From Steve Batiuk <15icaane@tsu.ge>:linebreak=====================linebreaklinebreak15th International Congress on the Archaeology on the Ancient Near East, Tbilisi 4-8 May 2027linebreaklinebreakFIRST CIRCULARlinebreakThe Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University and the Georgian National Museum are proud to organize the 15th ICAANE from 4th to 8th May 2027. We are honored to welcome participants from around the world to Tbilisi, a city that bridges East and West and offers a unique historical and cultural backdrop for meaningful scholarly exchange.linebreaklinebreakThe congress themes have been selected in an attempt to represent the current breadth and urgency of global challenges and research perspectives in the Archaeology of the Near East and the Caucasus. As the first venue outside of Schengen Europe, the participation of our scholarly community from the Near East will be especially encouraged. At the same time, we encourage you to thoroughly explore the dynamic culture of Tbilisi. A Second Circular will be sent in July with all registration and practical details (early bird fees etc.).linebreaklinebreakOur e-mail contact address 15icaane@tsu.ge is presently active, with the website to follow by the second week of June 2026. We will be grateful if you can please circulate this announcement through your contacts and social media.linebreaklinebreak15th ICAANE THEMES (see http://www.15icaane.tsu.ge/ for their extended descriptions once it is available online in the second week of June 2026). All contributing participants have to follow the UNESCO convention of 1970.linebreaklinebreak1. Excavations and Survey Reports.linebreak2. Transitions and Transformations: Methodologies for Defining the Dynamics of Cultural Change between the Chalcolithic and the Achaemenid periods.linebreak3. Environment, Landscape & Climate Transformations.linebreak4. Political Organization, Urbanism & Settlement Patternslinebreak5. Metallurgy, Craft & Trade Networks: The crossroads of Exchanges in Technology, Minerals and Finished Products.linebreak6. Mortuary Practices, Ritual Landscapes & Identity.linebreak7. Scripts and Shifts: Cultural Innovation and Transformation.linebreak8. Islamic Archaeology.linebreak9. Genomic, Biological & Bioarchaeological New Perspectives and thes Broader View.linebreak10. Cultural Heritage & Museum: Ethics, Technologies & Public Engagement.linebreak11. Teaching Archaeology: The Dig as a Field School for Didactic and TraininglinebreaklinebreakPAPERS AND POSTERS SUBMISSIONlinebreakSubmission of papers and posters will be possible online between August 20th and September 20th, 2026. All speakers are requested to observe a 20 minute limit for their papers. Speakers are allowed to give one lecture only.linebreaklinebreakPreliminarily accepted papers and posters will be communicated to the organizers by October 31st 2026. It is mandatory that all contributing participants register themselves before December 1st 2026 in order that the proposed paper or poster gets confirmed status. All speakers and presenters of posters must be registered for the congress (i.e. at least the first presenting name).linebreaklinebreakWORKSHOPSlinebreakThe Organizing Committee of the 15th ICAANE welcomes the proposal of workshops by congress participants. Proposals will be accepted after evaluation by the 15th ICAANE Scientific Advisory Board. Here follow the details:linebreaklinebreakTHEMES: We strongly encourage the proposals of workshops dealing with the congress themes which will be integrated (and marked as such) within the theme schedule keeping the workshop papers together, with the chair of the relevant session(s) assigned to the workshop organizers. Proposals dealing with themes other than the official ones will be organized in separate sessions and, likely, spaces.linebreaklinebreakPARTICIPANTS AND PAPERS: Proposals must include the names of at least 6 speakers, and no more than 12 participants for each workshop. Each paper should not exceed 20 min plus 10 min for discussion.linebreaklinebreakDURATION: Workshops cannot last more than one day.linebreaklinebreakDOCUMENTS FOR SUBMISSION: Proposals for workshops should be submitted to the organizers by email including a description of the workshop topic and aims (1000 characters min, 1500 max) and the titles and abstracts of at least 6 speakers.linebreaklinebreakDEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF WORKSHOP PROPOSALS: September 20th, 2026.linebreaklinebreakCONFIRMATION OF WORKSHOPS: Preliminarily accepted workshops will be communicated to the organizers by October 31st 2026. It is mandatory that all participants of a given workshop register themselves before December 1st 2026 in order that the proposed workshop gets confirmed status. Organizers will thus take care of informing participants about this stringent deadline.linebreak