About the Conference

Update: Conference dates for 2010 are Friday, April 9 through Sunday, April 11. Please register early!

The New England Conference on Mithraic Studies, now entering its 13th year, is an informal research convention for people interested in the study of the god Mithras, whose popularity reached its height among the Roman legions in about 100 to 400 CE.

Mithraism touches on many aspects of ancient history — early Christianity, mystery religions, philosophy, astrology, symbolism, the Roman provincial system, Zoroastrianism, and more. People attending MithraCon bring their individual research interests and ideas, and get a chance to try those ideas out on others and discover new ways of looking at ancient history.

MithraCon is held at Yale University, and convention highlights include the chance to do research in Yale’s world-class libraries and a visit to the Dura-Europos Mithraeum, housed in the lowest floor of the Yale Art Museum. Note the Mithraeum is currently not on view during museum renovations.

As the name MithraCon indicates, it’s not all serious scholarship. Discussions are often lively and interesting. There are side trips to the bookstores of New Haven. Many participants bring their own wares to sell (everything from spices to books to art to ancient artifacts).

Registration

To attend the conference you need to do two things: Register for the conference AND register at the hotel.

Conference registration fees cover expenses including conference room, refreshments and a limited amount of photocopying while at the Yale Library. Individual registrations are $37 to Feb. 28, $45 thereafter. Con registration and checks should go to Dr. Jane T. Sibley, PO Box 123, Haddam, CT 06438. Registration deadline is April 2.

In addition, you’ll want to register as soon as possible for your room at the Courtyard Marriott at Yale. Unless we get enough rooms reserved, we will have to pay the full rate! So please reserve early.

The arrival date is Friday April 17, and we check out on Sunday, April 19th. The room cost is $211 plus 12% tax (gaah! taxes!), and parking is $15 per night (in the hotel garage; and that has better security than the open lot near the hotel which has no security and which would probably cost more).

Please note that the hotel fee is separate from your conference registration.

There is free wireless internet in all rooms. Yay!

Preparing for MithraCon

– Conference dress is casual, though some people bring a nicer outfit for dining out. New Haven in April can be chilly and windy, so be prepared.

– To make the most of your time at the library, it may be worthwhile to search its catalog beforehand and make notes of books you want to find.

– Bring materials for any presentations you may wish to give to the group. Presentations are not required, but are a good way to test works in progress, start discussions on subjects of interest, and inform and delight your fellow participants. Presentations should be no more than 30 minutes.

For those of you coming from the Boston or New York areas: take the train to New Haven’s Union Station; there will be plenty of cabs there who will be more than willing to shlep you and your gear the mile and a half or so to the hotel, which is almost on the Yale campus. Check in is 3 p.m., but if you get there earlier, you can leave your stuff with the front desk, and then maybe meander across the street to the huge Barnes & Noble bookstore or some of the other shops. Bus service to New Haven is also an option. If you need to call a cab, the number is (203) 777-7777.

– Bring $10 for your Yale library stacks pass plus money for meals, photocopying and any shopping you may wish to do (including purchases from fellow conferees). Yale Art Gallery admission is a voluntary $5.

– Merchant goods if you wish to sell to fellow conferees. Merchant space is free and will be secured during non-conference times so that merchants need not choose between participating and guarding their products.

The Site

The conference is held at the Courtyard Marriott, which provides a conference room and comfortable accommodations. The hotel is near a shopping district and a very short walk from Yale University itself. Conferees typically dine together Friday at the Istanbul Cafe, a Turkish restaurant.

Conference participants have on occasion used free time to wander through new and used bookstores or explore the non-Mithraic wonders of Yale’s world-class Art Gallery.