Blood, water or DNA? Family beyond (biological) relatedness
Session of the AG Geschlechterforschung at the Archäologiekongress
Bonn, 24 September 2026

Deadline for submissions: 31 March 2026

Family, ancestry, and marriage have always been subjects of archaeology and are also a recurrent theme in archaeological gender studies. Over the last two decades particularly archaeogenetics, but also other scientific methods, have reveald promising new results on kinship in archaeologically accessible populations. However, kinship and family usually supersede purely genetic descent, and parenthood, marriages and partnerships have taken place in many more forms than those that have long been discussed in our field.

There is growing awareness that a family can be constituted by social relationships just as well as descent. Adoptive parents, foster siblings, wet nurses, alloparenthood, education in institutions such as monasteries or in trusted families are just some of the possibilities of kinship and family that genetic methods cannot identify.

The subject of gender plays an important role in the investigation of family and kinship as well. In the upcoming session of the AG Geschlechterforschung we will explore this intersection. 

Additionally, we also welcome presentations dealing with current research in the field of gender archaeology.

We are planning presentations in German or English of 20 minutes each. Please send your abstract of approximately 250 to 400 words to the following email address: AGGender2026@gmx.de). Submission deadline: 31.3.2026.

Organisation
Jana Esther Fries, Clara Schaller

Contact
AGGender2026@gmx.de

The complete Call for Papers in German and English can be found here as PDF-Download.

CHAT Hope
Annual Conference of the Contemporary und Historical Archaeology in Theory group (CHAT)
Innsbruck, 29-31 October 2026

Deadline for submissions: 28 February 2026

In times of permanent crisis – political, ecological, social, economic and existential – it is urgent to talk seriously about the idea of hope. Whether we believe the “doomsday clock” is at 89 seconds to midnight or already five minutes past, the monumental path of destruction ahead appears overwhelming. It is easy to feel lost – yet, hope persists, rooted in past and current successes that envision genuine alternatives, both in defiance and care.

We seek archaeological case studies, theoretical reflections, and creative formats that trace the material and emotional geographies of hope in sites such as: peace, disarmament and anti-nuclear protests, anti-deportation and abolition activisms, environmental action, utopian and communal settlements, workers’ and unemployed movements, queer and crip activism, indigenous empowerment, resistance in contexts of mass violence, youth camps, or countless other contexts where people envisioned alternative worlds. We invite submissions that explore these themes and current approaches to the contemporary past, from both known and new CHAT participants.

Submissions
Please send us an email with your name / affiliation / country / Email and a title and abstract with max 300 words (or images, video, urls) that explore HOPE through presentations, panels, discussions, films, performances, or collaborative sessions and more.
Please email chat2026.innsbruck@gmail.com

Conference Committee
Attila Dézsi Schlingmann
Barbara Hausmair
Stefanie Heim

Contact
chat2026.innsbruck@gmail.com

Hosted by
CHAT (Contemporary and Historical Archaeology in Theory)
and the DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGIES at University of Innsbruck

The complete Call for Papers can be found at the conference website.

Zwischen Eindeutigkeit und Vielfalt. Der Umgang mit kultureller Ambiguität in der Antike
Tagung zur Alten Geschichte
Regensburg, 26.-27. Februar 2026

Im Rahmen der Tagung „Zwischen Eindeutigkeit und Vielfalt: Der Umgang mit kultureller Ambiguität in der Antike“ soll das Phänomen kultureller Ambiguität – verstanden als strukturell angelegte Mehrdeutigkeit, als produktive Unschärfe und kulturelle Schwebe zwischen verschiedenen, mitunter widersprüchlichen Deutungsmustern – eingehend untersucht werden. Im Zentrum steht dabei nicht allein die Frage, wo in der Antike Ambiguität auftrat, sondern vor allem, wie mit ihr umgegangen wurde und welche Funktion die Verarbeitung von Ambiguität für das jeweilige soziale System ausübte.

Veranstaltungsort
Haus der Begegnung, Hinter der Grieb 8, 93047 Regensburg

Organisation
PD Dr. Oliver Grote
Adrian Linz

Kontakt
Oliver.Grote@geschichte.uni-regensburg.de 

Das vollständige Programm und weitere Informationen finden Sie auf der Website des Veranstalters (Reiter Tagung).

When Materials Meet. Intermaterialität in Mittelalter und Früher Neuzeit
Interdisziplinäre Tagung des IMAREAL
Krems an der Donau, 2.-4. März 2026

Anmeldeschluss: 31. Januar 2026

Die Tagung in Krems an der Donau wird im Kontext des IMAREAL-Forschungsschwerpunkts Intermaterialität veranstaltet und fokussiert auf das Ineinander- und Miteinanderwirken zweier oder vieler unterschiedlicher Materialien. Materialien treten selten als einzelne Entitäten auf, stehen sowohl als Natur- wie auch als Kunststoffe im Verbund mit anderen, Artefakte werden oftmals auch aus mehreren Materialien gefertigt und in sozialen Bewertungen und Semiosen werden Materialien zueinander in Beziehung gebracht. Der Begriff „Intermaterialität“ wird als Rahmenkonzept dieser vielfältigen Materialbeziehungen verstanden, und es sind genau diese Beziehungen und ihre Qualifizierung, die uns interessieren. Ziel der Tagung ist es, aus unterschiedlichen disziplinären Perspektiven Inputs für die Arbeit an diesem Rahmenkonzept zu gewinnen und einen initialen Impuls für ein entsprechendes internationales und interdisziplinäres Forschungsnetzwerk zu setzen.

Veranstaltungsort
Haus der Regionen, Steiner Donaulände 56, Krems an der Donau

Anmeldung
bis zum 31. Jänner 2026 unter sekretariat.imareal@plus.ac.at
Die Teilnahme an der Tagung ist kostenlos.

Organisation
Isabella Nicka | Thomas Kühtreiber

Administrative Koordination und Planung
Jasmin Kneidinger

Kontakt
sekretariat.imareal@plus.ac.at

Das vollständige Programm und weitere Informationen finden Sie auf der Veranstaltungswebsite.

Anthropogene Beeinflussungen von natürlichen Einzugsgebieten über die Zeit
38. Fachtagung
Nürnberg, 29.-30. Oktober 2026

Einreichungsfrist: 31. Januar 2026

Natürliche Flusseinzugsgebiete sind komplexe Systeme, in denen Wasser-, Sediment- und Stoffflüsse in einem empfindlichen Gleichgewicht stehen. Dieses Gleichgewicht wird seit Jahrhunderten durch menschliche Aktivitäten verändert - durch Landnutzung, Flussbau, Landwirtschaft, Urbanisierung oder industrielle Nutzung. Die Folgen dieser Eingriffe zeigen sich sowohl im regionalen Wasserhaushalt als auch in der Morphologie und Ökologie von Fließgewässern und ihren Landschaften. Mit fortschreitendem Klimawandel, wachsendem Nutzungsdruck und technologischem Wandel wird die Frage nach der langfristigen Entwicklung und Belastbarkeit dieser Systeme zunehmend drängend.

Die 38. Fachtagung möchte einen interdisziplinären Austausch über historische, gegenwärtige und zukünftige anthropogene Einflüsse auf Einzugsgebiete ermöglichen und dazu beitragen, Prozesse, Wechselwirkungen und Anpassungsstrategien besser zu verstehen.

Einreichung von Abstracts
Beiträge aus Forschung und Praxis sind herzlich willkommen. Besonders erwünscht sind interdisziplinäre Ansätze, die naturwissenschaftliche, ingenieurwissenschaftliche, historische oder archäologische Perspektiven verbinden.

Format und Fristen

• Abstract-Länge: max. 500 Wörter
• Einreichungsfrist: 31. Januar 2026 (Benachrichtigung über Annahme: 31. März 2026)
• Tagungssprache: Deutsch (Beiträge auf Englisch sind ebenfalls willkommen)
• Bitte reichen Sie Ihr Abstract als pdf unter folgende Email-Adresse ein:
  patrick.keilholz@th-nuernberg.de

Organisation
Bei Fragen zur Organisation wenden Sie sich bitte an:
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Patrick Keilholz (patrick.keilholz@th-nuernberg.de)
Technische Hochschule Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm

Den vollständigen Call for Papers finden Sie auf der Veranstaltungswebsite.

19th International Colloquium on Roman Provincial Art 2026
Frankfurt, Mainz, Saalburg, 1–7 June 2026

Deadline for submissions: 20 February 2026

The conference will focus on the stone monuments of the Roman provinces in their various forms, as two- and three-dimensional objects, as carriers of image and text information, and as components of sculptural and architectural ensembles. The aim is to explore the range of meanings conveyed by these monuments as far as possible and to contextualize them in terms of cultural history.

Participants are invited to base their presentations and discussions on one of the following key topics:
- Social mobility
- Dating parameters / questions of chronology
- New discoveries and current topics

Location and time
Frankfurt (Archaeological Museum; Goethe University; Roman-Germanic Commission of the German Archaeological Institute), Mainz (Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie) and Saalburg Roman Fort, June 1–7, 2026

Type of posts
Lecture, duration 20 minutes + 10 minutes discussion
Short lecture, duration 10 minutes
Poster contribution, duration 10 minutes

Languages
German, English, French, Italian, Spanish

Deadlines
Participation with lecture/short lecture/poster: abstract (max. 300 words) by February 20, 2026
Participation without lecture: by March 31, 2026, after which there will be an increased conference fee.

Early Career Bursary
Five young colleagues who have submitted the best abstracts will be awarded with an Early Career Bursary. This bursary offers a benefit in the form of free accommodation and use of the library at the Kolleg of the Romano-Germanic Commission (RGK) of the German Archaeological Institute in Frankfurt (the stay could be extended until June 10 at the latest). Please send applications with a cover letter, CV, and abstract to CRPA2026@em.uni-frankfurt.de.

Further information and registration
The conference website will be activated shortly.

Contact
CRPA2026@em.uni-frankfurt.de 

The complete Call for Papers with further information can be found here as PDF-download.

Multilingualism and Identities in the Roman Empire
Conference
Potsdam, 18-20 November 2026

Deadline for submissions: 1 April 2026

The goal of this conference is to bring together scholars working on different cultural and linguistic aspects of the multilingual society of the Roman Empire, in order to investigate how the Greek language, in its interaction with the other languages written and spoken within the Roman Empire, was deployed and performed as part of a complex cultural discourse and was entangled in the construction of imperial segmentary identities.

Abstracts should be sent via email to: multilingualism@uni-potsdam.de

Important dates
Submission: April 1, 2026
Notification of acceptance: April 15, 2026
Conference: November 18–20, 2026

Organizing Committee
Sara Chiarini
Hannah Brandenburg
Ilja A. Seržant
Filippo Carlà-Uhink
Katharina Wesselmann

Contact
multilingualism@uni-potsdam.de

The complete Call for Papers can be found at the conference website.

Classical Thought and the German Reich (1871-1945)
Online, 17th-18th September 2026

Deadline for submissions: 27th February 2026

This conference explores the development of classical thought in Germany from out of this important dispute between Wilamowitz and Nietzsche and within the political context of the unification of the German Reich in 1871, its progress until the First World War, the period of the Weimar Republic from 1919, and the rise and fall of National Socialism between 1933 and 1945. Ultimately, this conference asks how and in what ways did the question of Antiquity inform and influence the question of Germany throughout this turbulent period and, simultaneously, how did the German question inform the study and reception of Antiquity?

This conference will take place entirely online on September 17th-18th 2026. If you would like to present a paper at this conference, please send an abstract (300-500 words) to aaron.turner@knappfoundation.ac.uk by Friday 27th February 2026. Notifications will be sent out by mid-April.

Conference Organiser 
Aaron Turner (Knapp Foundation/Royal Holloway, University of London)
aaron.turner@knappfoundation.ac.uk   

The complete Call for Papers can be found here as a PDF-Download.

Intellectual Interaction Between Paganism and Christianity
Postgraduate Workshop
Bonn, 26-27 June 2026

Deadline for Submissions: 31 March 2026

This pagan presence challenged, provoked or inspired intellectual interaction with it. In most cases it could not simply be ignored. The ways that Christian authors dealt with it were very different: Assimilation, condemnation or reinterpretation are among the most common approaches. But some authors might not even have considered the dichotomy to be problematic, and thus engaged with paganism in a casual manner even though this (at least for our conceptions) was not in accordance with their public function.

Within the scope of this postgraduate workshop we ask you to present thoughts and cases on those intellectual interactions. PhD students and recent PhD holders from all fields that study the Imperial Roman Era and Late Antiquity are welcome to apply. Chances are that you have been confronted with these discourses in your texts as well while working on your dissertation. We encourage you to send in short proposals for case-study oriented presentations (20-30 minutes) on this topic. Every presentation will be followed by a discussion on the presented case among early-career peers that will lead to a broader understanding of this complex phenomenon.

A proposal can be sent until the 31.03.26 to Gregor Kirilov (gkirilov@uni-bonn.de) or Jacob Bernitzki (jbernitz@uni-bonn.de). It should not exceed 500 words and must be (like the presentation itself) in English. The workshop itself will be held on the 26th and 27th of June at the University of Bonn. Further information about scheduling will be sent to all participants after the evaluation of the proposals. We aim to secure additional funding to cover travel expenses and accommodation but applicants are strongly encouraged to seek compensation from their home university.

Organisation
Gregor Kirilov (gkirilov@uni-bonn.de)
Jacob Bernitzki (jbernitz@uni-bonn.de)

Den vollständigen Call for Papers finden Sie hier als PDF-Download.