From Strahil Panayotov <strahil.panayotov@gmail.com>:linebreak=====================linebreaklinebreakFirst Circular. Call for Workshops (30 September 2026)linebreaklinebreakThe Organising Committee of RAI Sofia 2027 cordially invites you to attend the 72nd Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale. The conference will take place from Monday, July 19, to Friday, July 23 2027, in the main building of Sofia University, located in the centre of Sofia (15 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd, 1504, Sofia). It is our great pleasure to announce that this RAI will be devoted to Babylonian medicine and healing arts in general. We invite all scholars who plan to participate to consider how their areas of expertise can contribute to the theme of “Medicine, Health, and Safety in the Ancient Near East.” By bringing together the widest range of perspectives from texts and iconography, reflecting both human and divine spheres (including managing daily life, predicting the future, warding off ghosts and demons, visiting the doctor), we can produce a conference that does justice to and illustrates the role of medicine and healing in ancient Near Eastern societies.linebreaklinebreakWorkshop submissionslinebreaklinebreakThe RAI 72’s Organising Committee is pleased to announce that submissions for workshops are now open. We welcome proposals that address the conference theme, as well as other topics relevant to the Ancient Near East. Please submit workshop proposals by email to rai-sofia@cas.bg by November 10, 2026. The organisers of workshops will be notified by December 10, 2026 – at the latest.linebreaklinebreakWe strongly encourage workshop organisers to issue open calls for participation in order to foster inclusive and collaborative discussions – if possible. The accepted workshops will be included in the general call for papers (the second circular). Each workshop should comprise five 30-minute presentation slots (5 talks, 30 min each). One of these slots — either the first or the last — may be reserved for an introduction or general discussion.linebreaklinebreakWorkshop proposals should include the following information:linebreaklinebreak1. Name(s) of the organiser(s).linebreak2. Organiser(s)’ contact email.linebreak3. Workshop title.linebreak4. A description of the workshop’s objectives and aims – max. 250 words.linebreak5. A preliminary list of three confirmed speakers and proposed presentations, along with any open presentation slots.linebreaklinebreak--- linebreak