The conference will be held in Riga on 12–13 November 2026 and will be dedicated to exploring the Hellenic dimension, with particular emphasis on its interaction with local linguistic, literary, and cultural processes.
Recognizing that the transmission of cultural processes has always depended significantly upon the human and personal factor, including the presence and active contribution of outstanding individuals, the organizers have chosen Professor Pēteris Ķiķauka (1886–1967) as the honorary figure of the 2026 conference, marking the 140th anniversary of his birth this year. The contribution of the distinguished linguist and classical philologist Professor Pēteris Ķiķauka has been notable both to the University of Latvia and to the development of classical philology in Latvia; nowadays, its significance may be perceived and appreciated even more clearly.
Throughout Professor Pēteris Ķiķauka’s scholarly career, the study of the Greek heritage, and especially of the Greek language, played an important role. In his 1935 publication “The Problem of an International Language”, Pēteris Ķiķauka writes: “It may perhaps be regarded as a fortunate circumstance for all humanity that European thought first developed in a language endowed with such qualities. The Greek character of our science is evident not only in its scientific terminology, but also, to some extent, in our very mode of thinking, which is dependent upon the language to a certain degree. Therefore, while always preserving those principles of free science and art that were first expressed most clearly in Greece, [...] it will be beneficial not to sever those threads of tradition that extend from Ancient Greece to the present day. For this reason, the Greek language, chronologically the first cultural language of Europe, still retains its significance.”[1]
Taking the legacy of Professor Pēteris Ķiķauka as the ideological impulse of the conference, and following the call not to break the threads of tradition in the exploration and study of the Hellenic dimension, the organizers invite contributions addressing one of the following thematic areas:
- Pēteris Ķiķauka: Personality and Contribution;
- Research on Greek Language and Literature in the Baltic Sea Region;
- The Tradition of Translating Greek Texts;
- Hellenic Continuity.
Participants are invited to submit their application form and abstract by 15 July 2026 via the online application form.
Confirmation of acceptance for inclusion in the conference programme will be sent by 10 August 2026.
Conference Languages: The working languages of the conference are English and Latvian. Participants presenting in Latvian are kindly requested to prepare sufficiently detailed presentation slides or handout materials in English.
The planned duration of each conference paper is 20 minutes, followed by time for discussion.
Conference Format: The conference is primarily planned as an on-site event at the University of Latvia in Riga; however, online participation will also be possible.
The research presented at the conference (in English or Latvian) may be submitted for publication in the peer-reviewed collected volume ANTIQUITAS VIVA 8: Studia Classica (published by the University of Latvia Press).
Standard participation fee: 80 EUR
Participation fee for MA and PhD students: 50 EUR
Bank details will be provided after notification of acceptance into the conference programme.
For further information, please contact: classics@lu.lv
[1] Ķiķauka, Pēteris. Starptautiskas valodas problēma. Rīga: Latvijas Universitātes fil. un filoz. stud. Ramave, 1935, 7.-8. lpp.
