Time: March 11, 2026, 18:30-20:30

Venue: Room 5201, Red Building 5

Speaker: Krisztina Kinga Hoppál

Abstract: Concomitant with the intensification of archaeological research in Southeast Asia and China, an increasing number of objects identified as being of Mediterranean origin have attracted growing scholarly attention. These artefacts have traditionally been interpreted primarily as indicators of long-distance trade or as exotic luxury items. However, their social and cultural contexts have often been overlooked or oversimplified.

This presentation argues for a more nuanced approach to Mediterranean-origin objects found in Southeast Asia and China, situating them within local and interregional cultural dynamics rather than treating them solely as evidence of trade connections.

Speaker profile: Krisztina Kinga Hoppál is an archaeologist and group leader of the Roman World and the Far East Research Group at Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. Her main research interests are Sino-Roman relations, intercultural exchange in Antiquity, inter-imperial connections, long-distance trade, and the archaeology of Southeast Asia and China.

Source: School of Archeology and Museology (WeChat)