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
Deadline for Workshop proposals is 1 December 2025
Deadline for paper abstracts is 15 January 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 (y.heffron@ucl.ac.uk)
Maritime Archaeology
This session brings maritime archaeology into special focus as a distinctive setting of archaeological knowledge.
Organiser: Georgia Andreou (g.andreou@ucl.ac.uk)
Museums & Heritage
This session prioritises heritage and museum studies from the vantage point of knowledge production and consumption.
Organiser: Rachael Sparks (r.sparks@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 (mark.weeden@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 (m.altaweel@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).
WORKSHOPS
We invite proposals for member-organised workshops on any topic on archaeological and related research on ancient West Asia, but those aligned with the conference theme of knowledge production/consumption will be prioritised.
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. We especially encourage proposals for workshops as dynamic settings to accommodate panels/panelists, respondents, or other formats of audience participation beyond simple Q&A.
Workshop proposals must include a title, abstract, and a minimum of 4 confirmed speakers.
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 opens December 2025
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 now introducing a sliding scale payment for registration.
Remember that we also offer grants
Early Bird Registration
until 31 January 2026
Student/Unwaged
£25
until 31 January
PhD
£50
until 31 January
Early Career
£100
until 31 January
Full
£125
until 31 January
Standard Registration
1 February - 1 April 2026
Student/Unwaged
£30
1 February - 1 April
PhD
£60
1 February - 1 April
Early Career
£125
1 February - 1 April
Full
£150
1 February - 1 April