BANEA 2026 Conference
22-24 April - London
Production and Consumption of Knowledge
in the Archaeology of West Asia
The overarching theme of the conference prompts scholars to focus on both ancient as well as modern practices around how archaeological, historical, scientific, and other knowledge is created, curated, and exchanged within as well as outside specialist circles. We especially encourage papers that highlight
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Methodologies of knowledge production and/or consumption in the past and in the study of the past
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Theoretical models of knowledge production in archaeology and related disciplines
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Critical approaches to the history and contemporary practices of knowledge production
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Inclusive perspectives on reciprocal knowledge exchange between scholarly and other communities
Conference registration is now open
The deadline for workshop paper abstracts has been extended to 15 February 2026
CONFERENCE SESSIONS
History & Historiography
This session will be dedicated to research on the histories of archaeology and related disciplines of studying ancient West Asia, as well as historiographical methods and theories. The temporal scope extends into current affairs and recent trends, and we especially encourage papers which explore the politics of archaeology from a knowledge production/consumption perspective.
Organiser: Yağmur Heffron (banea-2026@ucl.ac.uk)
Maritime Archaeology
This session brings maritime archaeology into special focus as a distinctive setting of archaeological knowledge.
Organiser: Georgia Andreou (banea-2026@ucl.ac.uk)
Museums & Heritage
This session prioritises heritage and museum studies from the vantage point of knowledge production and consumption.
Organiser: Rachael Sparks (banea-2026@ucl.ac.uk)
General Session
This is an open session for all papers on any aspect of research on ancient West Asia which fall outside the themes of the first three sessions. We especially encourage papers highlight issues of knowledge production/consumption, but independent topics are equally welcome.
Organiser: Mark Weeden (banea-2026@ucl.ac.uk)
Results & Reports
This session is set aside for site reports from recent field seasons, reports on museum collection studies and scientific analyses which focus principally on presenting fresh data, new findings, and preliminary results. Papers will be grouped by general region and arranged in broad chronological order.
Organiser: Mark Altaweel (banea-2026@ucl.ac.uk)
Session format
Session blocs will last 120 minutes, which will include presentation time and Q&A for 4 research papers and general discussion at the end.
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Speakers will have at least 20 minutes to present, followed by a 5-minute Q&A specifically for their paper.
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A 20-minute general discussion will conclude each session.
It is at the discretion of the speakers if they wish to use the full 25 minutes allocated to them for their presentation and take questions during the general discussion. It is the responsibility of Chairs to keep speakers to time (NB Chairs may resort to any means they consider necessary to do so; BANEA has no standing policy on the use of screen black-outs, klaxons, or vaudeville hook).
POSTERS
In addition to regular presentations, we are offering poster presentations for BANEA 2026; these can relate to any of the conference themes or other current research. At least one of the poster authors should attend the conference in person.
Posters will be displayed during the conference, and a special poster session will be scheduled where authors can stand next to their posters to discuss their work with conference attendees. There will be a prize for the best poster.
Posters should be no larger than A0 size.
The deadline for posters is March 15, 2026. A poster submission form will be added to the website soon.
WORKSHOPS
The conference will include five member-organised workshops, on the following themes:
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Revisiting Knowledge Production in the Study of the Early Bronze Age Kura-Araxes Culture: Where we stand now?
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Landscapes of Knowledge: Experience, Transmission, and Memory in Ancient South-West Asia
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Scientific and material analysis of inscribed clay
- Mobility in the Ancient Near East: People, Things, Ideas
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Climate Change and Sustainability: Global Agendas, Local Knowledge, and Environmental Legacies in MENA. Organiser: Georgia Andreou (g.andreou@ucl.ac.uk).
Workshops are intended for shorter, more informal deliveries which may be position papers, opinion pieces, appeals to collective wisdom, work-in-progress pilots, and similar. These will be dynamic settings that accommodate panels/panelists, respondents, or other formats of audience participation beyond simple Q&A.
Workshop format
Like Sessions, Workshops are also scheduled to run in 120-minute blocks, but with a format designed to feature shorter papers and a longer discussion.
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A workshop bloc can accommodate up to 7 speakers, each allocated 10-15 minutes leading up to a 45-minute roundtable discussion at the end.
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We recommend scheduling no more than 6 speakers to keep chaos at bay, but the final line-up is left at the discretion of the workshop organiser/s.
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We accept proposals for a maximum of two workshop blocs, i.e. 240 minutes total, which can accommodate between 10-14 presentations, the very first of which should be an introduction by the organiser/s.
Registration
Conference registration is now open
BANEA is a non-profit organisation, which means we only charge registration fees to cover the costs of the conference.
We do, however, want to make our conferences as accessible as possible, which is why we are offering a sliding scale payment for registration.
Note that you must be a BANEA member in order to attend the conference.
If affordability of registration costs is a concern, please get in touch with the conference organisers at BANEA-2026@ucl.ac.uk.
Early Bird Registration
until 22 February 2026
You need to be a BANEA Member to register for the Conference.
If you are not a Member yet please choose your membership here
Student/Unwaged
£30
until 22 February
Early Career
£100
until 22 February
Full price
£130
until 22 February
Standard Registration
23 February - 1 April 2026
Student/Unwaged
£45
23 February - 1 April
Early Career
£120
23 February - 1 April
Full price
£150
23 February - 1 April