretical and applied approaches.
We welcome papers addressing (but not limited to) the following themes:
• Archaeological contexts in which the intrinsic relationship between thermo-mineral springs and the animal world is evident;
• Contemporary practices of animal care and healing through thermal waters;
• Landscape, architecture and spatial design approaches to thermal sites, with particular attention to the inclusion of animal spaces often excluded from such environments;
• Animal thermalism in literary and iconographic sources;
• Ethnographic and/or anthropological analyses of landscapes deeply shaped by the interaction between thermo-mineral springs and animals;
• Animals as agents of mobility and connectivity in thermal landscapes: transhumance routes, pastoral circulation, pilgrimage paths, and the role of animals in linking thermal sites to wider economic, ritual, and ecological networks, as well as in the dissemination of plants and seeds.
Submission Guidelines
• Abstracts must be up to 300 characters (including spaces)
• Please include: title, author(s), and affiliation(s)
• Submission deadline: 31 May 2026 (acceptance by 30 June 2026)
• Email submissions to: cadmo@unistrasi.it
Workshop Information
• Date: 18 September 2026
• Location: San Casciano dei Bagni (Italy)
• Format: In-person workshop
Convenors
• Maddalena Bassani (Iuav University of Venice)
• Jacopo Tabolli (Unistrasi)
• Edoardo Vanni (Unistrasi)
Additional Information
The workshop is funded by the CADMO Project.
Selected contributions may be considered for publication in a special issue of La Rivista di Engramma.
