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International Workshop : "From Oriens Christianus to the Islamic Near East: Theological, Historical and Cultural Cross-pollination in the Eastern Mediterranean of Late Antiquity" will be held at Berlin, the 7th – 8th December, 2017.Freie Universität Berlin, Topoi Building Dahlem, Hittorfstraße 18, D-14195 Berlin.This is Free and open to all interested specialists and Ph.D. students.  The workshop seeks to shed new light on the crossroads at which the Late Antique world of the Eastern Mediterranean heralded diverse exchanges between Oriental Christendom, Byzantine culture and the Islamic world. Furthermore, how these exchanges impacted the development of diverse regions, cultures, languages, and religions.Information: https://www.gorgiaspress.com/from-oriens-christianus-to-the-islamic-near-east-2The workshop will provide an inter-disciplinary overview of the various perspectives emerging from the Christian Oriental, Byzantine, Early Islamic and Archaeological approaches to this area of research. The key objective of the workshop is to explore the possibilities of a unified and holistic approach to understanding the “Sattelzeit” (R. Koselleck) – i.e. the period between 500 and 750 CE. While the scope of the workshop has been intentionally left broad, the papers will primarily focus on the following areas: The role of Eastern/Oriental Christians in the relationship(s) formed between the Islamic Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire. Scripture and Arts as a medium of interchange between Christians and Muslims. The historical narratives and administrative reality of the expansion of the Islamic Empire.The workshop will take place on 7th – 8th December, 2017 at Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin) and is the collaborative effort of the Chair of Byzantine Studies (FU Berlin), Radboud University, and Gorgias Press.We hope that the workshop will encourage fruitful discussions about the state-of-the-art of the field and highlight potential areas for future inquiry. We further expect the workshop to provide a platform for both established researchers in the field and early-career academics (including advanced Ph.D. students). The workshop proceedings will be published in an edited volume by Gorgias Press.For further information about the workshop, please contact Manolis Ulbricht: manolis.ulbricht@fu-berlin.de.ConvenersManolis Ulbricht, Berlin Byzantine Studies (Freie Universität Berlin)Adam Walker, Radboud University / Gorgias Press_________________________________Workshop ProgrammeDAY 1Session 113:30 – Introductory NoteMr Manolis Ulbricht, Freie Universität Berlin13:45 – Early Shiʿism as a Late Antique Religiosity: Some Preliminary RemarksDr Ahab Bdaiwi, Leiden University14:10 – The Practice of Empire: The View from KhurāsānMr Ahmad Khan, Universität Hamburg14:30 – Discussion15:00 – Tea BreakSession 215:15 –The Sophistication of Arguments in Theodore Abū Qurra’s Dialogues with MuslimsProfessor Dr Reinhold F. Glei, Ruhr-Universität Bochum15:40 –Theology as History in the Heresiology of John of DamascusProfessor Dr Peter Schadler, Dickinson College16:00 – Discussion16:30 – Conference Edited Volume (Discussion of formalities)16:45 – Tea Break17:00 - KeynoteProfessor Dr Johannes Niehoff-Panagiotidis,Chair of Byzantine Studies at the Institute for Greek and Latin Philology, Freie Universität BerlinDinner19:00DAY 2Session 309:00 – Confronting Ambiguity: Scripture and the Emergence of Self-Definition Under Early IslamProfessor Dr Aaron Hughes, University of Rochester09:25 – A Tale of Two Conquests: A Local Historian’s View of Islamic Conquest andByzantine Reconquest Along the Northern Mesopotamian FrontierDr Harry Munt, University of York09:50 – The Tabūk Expedition RevisitedMr Adam Walker, Radboud University10:10 – Discussion10:40 – Tea BreakSession 410:55 – The End of Muʿāwiyah’s Reign and that of the Whole World: Retrospective Overview of John Bar PenkāyēMs Yulia Furman, Russian State University for the Humanities11:20 – Who Wrote the last Greek Documents in Islamic Egypt?Dr Lajos Berkes, Heidelberg University11:40 – Discussion12:00 – Concluding RemarksMr Manolis Ulbricht, Freie Universität Berlin