Prof Dr. Onno van Nijf is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Groningen, and currently British Academy Visiting Fellow at Royal Holloway University of London and the Institute of Classical Studies.

He is Principle Investigator on the Project "Connecting the Greeks: Multi-scalar festivals in the Hellenistic world". This project envisions the spectacular rise of festival culture in the Hellenistic period as an active force that constantly forged ties, linking this world of cities together. Who initiated these ties? How were they maintained? What impact did they have? This phenomenon is analysed through an interdisciplinary approach and by means of innovative digital methods. We see these festivals as key factors in the creation of an imagined community of Greek cities. In our hypothesis, these festivals formed networks of cooperation and were therefore critical to the processes of ‘globalization’ widely observed in the Hellenistic era, eventually paving the way for the Roman empire and the spread of Christianity.