Error is an integral part of the entire process of scientific research: it can occur from the researcher, but it can also be one that the researcher experiences, conveys, or identifies in a source, documentation, or commentary. In this sense, error is both a risk and, through its identification and correction, a potential vector for the progression of research within a stratigraphy of analyses, corrections, and nuances. Despite its central role, error has not always been precisely defined. This is particularly true in historical sciences: while each (re)reading aims to establish facts and propose a (re)interpretation free of error, the notion of scientific error in history has been relatively under-analyzed and never categorized. To quote François Dosse, “l’histoire reste un mixte. L’érudition a pour fonction de réduire la part d’erreur de la fable, de diagnostiquer du faux, de traquer du falsifiable, mais dans une incapacité structurelle à accéder à une vérité définitivement établie du vécu passé.” (Fr. Dosse, « Michel de Certeau et l’écriture de l’histoire », Vingtième Siècle. Revue d'histoire, 78, p. 145-156, 2003. Online : 10.3917/ving.078.0145).

This conference aims to engage in a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary reflection on error through the lens of its tradition. Centered on Mediterranean antiquity, historiography, and the transmission of knowledge over the centuries, the various contributions will seek to provide a diachronic historical analysis of human, societal, and cultural productions within the territories and the broader Mediterranean world.

This conference pays tribute to Marie-Rose Guelfucci by proposing, across two university sites (Corte and Besançon), a series of scientific works related to her research fields. The first session in Corte will be organized on October 24 and 25, 2024, by the UMR Lieux, Identités, eSpaces et Activités (UMR6240 LISA). A second session in Besançon, organized by the Institut des Sciences et Techniques de l’Antiquité (ISTA UR4011), is scheduled for June 2025.