Orsola Lorena Purcaro (SP5 – Neo-Latin Translations – Bilingual Editions for Early Modern Readers) participated in the international conference Old Ideas in New Minds: Strategies of Autonomy from Antiquity to the Renaissance, organized by the Research Group “Autonomy of Heteronomous Texts in Antiquity and the Middle Ages” at the University of Jena, which took place from 14 to 16 September 2026.

During the conference, she presented a paper on the Pseudo-Homeric Batrachomyomachia, focusing on its transmission through Greek–Latin bilingual editions and on the different forms of textual authority involved in their production. Particular attention was given to the roles of authors, translators, editors, printers, and readers, as well as to the material and didactic functions of bilingual books.

The presentation drew on her research within the SRA project Neo-Latin in the Modern World and explored how Renaissance bilingual editions transformed ancient texts for new readers and intellectual contexts.

The conference brought together researchers from different fields and disciplinary backgrounds to discuss strategies of autonomy and the complex relationship between ancient texts and their later transformations. The event will culminate in the publication of the conference proceedings.