Calendar for EAA members

  • 1 February: Call for volunteers opens
  • 9 February: Deadline for paper / poster submissions
  • 9 February: EAA Executive Board meeting
  • 28 February: Deadline for nominations to the EAA Book Prize
  • February
    • Call for nominations to the European Heritage Prize circulated to the Members
    • Call for nominations to the Early Career Achievement Prize circulated to Members
    • Call for nominations by Members to the EAA election circulated to Members
  • 1 March: Call for volunteers closes
  • 9 March: Deadline for session organisers to evaluate contributions
  • 9 March: Call for grant applications opens
  • 10 March: Partial deadline to apply for EAA financial support to EAA Communities
  • 18-19 March: EAA Executive Board meeting
  • 23 March: Announcement of contributions acceptance / rejection to presenters at the 29th EAA Annual Meeting website
  • 27 March: Announcement of volunteers' acceptance / rejection
  • 31 March: Deadline for early bird membership fee payment
  • 3 April: Deadline for nominations of election candidates by members
  • 7 - 10 April: EAA Secretariat closed for Easter
  • 12 April: Deadline for early bird registration fee payment
  • 12 April: Call for grant applications ends
  • 15 April: Deadline for submissions to TEA spring issue
  • 26 April: Announcement of grants allocation
  • 27 April: Registration and membership payment deadline for presenters (first authors)
  • 27 April: Deadline for Annual Meeting registration cancellation without cancellation fee
  • April – May: Call for nominations to the EAA Student Award circulated to the Members
  • 1 May: Deadline for nominations to the European Heritage Prize
  • 19 May: Preliminary version of scientific programme announced at EAA2023 website

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TEA Photojournalism Competition 2023 Winner

Archaeologists and our favorite tools

José Nicolás Balbi (Colchester Archaeological Group, UK)

At 3400 meters above sea level in the Peruvian Andes, about 36 kilometres from the nearest town of Andahuaylas, stands a structure called an Ushnu. It is a ceremonial centre from the Inka culture. The Inka built an extensive network of roads (the Qhapac Ñan) known to tourists as ‘the Inka Road,’ which runs through the largest empire in the Americas prior to the Spanish Conquest (from 1492). Along this path (and preferably at higher elevations), similar structures were built as temples or administrative centres. They can be found from present-day Ecuador all the way to Argentina.

In the photograph we see this Ushnu – determined to have been a place of solar worship based on a series of measurements and orientation observations such as its alignment to the temporal mean equinox – in the background and our small but vital drone whirring in the foreground. Since the structure is located on a summit, the use of the drone to make measurements, videos and photos is invaluable. Having excavated, studied and carried out astronomical measurements throughout this area, I believe that this Ushnu is the most representative and beautiful of the many such structures that exist along the route.

Of course, I have taken hundreds of photographs on the expedition, but I think this one gives the best perspective both with regards to the place as well as the state of the modern archaeologist and the technologies that we come to rely upon – our ‘best’ and ‘favourite’ tools so to speak.

For context, the work that we had started throughout Apurimac (from Cuzco to the sea) was interrupted by the COVID pandemics and the consequent travel prohibitions of 2020-2021. Starting in 2022, we continued with the investigations and I believe that both the measurement results and the photos of the place are the incentive that our colleagues need to reunite as a working team and return to our professional search for new discoveries and cultural meanings. As I mentioned before, the photograph simply reflects myself, this archaeologist, wanting to return and ready to put his best tools to work once more.

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A Chat with the Secretariat over TEA: Sára Tylšová

TEA: What is your connection to archaeology?

Sára Tylšová: Honestly, just the EAA! I had no connection to archaeology before I started working here. Prior to that time, my idea of an archaeologist mainly came from the Indiana Jones movies! Although I have yet to meet Indy at the EAA, I have met many other cool people instead and they were not fictional characters, but rather very real and very nice people!

TEA: What is the most important and relevant part of your work?

Sára Tylšová: Being a non-archaeologist, I must say the contribution is huge. Personally, I am grateful for the work that is done in this field; it means that the rest of us who do not do wide research or dig in dirt can actually learn something interesting about history. I’ve always dreamt about travelling in time. Thanks to archaeology, we can do that in some small way.

TEA: Describe your workspace in five words or less.

Sára Tylšová: Cosy colourful mess

TEA: What is the one piece of gear you can’t live without in the field/office?

Sára Tylšová: Without any doubt that would be my computer. Apart from that, I would also really miss my warm fluffy socks. Since I work from home, my socks are my best friends, especially now in the wintertime! J

TEA: If you could go back in time, would you go? Where and when?

Sára Tylšová: Tough question. So many cool places to go… If I had to choose one, I would go to Ancient Rome to visit the Roman Baths and have a chat with some clever philosopher like Petronius…

TEA: What is your favourite part of your job?

Sára Tylšová: That is also very hard to say, but probably communication with our members and exhibitors. It is mainly via e-mails (which is never the same as though personal contact), however, a lot of people have the amazing gift of transmitting their warmth and kindness even in written form and it always makes my day.

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Image of Sára Tylšová at a student café in Prague near the EAA Head Office. Image courtesy of S. Tylšová.

A day in the office! Image courtesy of S. Tylšová.

Sára Tylšová at the EAA AM in Budapest in 2022. Image courtesy of S. Tylšová.

Sára Tylšová at the EAA AM in Budapest in 2022. Image courtesy of S. Tylšová.