The January 2013 issue of Nestor is now available as a free download.

2013 Michael Ventris Award

On 15 February 2013 applications are due for the 2013 Michael Ventris Memorial Award for Mycenaean Studies of up to £2000, to be awarded to postgraduate students or young scholars who have obtained a doctorate within the past eight years in the field of Mycenaean civilization or kindred subjects, to promote research in (1) Linear B and other Bronze Age scripts of the Aegean and Cyprus and their historical and cultural connections, or (2) all other aspects of the Bronze Age of the Aegean and Cyprus. Applications in either hardcopy or as an email attachment (PDF or compatible with Word 2003) should be sent to the Deputy Director, Institute of Classical Studies, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU, United Kingdom. Applications should include age, qualifications, academic record, an outline of the proposed work, and the names and addresses of two referees, who should at the same time be asked to write independently in support of the application. Further information is available from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at http://www.icls.sas.ac.uk/awards/awards-prizes.

The Past for Sale?

On 15 February 2013 abstracts for poster presentations, research papers, demonstrations, workshops, roundtables, organized sessions, and symposia are due for an international conference entitled The Past for Sale? The Economic Entanglements of Cultural Heritage, to be on 15-17 May 2013 at UMass Amherst. Further information is available at http://www.umass.edu/chs/news/conference2013.html. Abstracts should address one of the themes of tourism, urban revitalization, or archaeological looting, the antiquities market, and its costs. Specific topics under these themes may include:

The role of heritage in economic development

Negotiating the relationship between outsiders and stakeholders in economic development projects

Assessing the value of intangible cultural heritage

The complexities of repatriating museum artifacts

The impacts of tourism on historic sites and landscapes

Changes brought about through the revitalization of urban centers

The Disneyification of heritage sites: the balancing of profit, entertainment, and education

The unique challenges of heritage management in developing countries

The issues surrounding archaeological looting and/or the antiquities market

AIA 2014

On 10 March 2013 (24 March with $25 fee) proposals for workshops, colloquia including joint AIA/APA colloquia, undergraduate submissions, and any open-session submissions needing an early decision to acquire a visa or obtain funding are due for the 2014 Archaeological Institute of America Annual Meeting, be held on 2-5 January 2014 in Chicago, IL. On 4 August 2013 (18 August with $25 fee) abstracts are due for all other workshops, open session papers and posters, and any provisionally accepted colloquia that are resubmitting. On 10 November 2013 submissions for roundtable and lightning sessions are due. Submission forms and further information are available at http://www.archaeological.org.

Chicago TAG 2013

On 15 March 2013 abstracts (300 words maximum) are due for the conference of the Theoretical Archaeology Group (Chicago TAG 2013) on the theme of "Vision", to be held on 9-11 May 2013 at the University at Chicago. Further information, including a list of approved sessions, is available at http://tag2013.uchicago.edu/cfp.html.

Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies

A new quarterly archaeological journal has been announced, the Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies. Articles (not more than 20–25 manuscript pages or ca. 6,000–7,000 words) should be submitted to Dr. Ann E. Killebrew (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.); further information is available from http://www.psupress.org/journals/jnls_JEMAHS.html. Articles are invited from all varieties of professionals working on the past cultures of the modern countries bordering the Eastern Mediterranean Sea; a broad range of topics are welcomed, including, but by no means limited to:

Excavation and survey field results

Landscape archaeology and GIS

Underwater archaeology

Archaeological sciences and archaeometry

Material culture studies

Ethnoarchaeology

Social archaeology

Conservation and heritage studies

Cultural heritage management

Sustainable tourism development

New technologies/virtual reality

Cycladic Seminars

The Archaeological Society at Athens has announced the following schedule of Cycladic Seminars for 2013, to take place in the small hall of the Archaeological Society's megaron (22 Panepistimiou St.) at 7 P.M. Further information is available at http://www.archetai.gr/site/content.php?artid=1725.

14 January 2013: C. Renfrew, "The Early Cycladic settlement at Dhaskalio, Keros and the sanctuary at Kavos in the light of the 2006 to 2008 excavations: Deciphering a mystery"

2 April 2013: C. Televantou, "The Neolithic settlement at Strophilas, Andros: Expanding the horizons of Cycladic prehistory and iconography"

4 June 2013: C. Doumas, "Akrotiri, Thera: The first settlement"

26 November 2013: J. L. Davis, S. R. Stocker, and H. Brecoulaki, "Of ships - and sealing wax, fig trees - and kings: The Theran miniature frieze, the Pylos ship frieze, and power in the Mycenaean world"