The 21st International Conference of the Australian Early Medieval Association
Faces of the Early Medieval World
30 September – 2 October 2026
University of Newcastle, Australia and Online
The late antique and early medieval periods were, like our own, worlds full of faces. Some faces – of rulers, clergy, saints and villains, were recognisable locally and regionally. Other faces were relegated to obscurity but nonetheless left their marks in the literary and material records. Faces could be metaphorical, others literal. A pious public face might be presented to obscure a more sordid private life, or a face of foolishness to obscure secrets. Some faces were remembered and depicted through imagination and tradition, reflecting local practices of memory. Faces in art could convey emotion and spirituality, virtue and vice, while faces in manuscript illuminations could shape the visualisation of the reader, transforming the understanding of characters in a text.
We invite reflections on the many faces of the early medieval world: individuals, imagined figures, depictions, impressions, reflections, and everything in between. Potential themes may include:
- Fiscal faces: numismatic iconography.
- Faces in stone: faces in early medieval statuary.
- Face and emotions: recognition of facial expressions.
- Faces of obscurity: depictions of public vs. private lives.
- Forgotten faces: revealing the forgotten figures of the early medieval world.
- Medieval masks: reception and transformation of earlier literary figures.
- Fashionable faces: clothing choice as self-expression or disguise.
- Heavenly faces: aspects of religion or spirituality in early medieval period.
- Non-human faces: animals, imagined and real.
- Faces in art: faces in early medieval art or tapestry.
- Mythic faces: the reception, adaptation, and visualisation of mythological figures in the early medieval world.
- Royal faces: representations of kingship, rulership, and political authority.
- Monstrous faces: grotesques, hybrids, and the monstrous imagination.
- Foreign faces: perceptions and portrayals of outsiders and cultural “others”.
- Familiar faces: kinship, genealogy, and familial identity.
- Changing faces: transformation, disguise, and metamorphosis.
- Faces in metal: facial imagery in jewellery, armour, weaponry, and decorative objects.
In keeping with the inclusive spirit of AEMA’s annual international conferences, submissions may equally contain an absence of faces, as long as the submission is centred on the early medieval period (c. 400–1100 CE) in any geographical location or its reception in later contexts or media.
Please email submissions for a 20-minute paper (+Q&A time) to to aemaconference2026@gmail.com by 31 July 2026.
Each proposal should include: the presenter/s, their academic affiliation/s (if applicable), paper title, an abstract of 150–250 words, a short presenter/s biography of 50–100 words, planned mode of presentation (in-person or online), including the timezone if online.
We warmly invite all prospective presenters to consider submitting a full version of their paper to our journal, JAEMA, for a planned special themed issue in 2027. Submissions may be made either before or after the conference.
AEMA members who are either Graduates or Early-Career Researchers are eligible to apply for a limited number of travel bursaries, and will go into the running for our Best Paper Prize awarded to both an in-person and an online presentation.
We look forward to submissions that turn their faces towards the early medieval world!