WAVE 2
On 5 September 2025 abstracts (ca. 250 words) are due for a conference entitled Writing As Visual Engagement (WAVE 2), to be held on 26-29 March 2026 in Cambridge. Contributions are invited not only from academics, but also from calligraphers, graffiti writers, artists, type designers, minority script users, and anyone with a personal or professional interest in writing. Further information is available at https://viewsproject.wordpress.com/writing-as-visual-engagement/
UISPP 2026
On 10 November 2025 session proposals are due for the XXI World Congress of the International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences (UISPP 2026), to be held on 31 August – 4 September 2026 in Poznań, Poland; on 9 February 2026 paper proposals for oral contributions are due. Further information is available at https://uispp.amu.edu.pl/
SOMA 2025
On 15 June 2025 abstracts (250 words) are due for the 26th Symposium on Mediterranean Archaeology. Archaeology and Cultural Heritage in the Mediterranean: challenges and assessments of management (SOMA 2025), to take place on 27-29 November 2025 in Cartagena, Spain. Further information is available at https://www.cultura.gob.es/mnarqua/investigacion/cursos-conferencias-congresos/congresos/soma-26.html The preliminary themes include:
• Institutions and professionals involved in Cultural Heritage management
o The role of institutions (public administrations, universities, etc.)
o The role of Cultural Heritage professionals (heritage managers, archaeologists, conservators, curators and museum technicians and other professional profiles)
o Academic and practical training, university education, and not academic training
o Deontology of archaeology and conservation
• Management, documentation and conservation of the Mediterranean cultural heritage
o Archaeological Charts as a management tool
o Documentation of the site and associated materials; Standardisation of procedures, records and inventories
o Conservation laboratories in the Mediterranean; Case studies and implementation of conservation programmes
• Research projects
o Archaeological research projects: coastal and underwater sites, maritime and underwater cultural landscapes, exchange centres (markets, ports), terrestrial and maritime trade routes, commercial dynamics, material culture, etc.
o Research projects on the conservation of cultural heritage, both sites and materials
o Transnational cooperation projects: European projects, UNESCO projects, etc.
• Protection, valorisation, dissemination and public awareness of Cultural Heritage
o Legal protection of the Mediterranean Cultural Heritage. Implementation of ICOMOS recommendations and UNESCO conventions; European and national regulations
o Valorisation of the Cultural Heritage: in situ public access (itineraries, interpretation centres, archaeological parks) and museums
o Strategies for management and social participation-sensitisation (public archaeology)
o New technologies applied to Cultural Heritage: Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, gamification, social networks, etc.
• Current and future challenges in Cultural Heritage management
o The impact of climate change on the Cultural Heritage.
o Legitimate activities that incidentally affect and endanger the Cultural Heritage
o The destruction, plundering and illicit trafficking of Cultural Heritage.
o The role of the actors involved: the Public Administrations, museums and Cultural Heritage centres; State Security Forces; other professional profiles and civil society