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Themes of the Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting themes, as defined by the Scientific Committee, incorporate the diversity of EAA and the multidimensionality of archaeological practice, including archaeological interpretation, heritage management and politics of the past and present.

1. Artefacts, Buildings and Ecofacts
2. Net Zero Archaeologies – Sustainability in the Past, Present & Future
3. Heritage Narratives & Representations
4. People of the Present – Peopling the Past
5. (Extreme) Environments – Islands, Coasts, Margins, Centres
6. Contested Pasts & Presents

1. Artefacts, Buildings & Ecofacts

Big data approaches
Archives and archiving
Interconnections between artefacts and ecofacts
Chaîne opératoire and the manufacturing processes
Trade, exchange, and consumption
Bioarchaeology
Human – Animal interactions
Human – Plant interactions
Post-anthropocentric approaches
Art expression
Archaeometry
Materialities of beliefs
Buildings and monuments
Multiscalar archaeologies

2. Net Zero Archaeologies – Sustainability in the Past, Present & Future

Sustainable archaeologies in the modern world
Sustainable museums and collections
Pre-carbon pasts, the carbon present and post-carbon futures
Archaeology, adaptation and resilience – past and present
New tools and methodologies for a sustainable and Net Zero future
Sustainability, equity and education
Human impacts on past environments
Causes and mechanisms of environmental change
Vernacular architecture
Palaeoecology
Archaeology, tourism and carbon mitigation
Past disparities
Applied archaeology
Sustainable archaeological careers and practices

3. Heritage Narratives & Representations

Archaeology and education
Archaeology and communities – whose archaeology is it anyway?
Public archaeologies and cultural heritage
Living history and experimental archaeology
Where are the dinosaurs? Communicating archaeology to the public
A never-ending story – Brexit and its continuing challenges
Heritage and museums in a post-pandemic world
Archaeology and its media presentation
Heritage and Dark Tourism
War and heritage
Heritage and wellbeing
Archaeology, literature and the Arts

4. People of the Present – Peopling the Past

Ethical representations of the past
Ethical standards in research and practice
Science and theory in the study of human remains
Theory and the fourth scientific revolution
Childhood in the past
Gender archaeologies
Intersectionality
Pandemics
Invisible people in the past – addressing inequalities and marginalised groups
Challenges in modern archaeology – professional conduct and practice
Challenges in modern archaeology – the higher education crisis
Challenges of demographic reconstruction
Posthumanism and its challenges

5. (Extreme) Environments – Islands, Coasts, Margins, Centres

Insularity, geography and island identities
Adaptation, agency and change
Microcosms
Understanding the role of the sea in coastal and island societies
Underwater archaeology
Maritime ships and ship-building traditions
Harvesting the sea and shoreline
Landscapes, skyscapes and seascapes
Comparative archaeologies
Archaeology in extreme environments
Coastal archaeology
Connectivity and networks

6. Contested Pasts & Presents

Legacies of Empire
Colonisers and the colonised
Indigenous archaeologies
Identity-formation, plurality and cultural heritage
Do cultures clash?
Co-existence and opposition
Borders and socio-political landscapes
Protecting whom? Fortifications and defence
Archaeology, peace-making and peace building
Archaeologies of resistance
Integration and separation
Diaspora formation processes
Comparing and decolonising archaeology
Archaeologies of religious conflicts

The following main principles for sessions apply:

The maximum modular length of sessions and round tables is limited to full-day (4 blocks of 2 hours each, containing up to 28 oral presentations).
The time allowed for the presentation of individual papers is 15 minutes. However, flexibility may be given to individual session organisers to reduce the length of time allowed for each paper in order to include more papers, depending also on the format of the particular session.
One person may organise no more than one session as the first organiser, but may be co-organiser (2nd-5th organiser) of one other session.
Session co-organisers should be from more than one country.
Maximum number of session organisers is 5, including the main organiser.
A maximum of ONE contribution is normally allowed per delegate.
All session organisers and presenters, as well as all delegates at EAA Annual Meetings have to pay EAA membership and AM registration fees by the deadline set. After the deadline sessions / contributions will be cancelled.

For detailed guidelines for organisers of sessions and round tables, notes for speakers and poster presentations please check the Guidelines tab in General Info.

Session formats

Regular session
Regular session consists of 1, 2, 3 or 4 2-hours blocks and contains up to 28 15-minute presentations (although flexibility may be given to individual session organisers to reduce the length of time allowed for each paper in order to include more papers), including discussion, introductory and closing comments. While session organisers are welcome to invite submissions into their session, the session needs to be open for submissions by any presenter.

Sessions with pre-circulated papers
Papers to be pre-circulated before the Annual Meeting allowing informed discussion in person.

Session with presentations of 6 slides in 6 minutes
6 minutes presentations followed by discussion.

Session with keynote presentation and discussion
Regular session / discussion session with keynote lecture (to be submitted within the system; usually 30 minutes) followed by regular papers and/or discussion.

Discussion session with formal abstracts
Discussion session is an interactive event organised around a specific theme, formal presentations are required. Abstracts need to be submitted within the system.

Round table
Round table is an interactive event organised around a specific and tightly focused theme. There are no formal contributions submitted, session organisers only need to provide a list of confirmed discussants. Round tables are to be held in small rooms.

Workshop
Interactive format, session organisers need to inform of the needs.

Other
Format to be specified by session organisers, to be evaluated by the Scientific Committee.

Filming and photographing

It is forbidden to film at sessions, the Annual Membership Business Meeting and other official occasions without the permission of the EAA. The EAA and/or the Organising Committee will secure filming facilities for sessions and the Opening Ceremony to be broadcast / streamed. Session organisers can opt out recording of their session.

Photographing is allowed without any restrictions unless the author of presentation explicitly disapproves photographing by introducing a disclaimer at the beginning of his/her presentation.