Inaugural Cheiron Conference 2024
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
HORSES IN OUR HERITAGE, PAST AND FUTURE
9th – 14th September 2024
Jaunpils Castle, Semigallia, Latvia
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Download CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
INVITATION
The editors, staff and publishers of Cheiron: the International Journal of Equine and Equestrian History, are pleased to announce the inaugural Cheiron conference, to be held from 9th – 14th September 2024. This will be a hybrid event, open to scholars of equine history at all career stages, and also to researchers in related fields. The theme is HORSES IN OUR HERITAGE, PAST AND FUTURE. The conference will be opened with a virtual plenary lecture by John Clark, “The Medieval Horse and its Equipment: In retrospect 1995–2024.”
Contributors are invited to submit proposals on any aspect of equine and equestrian heritage. Those contributors whose proposals are accepted will be invited to publish their work in Cheiron at a future date. There will also be the opportunity to make presentations permanently available to attendees of the conference via the Cheiron YouTube channel.
ORGANIZERS
The conference is organized by the Editors-in-Chief of the Cheiron journal, Anastasija Ropa and Miriam A. Bibby.
The conference is sponsored by Trivent Medieval, the Latvian Academy of Sport Education and History on Horseback.
SUBMISSIONS AND REGISTRATION
Proposals (an abstract of 80-100 words and a biography of 2-3 sentences) should be sent in the first instance to the editors of Cheiron, Miriam A Bibby (miriam.bibby@gmail.com) and Anastasija Ropa (anastasija.ropa@trivent-publishing.eu) by
March 31, 2024.
Proposal submission deadline has been extended to April 20.
Registration is now open. You can register via this link: https://forms.gle/9G35ixz3ygCdPsyV6
BURSARIES
There will be two bursaries available to conference attendees of £250 each; to find out more, please contact Miriam A Bibby.
VENUE - VIRTUAL CONFERENCE AND IN-PERSON CONFERENCE
The virtual conference will take place on 9th – 10th September 2024, followed by a break of one day to allow in-person attendees to travel to Latvia. The in-person event at historic Jaunpils Castle on the 12th – 14th will be livestreamed. Afterwards, there will be the opportunity to have papers included in a special conference edition of Cheiron, the International Journal of Equine and Equestrian History and to have the recordings uploaded to the Cheiron YouTube Channel.
The in-person conference event will be held on September 12-13, 2024, at historic Jaunpils Castle in the Semigallia district of Latvia. The original castle dated to 1411, and was expanded and rebuilt in later centuries. Now a luxurious hotel with medieval style rooms and apartments, this unique location offers beautiful surroundings where conference attendees can relax, enjoy a special medieval banquet, and take part in a conference tour at the end of the event.
CONFERENCE EXCURSION
The conference tour on September 14, 2024, will include a visit to the winter and summer baroque palaces of Empress Anna’s all-powerful favourite, Duke Biron, the Jelgava Palace and the Rundale Palace, with a guided visit to see feral horses on the Tower Island in front of the Jelgava Palace.
ABOUT JAUNPILS CASTLE
Accommodation to cater for all budgets is available at Jaunpils Castle. It is recommended to book early. For details of the castle and its accommodation, please go to the website: https://jaunpilspils.lv/en/hotel/
TRAVELLING TO JAUNPILS CASTLE
Riga is the nearest airport to Jaunpils Castle, which is 70.2 km/43.62 miles from Riga. It is the arrival and departure point for many international and internal flights. European travellers will find train links to Riga too, and then available train link via Tukums to connect with bus to Jaunpils. Car hire from Riga to Jaunpils is also available, and this is the most convenient way to make the journey.
DATES AND DEADLINES
Proposal submission deadline: March 31, 2024 - EXTENDED TO APRIL 20
Registration closes: July 26, 2024
Virtual conference: September 9-10, 2024
In-Person conference: September 12-13, 2024
Post-conference tour: September 14, 2024
CONTACT INFORMATION
For submissions or questions, please contact the chairs and editors of Cheiron at:
Miriam A Bibby, miriam.bibby@gmail.com
Anastasija Ropa, anastasija.ropa@trivent-publishing.eu
ABOUT CHEIRON
Cheiron: The International Journal of Equine and Equestrian History is a biannual journal facilitating a debate in equine and equestrian studies across chronological periods and disciplines. The journal welcomes contributions from many fields, including, but not limited to, archaeology, anthropology, social sciences, animal studies, art history, interspecies communication, and veterinary history. The journal is double-blind peer-reviewed and is published in February and September. Since its inception in 2021, Cheiron has achieved recognition across the academic world as a voice for equine history scholars and those with an interest in related areas. One of the missions of the journal is to encourage interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research that recognises the important contribution of equids to the human story.
