On June 13, 2025 the First Bahari Workshop for Early Career Scholars, titled “Professionals of Writing in Late Antiquity,” will be held at Wolfson College, University of Oxford. This academic event is supported by the Bahari Chair in Sasanian Studies and organized by Olivia Ramble, Johann S.-D. Vevaina, and Alessia Zubani. The aim of the workshop is to explore the role of professional scribes and producers of written material in texts and documents from Late Antiquity.

The program consists of four specialized panels, covering topics such as Epigraphy and Materiality, Economic and Administrative Manuscript Fragments, Writing and Authority in the Religious Sphere, and the Scribes and Literary Productions: Epistles and Epigrams. Speakers from the Universities of Oxford, Leiden, Tübingen, Oldenburg, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Innsbruck, Paris, and Cassino will participate.

Among the presentations is that of Milad Abedi from the University of Innsbruck, titled “Beyond Borders: Reframing the Scribal Traditions of Pahlavi Writing,” which discusses the cultural dynamics of Pahlavi textual production.

Nima Asafi from the University of Hamburg will also present a talk titled “Tracing Pahlavi Scribes: Writing Materials, Career Paths, and Grammatical Irregularities in Pahlavi Documents from Hastiijan, Tabaristan, and Fars,” offering insights into scribal careers and practices across various regions of Iran.

Arash Zeini from the University of Oxford will chair one of the sessions and deliver the workshop’s closing remarks.

Other featured speakers include Antonietta Castiello, Chloé Agar, Thomas Benfey, Alberto Bernard, Johan Lundberg, Ugo Mondini and Nina Sitthis, all contributing from diverse academic backgrounds.

The workshop will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. in the Louth Room, Wolfson College.

Link to the event: