Calendar for EAA members

  • 10 November: Deadline for session and round table proposals for the 29th EAA Annual Meeting in Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • 5 December: Announcement of session acceptance / rejection to session organisers
  • 15 December: Deadline for registration and membership payment for session organisers
  • 19 December: Call for papers / posters / other contributions for the 29th EAA Annual Meeting in Belfast, Northern Ireland, opens
  • 22 December - 1 January: EAA Secretariat closed for Christmas
  • 31 December: End of 2022 EAA membership
  • 1 January: Beginning of 2023 EAA membership
  • January: Call for nominations to the EAA election circulated to the Members
  • January: Call for nominations to the European Heritage Prize circulated to the Members
  • January: Call for nominations to the Oscar Montelius Foundation (OMF) Early Career Achievement Prize (ECAP) circulated to the Members
  • 15 January: Deadline for submissions for TEA winter issue
  • 31 January: Final list of sessions and session organisers for the 29th EAA Annual Meeting in Belfast, Northern Ireland, available
  • 1 February: Call for volunteers opens
  • 9 February: Deadline for paper / poster submissions
  • 1 March: Call for volunteers closes

Go back to top

Upcoming Events

2022

2023

2024

  • 26 - 31 August 2024: 30th EAA Annual Meeting, Rome, Italy

Go back to top

EAA 2022 Statement on Nurturing the Cycle of Good Archaeological Practice

This Statement was officially approved and adopted at the Annual Membership Businesses Meeting held per rollam on 12 - 15 September 2022. To be quoted as "EAA 2022 Statement on Nurturing the Cycle of Good Archaeological Practice”. The draft of this statement was prepared by an EAA Task Force composed of Sally Foster, Carenza Lewis, Maria Mina and Maria Taloni.

Stable URL: https://www.e-a-a.org/2022Statement

CC BY-SA-NC 3.0

download document in pdf (English version)

At its 2022 Annual Meeting in Budapest, the EAA is launching its updated Code and Principles as well as four new Advisory Committees: Scientific; Heritage; Public Benefits; and Education, Training and Professional Development. In joining our EAA community, Individual and Corporate Members, who work in extremely diverse and interdisciplinary ways across many national contexts, agree to adhere to our Codes. Our Code and Principles seek to inspire and nurture good practice while promoting the greater integration of archaeological practice with society and its needs. The expansion of the former Code (1997, revised 2009) is therefore a barometer of topical challenges, opportunities and wider social developments that affect archaeologists across many sectors, and clearly demonstrates the Association’s readiness to react accordingly. These sectors include higher education and research, heritage management, museums and archives, and commercial contract archaeology.

The new Advisory Committees, along with the revived and reshaped statutory Appeals and Anti-Harassment Committee, are responsible for a range of tasks, some of which correspond closely to the new areas encompassed by the revised Code. These Committees are therefore where many of these topics will be addressed by the EAA as we move forward.

This statement acknowledges the ethical and societal issues identified in the Code and Principles and, in a cross-cutting exercise, maps their relationship to these Advisory Committees. It does so through the lens of the heritage cycle (Figure 1). This is a cycle in which an understanding of value, iteratively fed and shaped by knowledge and understanding, can be used to inform decisions about what to secure for the future, and how such resources can be engaged for wider public benefit, generating a desire to know more about the resource in question. This is an approach applied in the Medieval Europe Research Committee Manifesto: https://mercmanifesto.org/ (MERC is an EAA Community).

The heritage cycle underpins much of Western heritage management practice and therefore provides a useful framework for thinking about how we practice in such a way that we are aware not just of the scientific benefits of our work but also the differences it makes, or could make, for society. It also enables us to articulate what we are doing in ways that might explicitly embrace understanding social value or public benefits (EAA Strategic Plan 2021-2024 Goal 3). The Advisory Committee remits ‘map’ to this model as will be evident from what follows, which also introduces key themes emerging from the Code and Principles that relate to wider society. Ongoing reflection about how we practise will help us to achieve the cycle of optimum scientific, social and cultural benefits, including contributing to the wellbeing of present and future people and places.

Scientific Committee: how we advance knowledge and understanding of the past, in ways that:

  • practise respect for human remains
  • avoid racist or discriminatory methods/approaches and interpretations
  • are aware of the concerns and interests of indigenous communities and acknowledge diversity in interpretation of the past and what it tells us
  • recognise that knowledge of archaeological context is critical to understanding artefacts, their meaning and significance.

Heritage Committee: how we assign meanings and values (including social value) to that knowledge and put this into practice to secure heritage for the future, in ways that:

  • respect individual human rights, past and present and recognise the multiplicity and diversity of stakeholders, ensuring respect for stakeholder perspectives, including for contested objects and by understanding who ‘owns’ objects.
  • are accountable, transparent and ensure ethical practice in terms of expert evaluation, including where there is the risk of conflicts of interest
  • engage constructively with debates about difficult issues, including repatriation of objects and restitution
  • can inform future and current evidence-based policy, for example in relation to climate change.

Public Benefits Committee: how we enable more people and places to benefit from archaeology, informed by understanding of its significance, impact and potential, and of how this drives the desire to know more, including through scientific research, in ways that:

  • respectfully, helpfully and constructively share and exchange archaeological knowledge and opportunities with wider publics through appropriately diverse activities, developed collaboratively where possible, and recognising the interests of people and places
  • advance knowledge and understanding of the range of ways in which archaeology benefits people and places, and the processes and mechanisms which underpin this, including through interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral research and practice
  • share data, information and insights demonstrating the benefits of archaeology, responsibly and respectfully, so the value of archaeology can be recognised.
  • are alert and open to new opportunities to achieve, capture and understand public benefit.

Education, Training and Professional Development Committee: how we train and support professional development of archaeologists at all stages of their career to do the above (so, applies across the whole heritage cycle), in ways that:

  • ensure access to equal opportunities to learn, train, upskill, diversify and network are equitably available to all regardless of career stage, identity or other factors
  • fairly acknowledge the contribution of colleagues regardless of their employment status
  • ensure training remains at the cutting edge as new approaches, technologies, ideas and opportunities emerge
  • support and deliver outcomes that help make the case for archaeology in the higher education, school and youth participation sectors.

Appeal and Anti-Harassment Committee: how in all the above we ensure a safe work environment, equality and inclusion in creating knowledge and understanding, in ways that:

  • prohibit all forms of harassment, assault, bullying, intimidation and discrimination
  • develop and implement adequate mechanisms to prevent and report any discrimination, harassment, assault, bullying and intimidation for EAA events, not least the Annual Meetings
  • encourage the reporting of proven discrimination, harassment, assault, bullying and intimidation that victims suffer to their home institution or organisation
  • are alert and responsive to new and emerging threats to the wellbeing of all working or volunteering in archaeology.

Go back to top

Minutes of the 2022 EAA Annual Membership Business Meeting (AMBM)

0. Technical note

Following the provision of Art. IX of the EAA Statutes, the EAA Executive Board specified the following Rules of Procedure for the 2022 EAA Annual Membership Business Meeting:

 

  1. The 2022 EAA AMBM shall be held per rollam, i.e. voting electronically within a given time-frame and under security settings that ensure a single, verified and anonymous vote per Full Individual Member.
  2. An informal virtual meeting with Members shall be held in advance of the per rollam voting process to allow discussion about, and questioning of, the subject of the votes. This informal meeting was held on 2 September 2022 in hybrid format, attended by 66 Full Individual Members.
  3. Notice of the AMBM with detailed instructions for registration and voting per rollam shall be given to all Full Individual Members not less than sixty days prior to the date of the informal virtual meeting. The notice was given to Full Individual Members via web page and email communications.
  4. All documents for the Annual Membership Business Meeting and necessary for the per rollam decision shall be sent to Full Individual Members electronically at least fifteen days before the informal virtual meeting. Members received notice of the 2022 AMBM Reports on 17 August 2022.
  5. The per rollam ballot was open from 12 to 15 September 2022 and individualised secured access to the ballot, together with the link of the AMBM informal meeting recording (youtu.be/5Eq4KkZZmKg), was provided to all Full Individual Members on 12 September 2022. The quorum for the per rollam ballot consists of 5% of Full Individual Members. As of 15 September, the EAA had 2838 Full Individual Members; the quorum therefore was 142 members. Altogether 224 responses were received in the per rollam ballot, the quorum was therefore reached.
  6. Decisions shall be made by simple majority of the voting Members.
  7. The results of the voting of the AMBM shall be published by 30 September 2022 on the EAA website and by sending these results by e-mail to the electronic addresses of all Full Individual Members.

The following report combines the discussion held at the 2 September 2022 informal meeting with the results of the per rollam voting. Matters not subject to the per rollam voting are covered in the AMBM Reports, available to all EAA Members, and are only referenced in the present Minutes.

1. Opening and welcome

The EAA President Eszter Bánffy opened the informal meeting and welcomed the Members present or joining the meeting online. She highlighted the importance of the per rollam voting, which enables all EAA current Members to participate and vote in the AMBM matters, whereas in the past this was limited to those Members attending the Annual Meeting in person. Voting per rollam has become the standard EAA mechanism embedded in the Statutes.

The EAA has held its first fully hybrid Annual Meeting in 2022, allowing Members who for various reasons could not travel to Budapest to fully participate at the Meeting. This goes especially to EAA Ukrainian members, whom the EAA continually supports and whose participation at the AM has been free of charge. The President expressed solidarity also to EAA individual Russian participants who suffer from a system that silences and alienates them.

2. Minutes of the 2021 AMBM

The Minutes of the 2021 AMBM were previously published on the EAA web. There were no questions raised, and the President proposed to the AMBM to approve the Minutes of the 2021 AMBM as a correct record of the Meeting.

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the 2021 AMBM Minutes. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the minutes of the 2021 AMBM as follows: 178 (80.2%) voting Members approved, 0 (0.0%) voting Member did not approve, 44 (19.8%) voting Members abstained; there were 2 blank responses.

3. Matters arising from the Minutes

There were no matters arising from the 2021 AMBM Minutes.

4. EAA 2022 Statement on Nurturing the Cycle of Good Archaeological Practice

The EAA Secretary, Sally Foster, presented the EAA 2022 Statement on Nurturing the Cycle of Good Archaeological Practice. The draft of this Statement was prepared by an EAA Task Force composed of Sally Foster, Carenza Lewis, Maria Mina and Maria Taloni. The text of the Statement was circulated to Members on 17 August 2022 as part of the AMBM Reports and has been available from the EAA web.

The EAA is launching its updated Code of Practice and Principles in 2022, as well as introducing four Advisory Committees. The EAA statement this year is a vehicle for explaining how these developments come together and how they relate to the EAA Strategic Plan. The heritage cycle underpins Western heritage management and is a useful framework for thinking about how we practice in a way that we are aware not just of the scientific benefits of our work but also the difference it makes to society.

With the introduction of EAA Advisory Committees, in future the EAA may produce statements on an ad hoc rather than annual basis.

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the EAA 2022 Statement on Nurturing the Cycle of Good Archaeological Practice. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the EAA 2022 statement as follows: 198 (89.2%) voting Members approved, 2 (0.9%) voting Member did not approve, 22 (9.9%) voting Members abstained; there were 2 blank responses.

5. Membership report

The EAA Secretary, Sally Foster, presented the EAA Membership report (cf. AMBM Reports p. 6–10).

6. Financial report

The EAA Treasurer, Esa Mikkola, and Krisztína Pavlíčková, the EAA Finance Manager, presented the 2021 accounts and the 2022–2023 budget (cf. AMBM Reports p. 11–17).

EAA’s major challenge in financial terms is unpredictability, which the EAA attempts to mitigate by providing increased support to its Members, e.g. by donating a substantial amount to the Oscar Montelius Foundation (OMF) to be used for future Annual Meeting attendance grants. Long-term EAA financial challenges include the European Journal of Archaeology (EJA) production, or the new Annual Meeting business model, whereby the EAA adopts an active and direct role in organising the Meetings.

The 2021 accounting featured a positive balance of 114 158 EUR, which was partly due to Covid-induced savings on travels and meetings, but more importantly due to a successful 2021 online Annual Meeting, the final budget of which was presented. Part of the positive balance has been donated to the OMF for use on travel grants for participants of the 2022 Annual Meeting in Budapest.

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the 2021 financial statement. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the 2021 financial statement as follows: 191 (86.0%) voting Members approved, 3 (1.4%) voting Members did not approve, and 28 (12.6%) voting Members abstained; there were 2 blank responses.

The 2022 EAA accounting integrates for the first time the AM budget directly. The 2022 financial result envisaged in June was -34 336 EUR, but the final outcome will be only presented at the 2023 AMBM. Due to longstanding arrangements, the EAA returns to the traditional AM business model in 2023; the transition between the two models may produce a deficit of -26 300 EUR in 2023.

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the 2022–2023 budget. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the 2022–2023 budget as follows: 193 (86.9%) voting Members approved, 2 (0.9%) voting Members did not approve, 27 (12.2%) voting Members abstained; there were 2 blank responses.

7. Membership fee level for 2023

The membership fee level for 2023 remains unchanged (since 2017), except for the addition of the life family membership category, the price of which has been set to 1 200 EUR.

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the membership fees for 2023. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the 2023 membership fees as follows: 179 (80.6%) voting Members approved, 12 (5.4%) voting Members did not approve, 31 (14.0%) voting Members abstained; there were 2 blank responses.

8. Statutes amendments

The EAA Secretary, Sally Foster, presented the proposed Statutes amendments, which aim to finalise the process of EAA Statutes review, guided by the EAA Statutes Committee and EAA Czech lawyers.

The proposed Statutes amendments concerned the below articles; changes and new introductions are marked in red italics and wording to be deleted is in grey italics.

Article II lists the aims of the Association.

  • Art. II / 8 has been rephrased:

“To work for the elimination of any form of illegal detection and collection and the damage it causes to the archaeological heritage.”

To work for the protection of archaeological remains and cultural heritage, including the prevention of related illegal activities.

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the amendment to Art. II / 8. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the amendment to Art. II / 8 as follows: 216 (96.4%) voting Members approved, 4 (1.8%) voting Members did not approve, 4 (1.8%) voting Members abstained.

  • Art. II / 9 introduces a new aim in reaction to the aggression of the Russian and Belarussian governments on Ukraine:

To promote friendship and peaceful cooperation of archaeologists.”

John Chapman expressed his concern about the contrast between Russian and Belarussian aggression on Ukrainian territory, and the bluntness of the proposed Statutes amendment. He asked the Executive Board for reasoning behind the proposed Statutes amendment.

Sally Foster pointed out the absence of this obvious aim in the current wording of the Statutes; Eszter Bánffy added that the formulation of the proposed amendment is deliberately general to cater for any potential conflict situation. The EAA issued a very explicit and concrete statement the day following the Russian invasion and had been adding further relevant posts.

Kenneth Aitchison supported the general nature of the proposed amendment wording, as the Statutes should not focus on particular cases but rather provide a general framework; specific cases are best handled via dedicated statements.

A Member from Ukraine raised the issue of handling data from Ukrainian sites by Russian archaeologists. Eszter Bánffy agreed that this is a deplorable practice but one difficult for the EAA to grasp. The EAA is ready to help in any way it can. EAA Vice-President Hrvoje Potrebica referred to his own experience with a similar case in a non-EAA context and called on EAA Members to report issues in data handling to the EAA.

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the amendment to Art. II /9. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the amendment to Art. II / 9 as follows: 207 (92.8%) voting Members approved, 6 (2.7%) voting Members did not approve, 10 (4.5%) voting Members abstained; there was 1 blank response.

Article III lists activities and functions which the EAA may, but is not obliged to, perform.

  • Art. III / 1

“In order to promote the above aims the Association may”:

  1. Publish a journal to be called The European Journal of Archaeology and other periodic and non-periodic publications.
  2. Maintain an information service for its Members.
  3. Organise an Annual Membership Business Meeting and Annual Meeting as well as European Archaeology Fair, and other conferences and seminars relevant to the aims of the Association.
  4. Function as a monitoring and advisory body on issues relating to European and global archaeology.
  5. Encourage Members to form and to join thematic Communities.
  6. Establish a Secretariat to carry out the activities of the Association and provide services to Members.
  7. Cooperate in technical and administrative terms with the Annual Meeting Host.

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the amendment to Art. III /1. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the amendment to Art. III / 1 as follows: 201 (90.1%) voting Members approved, 13 (5.8%) voting Members did not approve, 9 (4.0%) voting Members abstained; there was 1 blank response.

Article V sets conditions of EAA membership.

  • Art. V / 1 introduces a new membership category in response to membership query at the 2021 AMBM. The price of life family membership will be 1200 EUR (the price of individual life membership is 900 EUR). The other new membership category proposed at 2021 AMBM – unsalaried – was not incorporated in view of its difficult definition.

“There shall be the following categories of Full Membership:
a) Regular (annual)
b) Family (annual)
c) Student (annual)
d) Retired (annual)
e) Volunteer (annual)
f) Life (individual)
g) Life family
h) Corporate individual (annual; Regular, Student or Retired)
i) Corporate (annual)
j) Observer (annual)

Categories 1 a) to 1 h) are Full Individual Members.”

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the amendment to Art. V /1. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the amendment to Art. V / 1 as follows: 202 (90.2%) voting Members approved, 4 (1.8%) voting Members did not approve, 18 (8.0%) voting Members abstained.

  • Art. V / 4 stipulates Members‘ adherence to the updated EAA norms:

“By signing up for membership, a Member agrees to adhere to the Association’s Statutes and Codes.”

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the amendment to Art. V /4. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the amendment to Art. V / 4 as follows: 214 (96.0%) voting Members approved, 3 (1.4%) voting Members did not approve, 6 (2.7%) voting Members abstained; there was 1 blank response.

  • Art. V / 6 is proposed to be cut out, as printed copies will be only available on demand and for a fee from 2023 onwards:

“Family Membership includes only one printed copy of The European Journal of Archaeology for the two Members. Volunteer Membership does not include printed copy of The European Journal of Archaeology.”

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the amendment to Art. V /6. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the amendment to Art. V / 6 as follows: 202 (90.2%) voting Members approved, 6 (2.7%) voting Members did not approve, 16 (7.1%) voting Members abstained.

  • Art. V / 11 (newly 10) reinforces Members‘ obligation to follow EAA Statutes and Codes:

“Membership obligations that shall be complied with by all Members:
a) follow the Association Statutes and Codes,
b) perform resolutions and other decisions of the Association bodies,
c) save, protect and magnify assets serving for the Association to safeguard its activities as well as strive for the Association’s good reputation.”

Pete Hinton commented online that the EAA should encourage behaviour consistent with ethical values, and it may wish to promote a code/s; he added, however, that it is not resourced to enforce it. He asked whether the Executive Board will review the – potentially significant - strategic, financial, legal and insurance risks of claiming to do so? He expressed his worry that EAA insurers may not have considered the North American risks of accusing a Member of unethical conduct.

Sally Foster responded that the EAA would apply the relevant measures under very specific and exceptional conditions only and that it has internal regulations regarding e.g. appeal process to handle these. The Executive Board will further reflect on the matter of insurance policy.

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the amendment to Art. V/11 (10). EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the amendment to Art. V/11 (10) as follows: 214 (95.5%) voting Members approved, 3 (1.3%) voting Members did not approve, 7 (3.1%) voting Members abstained.

Article VI sets out the rules of EAA organisation.

  • Art. VI / 6 newly defines conditions for termination of an Executive Board member term of office:

“An Executive Board Member or Officer’s term of office automatically terminates if:
a) their term of office ends;
b) they resign;
c) they cease to be a Full Individual Member;
d) they die.”

Eileen Murphy requested that binary terminology (she / he) is avoided and replaced by more generic one (they / them). Sally Foster thanked her for the point, which the EAA will ensure to apply throughout the Statutes. This change was introduced for the per rollam voting, as above.

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the amendment to Art. VI /6. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the amendment to Art. VI / 6 as follows: 214 (95.5%) voting Members approved, 1 (0.5%) voting Member did not approve, 9 (4.0%) voting Members abstained.

  • Article VII / 4 defines one of the functions of the Appeal and Anti-Harassment Committee:

“The Nomination Committee shall check that Executive Board candidates comply with the regulations of the Association and shall reject candidates who do not comply with them. Written reasons for its decisions will be immediately delivered by the Nomination Committee to the Secretariat, at least 120 days before the Annual Membership Business Meeting. The Secretariat will inform the Executive Board and the Candidates. Rejected Candidates may appeal to the Appeal and Anti-Harassment Committee. The decision of the Appeal and Anti-Harassment Committee shall be final. Executive Board. The Board will accept or reject the appeal, by voting by a simple majority, if necessary also by electronic means. in case of acceptance, it will present the case to the Appeal and Anti-Harassment Committee.“.

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the amendment to Art. VII /4. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the amendment to Art. VII / 4 as follows: 191 (85.3%) voting Members approved, 13 (5.8%) voting Members did not approve, 20 (8.9%) voting Members abstained.

Article VIII introduces the mechanism of membership suspension in addition to removal from membership and defines the appeal procedure in such case and the basic terms of reference of the Appeal and Anti-Harassment Committee.

  • Art. VIII / 1

Members may be removed from the Association or their membership suspended for:
a) Activities in violation of the Association’s aims as set out in Article II.
b) Violations of the Association’s Statutes and Codes.”

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the amendment to Art. VIII /1. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the amendment to Art. VIII / 1 as follows: 207 (92.4%) voting Members approved, 5 (2.2%) voting Members did not approve, 12 (5.4%) voting Members abstained.

  • Art. VIII/2

“Decisions regarding removal from or suspension of Membership shall be made by the Board.”

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the amendment to Art. VIII /2. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the amendment to Art. VIII / 2 as follows: 209 (93.3%) voting Members approved, 4 (1.8%) voting Members did not approve, 11 (4.9%) voting Members abstained.

  • Art. VIII/3

„Appeals against removal from or suspension of Membership shall be considered by three members of the Appeal and Anti-Harassment Committee. The Appeal and Anti-Harassment Committee shall consist of at least six three Full Members of the Association appointed by the Nomination Committee for terms of three years, renewable without limit. The decision of the Appeal and Anti-Harassment Committee shall be final.”

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the amendment to Art. VIII /3. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the amendment to Art. VIII / 3 as follows: 191 (85.3%) voting Members approved, 15 (6.7%) voting Members did not approve, 18 (8.0%) voting Members abstained.

  • Art. X/5 is proposed to be cut out, as the EAA Advisory Board is replaced by four dedicated, non-Statutory Advisory Committees:

„There shall be an EAA Advisory Board which shall, on request or at its own initiative, advise the Executive Board, the EJA Editorial Board and/or other EAA Editors or editorial boards on EAA publications and their content. The EAA Advisory Board shall consist of not less than five and not more than twelve persons suitable to advise on EAA publications and their content on the basis of their standing and achievement in archaeology. Subject to the preceding, the EAA Advisory Board shall be appointed by the Executive Board for a period of three years. If a person so appointed ceases to serve as a member during the three-year period, the Executive Board may appoint another to serve in her or his place for the remainder of that period. The members of the EAA Advisory Board shall elect their chairperson from among themselves.“

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the amendment to Art. X / 5. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the amendment to Art. X / 5 as follows: 199 (88.8%) voting Members approved, 4 (1.8%) voting Members did not approve, 21 (9.4%) voting Members abstained.

  • Art. XIV/1 extends the possibility to serve the EAA to members of the Statutes Committee:

“Amendments to these Statutes may be proposed by the Board on its own initiative or upon petition by any fifty Full Individual Members of the Association. Such amendments shall be submitted to the Secretary and reviewed by a Statutes Committee of three Full Individual Members of the Association appointed by the Nomination Committee for eventual submission of the amendments to the Membership at an Annual Membership Business Meeting. The term of members of the Statutes Committee shall be three years, consecutively renewable without limit.After the end of two consecutive three-year terms, or anyway after two consecutive appointments, he/she will not be eligible for reappointment until after an interval of three years. In case of retirement, or relinquishment for any reason of a member, the post will be re-appointed only for the remaining time of the term.”

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the amendment to Art. XIV / 1. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the amendment to Art. XIV / 1 as follows: 173 (77.2%) voting Members approved, 28 (12.5%) voting Members did not approve, 23 (10.3%) voting Members abstained.

9. Oscar Montelius Foundation Report

Elin Dalen, Chair of the OMF Board of Trustees, presented the OMF report (cf. AMBM Reports, p. 20).

10. Nomination Committee Report and election results

The EAA Secretary, Sally Foster, presented the 2022 Nomination Committee report (cf. AMBM Reports, p. 20) and the election results.

The election into the EAA Executive Board and Nomination Committee had been held separately from the AMBM ballot. Altogether 467 valid votes were received online, recorded automatically by the QuestionPro software and confirmed by the EAA Nomination Committee Members Maria Pia Guermandi, Gitte Hansen, Marta Rakvin and Cornelius Holtorf. The candidates elected (shown in bold below) will serve from 2022 to 2025 at the Executive Board, and 2022 to 2026 on the Nomination Committee. The EAA congratulates the successful candidates, and thanks those who were not elected for their continued interest in the work of the Association.

  • TREASURER: Esa Mikkola 422 received votes | 45 abstained
  • EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER 1: Maria Mina 291 received votes | Tibor Rácz 134 received votes | 42 abstained
  • EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER 2: Oleksandr Diachenko 181 received votes | Fedir Androshchuk 202 received votes | 84 abstained
  • NOMINATION COMMITTEE MEMBER: Svend Hansen 202 received votes | Matija Cresnar 223 received votes | 42 abstained

11. New appointments and reappointments

The EAA Secretary, Sally Foster, announced the newly (re-)appointed members of the following EAA Boards and Committees:

EJA Editorial Board:

  • Cate Frieman (2018–2025)
  • Zena Kamash (2019–2025)
  • Marta Diaz Guardamino (2016–2025)
  • Maria Relaki (2019–2025)
  • Georg Haggrén (2019–2025)
  • Daniela Hofmann (2016–2025)
  • Clara Masriera-Esquerra (2019–2025)
  • Joern Lang (2019–2025)

EAA blog editor:

  • Vana Orfanou

OMF:

  • Elin Dalen (2019–2025)
  • Adrian Olivier (2013–2025)

Heritage Prize Committee:

  • Nurcan Yalman (2019–2025)
  • Georg Haggrén (2022–2025)
  • Jan Mařík (2022–2025)
  • Paulina Florjanowicz (2022–2025)

12. EAA Publication reports

Cate Frieman, EJA Editor, presented the European Journal of Archaeology report (cf. AMBM Reports, p. 22–23). She reported on the process of new EJA publisher tender and stressed out that one of the changes of a new contract with the selected publisher, Cambridge University Press will be that EAA Members will only receive online access to the Journal as part of their membership; print copies will be available on demand only and for a fee as reflection of EAA’s effort for environmental sustainability.

Samantha Reiter, TEA Editor, presented The European Archaeologist report (cf. AMBM Reports, p. 25–26). She invited Members to submit one image (photo or drawing) in portrait format alongside a max 500-word text in the TEA photo contest “What is the spirit of archaeology in 2023?”, the deadline of which has been extended to 30 September.

Ariane Ballmer, the Executive Board member monitoring EAA publications, presented the THEMES in Contemporary Archaeology report (cf. AMBM Reports, p. 23).

Ariane Ballmer presented also the Elements series report (cf. AMBM Reports, p. 24).

Ariane Ballmer announced the EAA Book Prize, whereby the EAA intends to annually award a prize to honour monographs recently published by EAA Members. Details will be published on the EAA web and communicated to EAA Members through email. The deadline for nominations will be 28 February 2023.

13. EAA Communication Strategy

Jesper Hansen, the Executive Board member in charge of EAA representation, presented the EAA Communication Strategy (cf. AMBM Reports, p. 27–31).

A Member asked whether EAA entry on Wikipedia is controlled by the EAA itself. Jesper Hansen replied that EAA-edited Wikipedia entry could be considered self-advertising, but that the EAA welcomes such initiative coming from its Members.

14. EAA Code of Practice

Maria Mina, the Executive Board member in charge of professional associations, presented the EAA revised Code of Practice (cf. AMBM Reports, p. 32–34).

The President proposed to the AMBM to approve the revised EAA Code of Practice. EAA Full Individual Members voting per rollam approved the revised EAA Code of Practice as follows: 196 (87.9%) voting Members approved, 9 (4.0%) voting Member did not approve, 18 (8.0%) voting Members abstained; there was 1 blank response.

15. EAA Communities

Hrvoje Potrebica, EAA Vice-President in charge of EAA Communities, presented the report on EAA Communities (cf. AMBM Reports, p. 35–37). He anticipated the creation of a new EAA Community on Textile Archaeology and Conservation, based on an application recently received.

16. Outlook into the Coming Year

Eszter Bánffy, the EAA President, announced the establishment of four non-Statutory, Advisory Committees, which will gather the expertise of EAA Members and Communities to serve as think-tanks, assisting the work of the Executive Board and the Statutory Committees in relevant matters. Description and composition of each Advisory Committee can be viewed at https://www.e-a-a.org/EAABoards.

The President also briefly outlined the revised scope and structure of the statutory Appeal and Anti-Harassment Committee, the details of which can be viewed at https://www.e-a-a.org/EAABoards.

17. Location of future Annual Meeting

Eszter Bánffy, the EAA President, announced the location and dates of the 30th Annual Meeting: 26–31 August 2024, Rome, Italy.

18. Announcement of the 29th EAA Annual Meeting

Eileen Murphy, Chair of the 2023 Scientific Committee, briefly introduced the key details of the 29th EAA Annual Meeting, to be held in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 30 August to 2 September 2023. She presented a short film, which can be viewed at https://youtu.be/pwjpL7HWs4I.

19. Any other business

Eszter Bánffy, the EAA President, thanked all Members attending and invited them to raise questions or comment on EAA matters. Since there was no other business to be discussed, Eszter Bánffy closed the informal meeting and urged Members to vote on EAA matters per rollam.

Go back to top

A Chat with the Secretariat over TEA: Krisztina Pavlíčková

TEA: How did you start working for the EAA?

K. Pavlíčková: I was a financial controller in the automotive industry for six years, but after maternity leave, I began searching for an interesting part time position in finances. When I saw the EAA advertisement looking for a financial administrator, I immediately knew that it was made for me! The two rounds of interviews only confirmed my impression. I joined the EAA in September 2015, just after the Glasgow Annual Meeting.

TEA: What is the one piece of equipment that you can’t live without at work?

K. Pavlíčková: Obviously Excel sheets :-D Already as a child I was keen on graph paper, so Excel is just an upgrade!

TEA: What is your favourite part of your job?

K. Pavlíčková: My favourite part is meeting EAA Members in person at the Annual Meeting (AM). After more than one year of preparations, the AM is the moment when the purpose of all of our work falls into place. Last but not least, it is so nice to put faces to names that I have known only through email. During the rest of the year, my favourite part of my work is taking a deep dive into a budget.

TEA: With how many EAA Treasurers have you cooperated?

K. Pavlíčková: You may be surprised that throughout its whole history (1994-present), the EAA has only had six Treasurers:

  • Peter Chowne (1995-1998)
  • Cecilia Aqvist (1998-2004)
  • Carsten Paludan-Müller (2004-2010)
  • Karl Kallhovd (2010-2014)
  • Margaret Gowen-Larsen (2014-2019)
  • Esa Mikkola (2019-2025)

I have obviously not had the opportunity to work with them all, “just” with the two who served most recently as Treasurers: Margaret and Esa. Cooperating with them both in supporting the EAA Executive Board in its decision making has enabled me to build a large set of current and historical financial data on the EAA: a sandpit that I enjoy playing with, and which enables the Executive Board to make stronger financial decisions. The day-to-day work is more prosaic and sharing it with the EAA Financial Assistant, Sára (whom you will meet in TEA’s next issue), is of great help. On a monthly basis, Esa and I meet online to discuss current matters as well as more strategic topics.

Typically, I prepare an update on the EAA budget, the state of the Annual Meeting budget, the balance of the EAA bank accounts, and any analysis or financial risk assessments needed whenever we meet. We also discuss any topics to be raised at the Board Meeting or concerning the preparation of the Annual financial statement. I appreciate our regular meetings very much, as they enable me to get an overall view when I would otherwise tend to stay too closely focused on the figures in my own sector.

TEA: Do you go to archaeological sites on vacation, or do you do other things?

K. Pavlíčková: The vacation destination matters less than the persons with whom I am sharing the free time. However, during a session in 2020 at the Virtual AM I discovered that I actually visited an archaeological site when I spent my holidays on Rügen the previous year. I did a one-day trip to Cap Arkona, and it was amazing to learn more about this place from an archaeological perspective.

Go back to top

Image by Katka Kleinová, courtesy of K. Pavlíčková

Image by Katka Kleinová, courtesy of K. Pavlíčková

Image by Katka Kleinová, courtesy of K. Pavlíčková