Leiden University has a long-standing tradition in the study of ancient religions and is home to many specialists in the field. Until now, however, disciplinary boundaries have often hindered full collaboration across Faculties and Institutes.
The Leiden Center for the Study of Ancient Religions (L*CeSAR), established in 2025, seeks to overcome these divisions by enabling scholars to pool their expertise and resources more effectively. The Center’s mission is to foster academic exchange among researchers working on ancient religions – both within Leiden University and beyond.
By ancient religions – note the plural – we refer to religious phenomena spanning a wide range of geographical and cultural contexts. While our starting point is the Greco-Roman Mediterranean, our focus extends explicitly to religious interactions within the broader ‘global’ ancient world.
Board
Advisory Board
- Vinciane Pirenne-Delforge (Collège de France)
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- Miguel John Versluys (Leiden)
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Members
- Eden Dijkstra
- Geert Ham
- Renske Janssen
- Joëlle Kraaijeveld
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Associate members (from other Dutch Universities)
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Our goals
Leiden University is home to many specialists in the study of ancient religions. This network aims to bridge divisions and allow the experts to fruitfully pool their resources. It will organize workshops with intellectual, educational, as well as networking purposes. In the long term the Center is meant to become a nexus for interdisciplinary collaboration. L*CeSAR also seeks to facilitate third-party funding applications by external scholars, both domestic and international, thereby strengthening academic cooperation and expanding opportunities for scholarly engagement.
Our partners
The establishment of the Leiden Center for the Study of Ancient Religions (L*CeSAR) was made possible by a subsidy from the A.G. Leventis Foundation, with additional support provided through a Kiem grant from Leiden University.
We strive to maintain close ties and collaborate with a number of institutions, with which we are seeking contact at the moment.