The 9th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists took place in Sankt Petersburg, Russia, 10-14 September 2003.
The so-called northern capital of Russia was founded by the Russian Tzar Peter the Great in 1703 as a new state capital and as "a window to Europe". In the year of the three-hundredth anniversary of St. Petersburg’s foundation the city welcomed the 9th EAA Annual Meeting which was included in the programme of the city’s "St. Petersburg's Tercentenary" celebrations.
The Meeting was organized by the CAIAHR and was held at the facilities of the Saint Petersburg State University, the Hermitage and the European University in Saint Petersburg. The President of the EAA Prof. Willem Willems welcomed all delegates at the opening ceremony held at the Assembly Hall of the Main Building of St. Petersburg State University on Wednesday September 10th. During the ceremony, Dr. Victor Trifonov was awarded the European Archaeological Heritage Prize for 2003. Professor Leo Klejn gave the introductory lecture “Archaeology in St. Petersburg and St. Petersburg in Archaeology”.
On Friday evening September 12th several cultural events were held. Delegates were able to choose whether they would like to visit guided tours at Museums, interesting buildings, attend musical performances, go on an archaeological walk or on a boat trip. All conference delegates received free entrance to the State Hermitage Museum and to the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography. The region has many archaeological sites that reflect the continued contacts between various ethnic groups and cultures through the ages. Some of the oldest Russian towns - Staraya Ladoga, Novgorod, Pskov, Izborsk - are located not far from St. Petersburg and were included in the excursions.
The academic sessions were organized into three main categories: Sessions, Round-Tables and Poster Presentations. Within the first category, three main blocks were created:
1. Theory and Interpretation of Material Culture
2. Cultural Heritage and the Management of the Archaeological Record
3. Archaeology in the Modern World
Altogether 48 academic sessions, including 530 papers, were held and 18 round table discussions were organized. A poster exhibition area was set up close to the Conference Secretariat, where 59 posters were displayed. Only two institutions displayed books at the Conference: Cambridge University Press (United Kingdom) and Archaeolingua Foundation and Publishing House (Hungary).
The 9th Annual Meeting held in Saint Petersburg attracted 660 delegates from 42 countries.