hosts the Cluster of Excellence “Beyond Slavery and Freedom”, which aims to overcome the binary opposition of “slavery versus freedom”. We approach the phenomenon of slavery and other types of strong asymmetrical dependency from methodologically and theoretically distinct perspectives. In the past, most studies on pre-Roman societies in Italy (1 st millennium BCE) focused on the elites, their representation and cultural contacts. Recently, however, research on dependent and marginalized social groups has considerably increased. The aim of this conference is to look at these less visible social groups, which are often even difficult to define (slaves, servants, freedmen, peasants, mercenaries, captives, “foreigners”, athletes, women, children etc.). The methodological challenges connected to the study of such heterogeneous and scattered sources will be addressed. Is the evidence representative enough for defining different forms of dependencies? Can we rely on written and pictorial sources or do they only reflect Greek and Roman views and iconographic conventions? Which social groups can’t be traced in the literary and archaeological record? For the discussion of this topic, we will focus on the following sections: historical and epigraphical studies (Greek and Roman literary sources, local inscriptions), material culture studies (images, sanctuaries, settlements, necropoleis), anthropology and bioarchaeology (analysis of human skeletons using methods from the natural sciences). University of Bonn Bonner Universitätsforum Heussallee 18-24 D-53113 Bonn Conference Organizers: Martin Bentz , BCDSS, University of Bonn Patrick Zeidler, BCDSS, University of Bonn Jan Hörber, Event Coordinator events@dependency.uni-bonn.de +49 228 73 62945 Please register for the conference by May 31, 2022 via events@dependency.uni-bonn.de. For more information, please visit https://www.dependency.uni- bonn.de/en/news/events/dependency-and-social- inequality-in-pre-roman-italy. Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS) University of Bonn Niebuhrstraße 5 D-53113 Bonn dependency@uni-bonn.de www.dependency.uni-bonn.de Follow us on social media @DependencyBonn dependencybonn DependencyBonn VENUE CONTACT THE BONN CENTER FOR DEPENDENCY AND SLAVERY STUDIES DEPENDENCY AND SOCIAL INEQUALITY IN PRE-ROMAN ITALY INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE JUNE 16 – 18, 2022 Picture credit: © Akademisches Kunstmuseum Bonn, Photo: J. Schubert; Volker Lannert/University of Bonn