The Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center (STARC) of The Cyprus Institute was honoured to host the 2nd International Congress on Archaeological Sciences in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East (ICAS-EMME 2).

The International Congress took place at CyI’s premises between Tuesday 12th - Thursday 14th of November 2019, and was  co-organised by STARC, the Cyprus American Archaelogical Research Institute (CAARI) and the Archaeological Research Unit (ARU) of the University of Cyprus, and was supported by the Department of Antiquities and the Leventis Foundation.

ICAS-EMME 2 was dedicated to Professor Vassos Karageorghis to mark his recent 90th birthday anniversary.

The Congress brought together more than 150 leading members of the international scientific community of archaeologists, archaeological and heritage scientists, and researchers applying natural, material and computational science methods to archaeology and cultural heritage in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. ICAS-EMME 2, aimed at highlighting recent advances in natural, material and computational science applications to archaeology and cultural heritage in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, and to provide an international academic forum for dissemination of results of current research in these fields in the region.

The geographical scope of the Congress was inclusive, encompassing the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea region, the Middle East including Egypt and Libya, and Southwest Asia including Iran and the Gulf.

The chronological scope will range from the earliest prehistory to medieval and historical periods. Sessions within the Congress included the following: Archaeological Materials; Art Characterisation; Computation in Archaeology; Crops, Food Choices and Landscapes in the Bronze Age; Frontiers in Digital Archaeology; Human Osteoarchaeology and Open Sessions. Additionally, a special session on the SESAME Synchrotron and related research potential for archaeology and cultural heritage was also organised.

The Conference was organised as part of the H2020 Twinning project "Promised: Promoting Archaeological Science in the Eastern Mediterranean" (Grant No 811068).

More information on the conference can be found at https://icasemme2.cyi.ac.cy/

Click here to watch video of the first day of the conference.