International Symposium on Archaeometry
The International Symposium on Archaeometry meets at different host locations every two years. This five-day conference is attended by several hundred scholars in the fields of archaeology, anthropology, art history, conservation, museology, materials science, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, geophysics, geology, etc., from all over the world.
In its broadest sense, archaeometry represents the interface between archaeology and the natural and physical sciences. This interdisciplinary field involves close collaboration between archaeologists, art historians, curators, conservators, and scientists who apply modern instrumental techniques to objects to extract technological, cultural, and historical information from objects and archaeological/historical contexts. Applications range from archaeological fieldwork to conservation of museum objects and historic monuments, including such topics as bone chemistry, technological and provenance studies, prospection and geoarchaeology, advanced dating techniques, and art forgery.
The conference is directed by an international Standing Committee, chaired by Yannis Maniatis at the Laboratory of Archaeometry, Athens, Greece. There are no concurrent sessions, allowing all participants to hear the entire program. Posters are given unusual prominence, with two separate 2-3 hour blocks of time devoted to poster viewing and discussion when no oral sessions are in progress.
Standard sessions for posters and papers include:
- Ceramics, glazes, glass and vitreous materials (technology and provenance)
- Stone, plaster, and pigments (technology and provenance)
- Metals and metallurgical ceramics (technology and provenance)
- Bioarchaeology
- Archaeo-chronometry
- Field archaeology
- Human-Environment Interactions
- Integrated sites studies
In addition, each symposium usually has one or more special theme sessions or sub-sections (e.g. "Micro-nano diagnostics and ancient technology" and "Food preparation and consumption in antiquity "at the Siena 2008 conference).
The next Symposium will be held May 10-14, 2010, in Tampa, Florida. Special theme session: Isotopic Analysis of Human Skeletal Remains. Abstract deadline: December 1, 2009.
Previous symposia:
- Siena, Italy (2008)
- Quebec City, Canada (2006)
- Beijing, China (2005)
- Zaragoza, Spain (2004)
- Amsterdam, the Netherlands (2002)
- Mexico City, Mexico (2000)
- Budapest, Hungary (1998)
- Urbana, Illinois (1996) Program
- Ankara, Turkey (1994)
- Los Angeles, California (1992)
- Heidelbery, Germany (1990)
- Toronto, Canada (1988)
- Athens, Greece (1986)
- Washington, DC (1984)
- Naples, Italy (1983)
- Bradford, England (1992)
- New York, New York (1981)
For more information on ISA meetings and for related
professional
societies and archaeometric facilities,
check the homepage of the
Society for Archaeological
Sciences.