Biography Across the Ancient World

Telling stories of the lives of important people feels like a universal human activity, but biography as a genre begins to flourish only in the one or two centuries either side of the start of the Common Era, when it suddenly becomes the focus for composers as far apart as the ancient Mediterranean and early China. Whether it’s the first biography of Jesus or Buddha, the interrelated accounts of Chinese historical figures or the story of Mani’s life and travels, what motivates communities to focus on the life of key people and develop their stories? What is the relationship between biography and history, or between biography and devotional practice or doctrinal development? How does autobiography relate to this flourishing of literary and narrative practice, and does visual culture develop new types of human portrayals at the same time?

Join us for what promises to be a fascinating panel discussion, with short papers from four experts and then a wider discussion.

Featuring:

Prof Helen Bond (Divinity) on early Christian biography

Prof Joachim Gentz (Asian Studies) on early Chinese biography

Prof Charles Hallisey (Harvard) on early Buddhist biography

Dr Philippa Townsend (Divinity) on the biography of Mani

Chaired by Prof Naomi Appleton and supported by the ECBS