The AEMA Gazette

Welcome to the new online resource for the Australian Early Medieval Association!

Founded in 2020 (and relaunched in May 2021) following the realignment of the AEMA Newsletter to focus on its core purpose of reporting on the activities and achievements of both our members and our association itself, the AEMA Gazette is a free online repository of information about upcoming events, conferences, and opportunities of interest to those with a scholarly interest in the early medieval period. While the site is fully searchable and can be browsed through the categories in the menu, it is best experienced by subscribing to the Gazette to receive notifications of new posts as they arrive. Our subscription options as well as AEMA announcements and social media outlets can be found in the sidebar.

As explained in this blog post, the word gazette itself is an early modern loan into both French and English from the Venetian gazeta, which was both a low-denomination coin (first minted in 1539) and a colloquial term for the pamphlets one such coin could purchase. It probably is derived from the Latin word gaza, itself a transliteration of the Greek γάζα, both meaning ‘treasure, riches’, and the later popular association with the magpie (Venetian dim. gazzétta) is likely one that was based on similarities between the cries of magpie chicks and those hawking the news.

Similarly, the AEMA Gazette fulfils these meanings, as it has been designed to be a source of easily distributed news relevant to the early medievalist, as well as being a valuable, searchable repository. The association with the chattering magpie is also most fitting as it connects with the emblem of AEMA itself, our beloved backwards-facing bird.

Please contact the Gazette Manager with any notices that you wish to have included here in the AEMA Gazette, or to provide any updates to the material previously listed. Any information pertaining to events, conferences, and so forth that is outside of our broadly-defined chronological era (400-1100 CE) will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The AEMA Gazette is a free resource created specifically for all Australian-based early medievalists, not just AEMA members. However, membership of our small but perfectly formed association is open to anyone with an academic interest in any aspect of early medieval studies, and further details can be found on our website.