International research conference Levant at the time of Lepanto

The International Scientific Conference "Levant at the time of Lepanto" took place on the 20^th and 21st September 2021 in the University of Split's conference hall looking over the Peristyle court in the very heart of Diocletian's Palace. The conference was organized jointly by the Centre for Local History and Genealogy (at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences), and the Hellenic Institute for Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies in Venice (Istituto Ellenico di Studi Bizantini e Post Bizantini di Venezia).

The opening of the conference was attended by Leandra Vranješ-Markić (PhD, full professor), Vice-Rector for Science and Innovation of the University of Split, Josip Vrandečić (PhD, full professor), who presented the welcome address to the conference guests, on behalf of the Faculty's Department of History, and Ivan Basić (PhD, associate professor), on behalf of the Croatian Society for Byzantine Studies.

Among the many conferences and symposiums held this year on the subject of the Battle of Lepanto, focused primarily on various aspects of the countries participating in the Holy League, this conference stands out for its efforts to shed light on various aspects of the complex Ottoman Empire. The conference attracted as many as 16 participants from several European and Asian countries (Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Poland, Romania, Italy, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina). Due to the ongoing epidemiological circumstances, the conference took place in a hybrid environment i.e. partly on site and partly on-line.

Speakers presented topics that included history of cartography, religious history, military history, history of fortifications, maritime history, history of diplomacy, economic history, history of the Black Sea, history of the Adriatic and history of the South-eastern Europe. The lectures were organized into four sessions and each session was closed after a fruitful and diverse debate.

City tour of Split and a field trip to Trogir were organized for the speakers of the conference. They were able to experience the rich Mediterranean heritage of our towns, the memories of Trogir population of the participation and casualties in the Battle of Lepanto and the urban spaces that originate as far as the Hellenic colonization.

In the following months the organizing committee will call on the conference speakers to participate with a written report in an edited volume, and a similar call will be sent to other interested scientists, especially those of Ottoman specialization.

Marko Rimac

PhD assistant professor,

President of the organizing committee