The
EAA Conferences
EAA
3rd Annual Meeting
The
EAA 3rd Annual Meeting took place in Ravenna, Italy 24-28 September
1997 at the invitation of the University of Bologna which was the first
university to be founded in Europe. The City of Ravenna itself has recently
been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list and offers a wealth of culture
and beauty to its visitors, notably its splendid mosaics and basilicas.
At
the Official Opening Session of the Annual Meeting held at the beautiful
Teatro Alighieri, the EAA had the fortune to welcome the Mayor of Ravenna,
Vidmer Mercatali and Walter Veltroni, an Italian Minister for Culture and
the Environment. In Mr Mercatali’s speech he informed the assembly of the
intention of the town to establish an archaeological park at Classe to
celebrate the archaeological treasures to be found in the area with a museum,
access to the Basilica and the excavations.
The
delegates of the Annual Meeting had as part of their entrance fee a free
ticket to visit the many historical and archaeological sites in Ravenna
in addition to the opportunity to take part in the full and half day excursions
planned for the last day. These took delegates to Bologna, the Etruscan
city of Marzabotto and the Reggio Emilia city museum. Such activities gave
them the chance to really make the most of their time in Ravenna and to
expand their archaeological and historical knowledge in a most pleasurable
environment.
The
3rd Annual Meeting certainly reflected the character of the host country
and once again with 33 nations represented, the Meeting proved to be a
forum not only of archaeological learning but also of many different cultures.
As is traditional the conference organisers planned a variety of social
events for all delegates to attend. These included a wine reception, the
EAA Annual Party and the EAA Conference Dinner, all of them highly enjoyable.
The delegates of course also benefited from the fabulous restaurants on
offer in the town. After the serious discussions in the Sessions, these
locations and events offered the perfect opportunity for delegates to socialise,
network and relax, thus further developing the links the EAA is building
between archaeologists across Europe.
The Academic
Sessions
The Meeting
was organised by a Steering Committee made up of EAA representatives and
Italian archaeologists and researchers who represented the Universities
and the Ministero per I Beni Culturali e Ambientali. The themes focused
on the archaeological profession, its standards, profile and co-ordination
in the context of the European Union, research covering all periods of
archaeology and the archaeology of the region Emilia-Romagna where the
Annual Meeting was held.
The
academic sessions therefore included subjects such as: archaeological parks;
the archaeology of cult; the earliest humans in Europe; restoring ancient
monuments for public fruition; the origins of symbolic communication and
archaeometry. Please find enclosed the book of abstracts that lists the
summaries of all the sessions that took place for your perusal.
Of
particularly notable interest were the Round Tables. It was here
that agreements were made to:
-
set up
a Standing conference of Heritage Managers representative of all the countries
in Europe.
-
draw up
a directory of archaeological training opportunities in Europe particularly
targeted at post-graduate archaeologists.
-
develop
the set of principles the EAA Working Party on Commercial Archaeology has
so far drawn up to act as guidelines to those working in Commercial Archaeology
in Europe.
At the
EAA ABM the EAA Code of Ethics originally drawn up by Henry Cleere, OBE,
was approved by the members. The intention is that all EAA members follow
the Code in their professional conduct and thus maintain high professional
standards throughout Europe.
At
all Academic Sessions and Round Tables the delegates were given the opportunity
to benefit from simultaneous translation, thus enabling the largest number
of people to participate as possible.
Complimentary
Services
Three
rooms at the newly constructed Palazzo Corrandini were dedicated to the
display of posters available for viewing and study by delegates throughout
the Meeting. These posters referred to and complimented the themes followed
by the Academic Sessions and Round Tables. Summaries of these can be found
in the Abstracts book enclosed.
An
exhibition area for stands was set up for formal presentations of the activities
of research or university institutions, public or private enterprises and
publishers specialising in archaeology. These included displays from organisations
such as Studio Archaeosurvey, Rovigo, Italy and the Institute for Minnesota
Archaeology Consulting, IMA Consulting, USA.
The
Palazzo Corrandini also housed a bookshop selling publications from Italy,
the UK, Germany, France and Hungary in addition to a Multi-Media room displaying
software and publications and a computer laboratory equipped with hardware,
CD-ROM, printers and Internet access available for use by participants
of the Annual Meeting.
Evening
lectures on the "Origin of European Peoples" were given on three of the
four nights by well-reputed academics from Italy, Spain and the UK. These
attracted not only many delegates but also many interested members of public.
The Participants
The EAA
3rd Annual Meeting in Ravenna, Italy attracted a total of 759 delegates
from 33 countries, three times the number present in Riga in 1996. Yet
again it was a highly successful meeting.
  
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