HOW TO JOIN LIVE SESSIONS VIRTUALLY
- Joining live sessions is very straightforward Please follow the steps here.
- WAC-9 Congress will be organized in a hybrid format using Zoom platform (www.zoom.us).
- Virtual sessions, submission forms (for submitting PowerPoint presentations, pre-recorded talks and e-posters), and registration for the congress are accessible through the User zone using the same username and password.
- You will be able to join all virtual sessions through the congress website after logging in to the USER ZONE.
- You will not receive any join links by e-mail.
- Support – If you are unable to join the session, please contact us at wac-9-programme@guarant.cz.
Instructions for presenters are available here.
The WAC-9 Programme is available here.
Photo Gallery is available here.
Details for the excursions on 6 July are available here.
WELCOME ADDRESSES
Welcome Address from the president of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Dear colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am very pleased to welcome you on behalf of the Czech Academy of Sciences to the ninth World Archaeological Congress, which after many years is returning to Europe, right to its heart, to Prague. It shows that Prague is not only a traditional city of European culture and a crossroads of European history, but it is also becoming a favourite and inspiring meeting place for scientists from around the world.
Czech and Central European archaeology has a tradition of more than two hundred years, and all the time, it plays an important role in the family of social sciences and humanities. Today, perhaps more than ever before, archaeology is an important source of our knowledge and understanding of historical processes and human behaviour. Humankind is currently facing a range of threats in the form of pandemic diseases, wars and climate change, and archaeology is one of the scientific disciplines that can help us to see what was going on in the past, and to cope with such challenges in future.
It is a pleasure for me that the global archaeological community is gathering in Prague, represented by delegates from more than 60 countries. I trust that you will be impressed by the enormous historical potential of Prague and our country, and that it will become an inspiring backdrop for your scientific discussions.
I wish your congress success, and you personally many pleasant scientific and social experiences. Have a nice time in summer Prague!
Eva Zažímalová
President of Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic
Global archaeology, the study of civilizations and the modern world
Does archaeology actually (still?) matter? Or does it show itself more relevant than ever? I do not doubt that archaeology may become a strategic science for this century.
Why is that? The answer is rather simple. Archaeology is able, to detect, analyse, and interpret long-term trends and evolutionary trajectories of any given society or civilization from its beginning, through its rise and apogee, to its crisis, transformations, and then new beginning and rise. Piecing together “tiles of knowledge” provided by natural and technical sciences together with those from social sciences, archaeology may be likened to a tiled window(s) such as those genuine and unique ones created by Marc Chagall in the cathedral of Reims.
When we take a look at the several imaginary seconds that form the histories and fates of civilizations within the whole existence of our planet, we will find that the relations between people, ideas of a few individuals, available resources, and the way how the people have been able to cope with the environment that surrounded them and with its changes in the time, is precisely the focal point in which human conscience and forces of nature meet and merge. Leadership is one of the firm parts of this data pool. Any and every society and civilization of the Past faced and solved similar if not identical challenges: their rise and fall, present or absent leadership, the roles of the elites, preservation of the social contract, presence or lack of common goals and visions, social identity, religion and the symbolical world, available sources of energy and the attained technological level, changing environment, and rise or drop of complexity. We know them all from our world. It appears that the impact and virtue of all these factors can be generalized in the following seven laws which limit and define every known society and civilization including our own:
I. The law of collapse and regeneration
All societies and civilizations are limited in time and space. There is usually a conflict at the beginning and the end. Their collapse does not mean extinction, but a significant transformation, where the existing society or civilization usually transforms into another one.
II. The law of a leap-change
Principal changes in the development of societies and civilizations usually happen sudden, leaps rather than linear progression. Their way of functioning completely changes during these leaps.
III. The Heraclitus law
What has led society and civilization to the top usually also causes its crisis.
IV. The law of shared values and visions
Each society and civilization is based on collectively shared values, visions, and implicit law.
V. The social contract law
Each civilization and society necessitates for its stable existence a functional social contract based on the cooperation between individual parts of the society. Representatives of the so-called elites have a significant influence on their quality and character.
VI. The law of energy and technological determination
The development of each society and civilization is determined by technologies and energy resources. Society and civilization are not able to grow or maintain their complexity without objectively accessible energy.
VII. The law of adaptation
The rate of the ability of society and civilization to adapt to changes in the natural environment decides its rate of success.
For good or bad, we are now in many ways also a different civilization than those that preceded us. It does not mean that we are inevitably better in all basic aspects. We are global in scale, we have attained an unparalleled level of technology, advancements in science, and knowledge. We also tend to make a frequent mistake that we equate all of this with wisdom, which is understandably not the case.
What I believe, is that archaeology is a powerful tool to understand what we are and where we stand, from where we come, and where we are heading to. For the first time, we do not have to end up like all those before us as the seven laws outlined above are quite well understood and known. We, therefore, can see what to do to avoid a collapse (meaning a sudden drop in complexity due to a lack of resources that would make it possible to preserve or even increase the current level of development), or at least to prevent the worst impacts of the looming crisis. To forego ending up like all the civilizations before us, let us respect the resources around us and treat them in such a manner that we do not destroy them, let us build the real knowledge of our world: only this, in connection with scientific and technological progress, can guarantee our future. Basic research plays a crucial role here. Science cannot be managed only based on what is currently useful. In history, we have often witnessed ancient discoveries that found application only when their time arrived. Also, we shouldn’t forget that all we can see in our past is the result of concrete people and leadership of but a few. Our Past, as archaeology demonstrates, is also the result of faith and visions which make us so human and able to overcome even the worst challenges. We can see it in the past, we can see it now, and we will see it in the future. I strongly believe that the World Archaeological Congress in Prague will provide plenty of demonstrations for this claim.
Miroslav Bárta
WAC-9 Honorary President
A Word from the President of the World Archaeological Congress
Nowadays, it is a truism to say that the world is in crisis, and the discipline of archaeology, firmly situated in the contemporary world, is meant to be in crisis, too. However, it is not necessarily the case; in reaction to the relentless expansion of hyper-capitalist economy-led globalization and the exacerbation of postcolonial problems, Archaeology with Capital A has been reorganizing itself by proactively ‘localizing’ itself into an increasing number of ‘archaeologies’ differentiated along with issues concerning inequality, discrimination, injustices, destruction of cultural heritage and identities, and infringement of basic human rights generated by the deepening crisis.
World Archaeological Congress was founded in 1986, when problems generated and exacerbated by the crisis began to be felt as something which we the citizens of the world, including archaeologists, could no longer ignore. The accelerating pace of globalization, on the one hand, was intensifying inequality and discrimination, and on the other, was raising global awareness of human suffering. Our global archaeological community, the World Archaeological Congress, or ‘WAC’, was formed specifically in line with the UN condemnation of the then apartheid regime of the Republic of South Africa. However, retrospectively, the birth of WAC can be recognized to have been a part of the global movement responding to rising problems that hyper-capitalism and globalization led to.
36 years on, the situation remains to be critical. In some ways, problems have deepened. Widening economic, social, cultural and political gaps and inequalities within and between human groups and communities of all kinds, ranging from individual families, genders, and countries, to global regions, are destabilizing our ontological security, fuelling hatred, and resulting in all sorts of extremism. Unchecked exploitation of natural resources, insufficient regulation of industrial productions, and the endless march of irresponsible consumerism are threatening the survival of living species, including human beings.
What can we do? I would like to say we can do a lot. The ideals, causes and objectives of WAC, many of which were regarded as irrelevant to archaeology when it was founded back in 1986, have now firmly become common principles to be complied with and drawn upon in doing good archaeologies. Locally-rooted archaeological practices are increasingly involved in proactive movements to protect local heritage, local environment and local identities. Such local movements are increasingly situated in global movements to protect the well-being of our lived world.
Prague is a fitting place for us to gather, examine how far we have come, and together think and imagine which directions we shall move and what we will be able to do for the betterment of archaeologies and the betterment of the world; Prague has witnessed many human struggles and endeavours to protect and further human freedom and basic human rights, some of which were defeated and some of which were won.
I am looking forward to welcoming you to Prague, and sharing our ideas, imaginations and dreams for the futures of archaeologies!
Koji Mizoguchi
President of the World Archaeological Congress
Welcome to WAC-9 Prague – Welcome Address from the WAC-9 Academic Secretary
Dear WAC Members, dear colleagues!
36 years after its birth in Southampton, the World Archaeological Congress has come back to Europe having grown into a highly influential world organization. However, the way to Prague was not straight forward. In March 2020, when we were finalizing preparations, 172 academic sessions were approved by the Scientific Committee and over 1200 WAC members submitted their papers. Then the Covid-19 pandemic started, and everything suddenly froze.
All we could do at the time was to hope that schools would reopen, planes would start flying, and that we would meet again and further develop our friendship. We now know that it was a historic lesson that alerted us to the vulnerability of global travel and that the opportunities we had previously taken for granted could be dramatically truncated in a week. Globally, we have gone through restrictions, fears, and tragedies.
WAC-9 was first postponed until 2021; it was a difficult but inevitable decision, but it also contained the hope that we would soon see a light at the end of the dark tunnel, such as vaccine, a cure, and a solution that would return life to the way it used to be before the pandemic. However, the Coronavirus was indeed a powerful adversary and we had no choice but to postpone our meeting for another year until 2022. This was already a really serious limitation for our community and many of us lost contact and desire in the global meeting. Many sections were withdrawn, many organizers lost interest, some changed or lost their jobs. Life is different than we were used to.
Hopefully, we have come out of the two pandemic years strengthened. We have learned how to communicate virtually, and for many international projects and conferences, online collaboration is a great asset. Yes, even conferences and congresses will not be the same as before. People still prefer face-to-face contact and we are starting to travel again, but for a global community like WAC, virtual communication is an essential part of the future. Perhaps we will also appreciate the opportunities for face-to-face meetings and friendships even more. Only time will tell what the future of our communication will be.
After two years of fighting the Coronavirus, however, another global problem has emerged in Putin's imperialism, which is not only committing genocide in a sovereign European country, but threatening the existence of the whole of humankind with irresponsible and totally unjustifiable threats to use nuclear weapons. The consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine are yet to demonstrate their full global effects, though we already witness how the global commodity markets are being destabilised by this war.
Calling the war in Ukraine a local European conflict is mistake, as many countries worldwide are already indirectly involved; the impact of the irresponsible Russian intervention will influence the global food crisis. Very soon, far reaching consequences will be especially felt in vulnerable countries in Africa and the Middle East that depend on wheat supplies from Ukraine.
Here, in Czech Republic, the war in Ukraine feels very close, and its impacts can be observed as you visit Prague. As of June 2022, 4% of current residents in Czech Republic are Ukrainian refugees. As with other Central/Eastern European countries, ordinary citizens are sheltering refugees in our homes, fundraising for displaced people, and supporting colleagues and students who remain in Ukraine.
The pandemic and the war are features of Prague WAC-9. The number of participants is considerably lower than in previous congresses. The WAC Council even decided not to hold the General Assembly here given such limited possibilities of travel and communication. But let’s be positive about our meeting! We survive, and we prove our global archaeological community is able to sustain and continue for many years to come.
Let’s enjoy the opportunity to meet, in person or virtually through screens of computers. Let’s enjoy the unique atmosphere of Prague, which has always been a multicultural and multilingual crossroad of Central Europe. The atmospheric streets of Prague hide amazing subterranean relics of the medieval city, some of which are still waiting to be discovered. The Czech Capital is the city of St. Wenceslaus, and has spirit of Franz Kafka and Václav Havel.
This special event offers us the opportunity to share the results of our research and discuss the role of archaeology and the state of world heritage in the current globalized world. It mediates discussion on professional training and public education for disadvantaged nations, groups, and communities. The voices of representatives of different Indigenous groups are welcomed in Prague.
WAC-9 simply brings the clear statement: we want to continue our global communication and we will never give up!
Yours Sincerely
Jan Turek
WAC-9 Academic Secretary
Statements
WAC-9 2022 hybrid format
WAC-9 Congress will be organized in a hybrid format. Both presenters and audience will be able to participate either physically - in-person or remotely – virtually. Virtual participants will be able to join using Zoom platform (www.zoom.us)
Virtual participants of the WAC-9 Congress will have online access to all parts of the scientific program via Zoom.
During the congress, lectures will be in the form of live sessions. The remote audience will have the opportunity to interact with the speakers orally or via written Q&A.
For informal group discussion, chat platform will be available.
Technical requirements for the Zoom platform through which the virtual portion of the congress will be organized as well as instructions for lecturers and audience will be published on the official website progressively in due course.
Statement of the WAC-9 Local Organizing Committee on the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Prague 7th June 2022
The Russian aggression against Ukraine supported by Belarus is causing a great damage to human lives, state infrastructure and historical heritage. The entirety of this massive armed conflict was initiated by the President and Government of the Russian Federation. In addition to genocidal damage to human lives, Ukrainian national heritage is being destroyed in an effort to enforce Russian national cultural dominance over common historical roots, and to falsely rewrite the history of the entire region. Most of the government-appointed Russian university presidents have issued statements of support for the so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine, which is effectively supporting the Russian aggression against the sovereign country and its citizens.
Many Ukrainian colleagues are currently unable to engage in academic or heritage work in their country. Many are defending their country, and men aged 18–60 cannot leave Ukraine. Others have fled the war abroad and the results of their work and their cultural heritage are being destroyed.
Therefore, we recommend to colleagues, of any nationality, who are currently affiliated with state funded Academic and Heritage Institutions in the Russian Federation and Belarus, to not attend the 9th Archaeological Congress in Prague.
Jan Turek
WAC-9 Academic Secretary
Supporting documents
The WAC-9 LOC Statement is following the recommendation by the President of the Academy of Sciences Eva Zažímalová and representatives of the Czech Rectors Conference, the Council of Universities and its student chamber, the Czech Science Foundation, as well as Ministry Minister of Science, Research and Innovation and Minister of Education:
“In view of the current aggression of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine, we recommend that Czech research institutes suspend or terminate institutional forms of cooperation with Russian or Belarusian research institutions”. (Prague, 1st March 2022)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic on visa policy towards the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus:
The government of the Czech Republic, in connection with the military aggression of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine, orders, with effect from 1 April 2022, for the duration of the state of emergency:
1. to stop accepting applications for visas and permits for long-term and permanent residence at embassies of the Czech Republic submitted by nationals of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus,
2. stop accepting applications for visas and permits for long-term and permanent residence at embassies of the Czech Republic submitted by foreign nationals referred to in Article 3 of Act No 65/2022 Coll., on certain measures in connection with the armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine caused by the invasion of the Russian Federation,
3. to stop accepting applications for visas and permits for long-term and permanent residence at embassies of the Czech Republic submitted by foreigners who have been granted temporary protection pursuant to Act No 65/2022 Coll, on certain measures in connection with the armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine caused by the invasion of the Russian Federation troops, or they have been granted temporary protection in another Member State of the European Union following Council Decision (EU) 2022/382 of 4 March 2022 determining that there is a case of mass influx of displaced persons from Ukraine within the meaning of Article 5 of Directive 2001/55/EC and establishing temporary protection for them,
4. to suspend proceedings on applications for visas and permits for long-term or permanent residence submitted by nationals of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus to the embassies of the Czech Republic.
VISIT US ON
IMPORTANT DATES
June 1, 2021
Session proposal submission re-opened
November 15, 2021
Session proposal submission deadline
January 3, 2022
Notification of the accepted/rejected session proposals
January 3, 2022
Session abstracts announced & Call for paper/poster submissions
March 2022
Registration re-opened
March 21, 2022
April 21, 2022
Abstract submission deadline
May 11, 2022
Early registration fee deadline
May 30, 2022
Abstract acceptance/rejection notification to authors
June 3, 2022
Presenting author’s registration deadline
June 19, 2022
Late registration fee deadline
July 3–8, 2022
WAC-9
31 January, 2022
Dear WAC members and aspired WAC-9 Prague 2022 participants,
Greetings, and thank you very much indeed for considering to participate in the Ninth World Archaeological Congress under such difficult circumstances induced by the COVID pandemic. As you know through the announcement by the Local Organizing Committee on 5 January 2022 (see below), we have decided to hold the Congress in a hybrid format. The Local Organizing Committee and the Council are together working hard to make both the in-person and online participation experience as stimulating and enriched as possible.
One of the issues which require our very careful consideration is the registration fees. It is undeniable that those who choose, or rather, in these difficult times, are forced to participate online cannot be provided with a range of things that the in-person participants are provided with and enjoy, in addition to the atmosphere and other benefits the in-person experience brings. The Local Organizing Committee is doing its utmost to compensate it by setting up virtual coffee rooms and other virtual facilities. In order to put in place a state-of-the-art online conferencing infrastructure for such online facilities realized, as at the same time in order to make sure that the Congress is budgetary healthy and the fee as low and proper as possible, both the Local Organizing Committee and the Council are doing utmost to secure fundings, including external ones. The calculation to achieve such balance, the balance between the quality of the in-person and online participation experiences, the costs, and the registration fees, is taking time which we did not expect.
We are still considering the best fee structure possible from all the angles possible, and that forces us to ask you to allow us to postpone the start of the formal registration for 10 days, until 11 February 2022.
On behalf of the Council and the Local Organizing Committee, I profusely apologize for the inconveniences this postponement will cause, and I beg you your understanding.
Sincerely yours
Koji Mizoguchi
President of the World Archaeological Congress
WAC-9 HYBRID CONGRESS 2022 WELCOMES YOU ALL!
Prague 5 January 2022
Dear WAC members, dear colleagues, and friends,
We are extremely honoured and excited to welcome you to WAC-9 (3–8 July 2022), the World Archaeological Congress in Prague (Czech Republic).
The WAC-9 Congress will be a Hybrid Event: meaning there will be both an In-person congress in Prague alongside with a Virtual congress through our dedicated Virtual platform.
With an appealing and fully integrated scientific programme, we hope to see many of you in Prague. For those who are not yet able to travel due to COVID-19, this hybrid congress can be followed remotely.
IN-PERSON CONGRESS IN PRAGUE
We are very confident that the In-person Congress will take place as planned. It is impossible to fully replicate the richness, chance encounters, and energizing atmosphere of an In-person congress.
We are aware of the current OMICRON variant problems we believe there will be a much better situation in July that will allow us to meet again, providing a safe environment for all delegates will be our top priority.
We’ve heard the word hybrid over and over lately. But what does it mean for WAC-9?
- A hybrid event combines in-person and virtual event experiences, tailored to the WAC-9 audience for optimal experiences (we design our platform to be easy to navigate through and to give you the closest feeling of attending our face-to-face meeting.)
- A hybrid meeting refers to the physical location of participants. In a hybrid meeting, a subset of the people attending the individual sessions is located together in the same place. Other participants join the meeting by online platform. The session can be organized virtually, but it will be always accessible for the on-site participants. The on-site sessions will be organized with courtesy to time-difference of virtual organizers if applicable.
To help WAC-9 participants retain and extend their learning beyond the congress dates, recorded sessions and e-posters of authors (with their consent) will be available via the WAC-9 website.
Registration will re-open on 1 February 2022. We are aware of the complex situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, so this will be taken into account when publishing registration fees and launching online registration.
The life with the COVID-19 pandemic brings many problems into our communication and travel opportunities. The situation is changing week by week and we all must be flexible in our planning and decisions, thus the WAC-9 LOC is offering you an extended time for your decision. You can register in February as in-person or online participant and if necessary easily change your registration to virtual or on-site one as late as May/June 2022, simply without any charges.
We are convinced that the Prague Congress will provide participants with a unique opportunity to intensify collaboration, establish new connections among attendees and to absorb cultural atmosphere of Prague, its hospitality and friendliness.
Looking forward to meeting all of you in Prague in 2022!
Jan TurekWAC-9 Academic Secretary
11 December 2020
Dear Participants,
With much regret, and in response to the recommendation made by the WAC-9 LOC, as the result of the continued COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic and the uncertainty and unpredictability of its unfolding, the Council of the World Archaeological Congress has unanimously endorsed the further postponement of the Ninth World Archaeological Congress. The WAC-9 will now be held a year later from the originally postponed date, between 3 and 8 July 2022 in Prague, Czech Republic. Disappointing as this may be, but we had to prioritize your safety while still keeping the constitutive characteristics/pillars of WAC as a democratic archaeological world community alive. We are also exploring the possibility of organizing an online pre-congress, and possibly, separate online inter-congress(es) sometime next year. We shall keep you informed of the progress of those matters as much as possible.
Please see the information below for further information regarding your further actions.
Registration
We offer you one of the following options:
- Stay with us: Fully paid registration fee will be moved to the new dates under the same conditions.
If you choose to stay, we offer you the following:
– we guarantee your current registration fee rate even if the fees change in the future for new participants
– free name change until June 4, 2022 - Those who opt-out and confirm their cancellation by e-mail at wac-9@guarant.cz will be refunded for the registration fee in full less 30 EUR manipulation fee. The deadline is March 3, 2022.
- Make move as Opt-out: To those who will not cancel their registration until the deadline March 3, 2022 we will automatically move their registration fee to the new dates.
- Cancellation after the deadline March 3, 2022, the following cancellation will apply:
from March 4, 2022 until May 3, 2022: 50% of the registration fee
from May 4, 2022: no refund
Congress Secretariat
GUARANT International spol. s r. o.
Phone: +420 284 001 444
E-mail: wac-9@guarant.cz
14 October 2020
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
On 19 March 2020, the WAC Council took a difficult decision of postponing WAC-9, originally scheduled to take place between 5 and 10 July 2020 for one year to 4–9 July 2021. Retrospectively, we had not yet fully realized how unpredictable and dangerous this novel Coronavirus actually was. Since then, the virus has fully revealed its elusive and deadly character and has inflicted tremendous harm to human lives and confusion, disturbance and destructions to our communities and our societies. Now, many countries and regions of the world are entering into or already in the middle of the second wave of its spread, and various measures that involve the restriction of face-to-face meetings, that some of us experienced in the form of the ‘lockdown’ of society at the height of the first wave, are considered or have already been re-implemented. Worsening of the situation is feared as the northern hemisphere is heading for the winter, but no one knows exactly how the situation will become nor how long before the pandemic will have been contained to the extent that allows us to resume ‘normal’ lifeways including international traveling.
With much regret, and in response to the recommendation made by the WAC-9 LOC, as the result of the continued COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic and the uncertainty and unpredictability of its unfolding, the Council of the Archaeological Congress has unanimously endorsed the further postponement of the Ninth World Archaeological Congress, which was re-scheduled to be held in Prague, Czech Republic, between 4 and 9 July 2021.
As a result of the further postponement, the WAC-9 will now be held a year later from the originally postponed date, between 3 and 8 July 2022 in Prague, Czech Republic.1 This endorsement was not reached lightly. We looked into a range of possibilities, including organizing WAC-9 completely online and holding it in 2021. However, the most important constitutive characteristic of WAC as a democratic archaeological world community obliged us to retain the in-person component of the Congress for the purpose of organizing the Assembly, that comprises of the representatives elected from all participating countries and has power to change the statutes, elect the Executive Officers, and decide the venue of the next International Congress. Disappointing as this may be, but we had to prioritize your safety while still keeping the constitutive characteristics/pillars of WAC as a democratic archaeological world community alive.
We are still discussing with the LOC as to how to respond to various challenges and needs to reduce the inconveniences caused by this further postponement. A package of measures shall be announced as soon as the decision will have been made.
We are also exploring the possibility of organizing an online pre-congress, and possibly, separate online inter-congress(es) sometime next year. We shall keep you informed of the progress of those matters as much as possible.
This virus transcends animal and human boundaries, spreads across all the socio-cultural, -economic, -political and -ethnic boundaries, and that divides and closes down human society. This virus spreads through the infrastructural systems of globalization and destroys global solidarity. This virus is itself a contradiction, and therefore embodies and exposes the contradiction of this world. I, on the capacity of the President, thank you very much indeed for your understanding and patience, and plea for your commitment to make WAC-9 2022 an arena for sharing ideas for and discussing about better archaeologies for the (hopefully post-COVID-19) future.
Sincerely yours
Koji Mizoguchi
President of the World Archaeological Congress
1 The International Congress (see Article 6 of the Statutes https://worldarch.org/statutes/) is one of the most important pillars defining WAC’s existence as a democratic world archaeological community. The Assembly, which is held during the International Congress, is our highest decision-making body. Comprised of the representatives elected from all participating countries, the Assembly has power to change the statutes, elect the Executive Officers, and decide the venue of the next International Congress. To further highlight the significance of the International Congress, the final plenary held at the end of each International Congress discusses and adopts resolutions that mandate the WAC Executive and the WAC Council to work towards their implementation while in office. In other words, the WAC speaks through the International Congress to realise its objectives, of the reduction of inequality, and the realisation of social justice through the practice of responsible archaeologies.
WAC-9 FURTHER POSTPONED
Prague 14 October 2020
Dear WAC members, dear colleagues and friends,
On behalf of the WAC-9 LOC I have to regrettably inform you that due to continuing COVID-19 pandemic we have no choice but to change the schedule of the congress once again. The WAC Executive Board and WAC Council have unanimously endorsed such decision. The new dates for WAC-9 are 3rd – 8th July 2022.
Based on a recent release by the World Health Organisation (WHO) the global number of new cases per week has remained stable at 2 million for the past month (reported situation in mid-October), with a cumulative total of over 34.8 million cases. Over 1 million deaths have now been reported globally, of which the majority were reported in the Region of the Americas (55%), followed by Europe (23%). In the past week, the regions of the Americas, South-East Asia, and Europe account for 91% of new cases. Israel registered the highest incidence of 3717 new cases per 1 million population and the rate is still growing. Globally, the highest percentage of cases have been reported in the 25–39 age group, with approximately 50% of cases in the 25–64 age group. However, the percentage of deaths increases with age, and approximately 75% of deaths are in those aged 65 years and above.
In several countries, the number of new cases is rising again, and in many (most notably within the European Region) the second wave is dramatically exceeding previous peaks; this can be partly attributed to enhancements in surveillance capacities over time. In other countries we have seen a gradual decline in new cases from earlier peaks: in August, for example in Brazil, Colombia and Peru. In India and the Philippines, the number of new cases appears to have stabilized, but they are still reporting high numbers. There are also examples of countries that have consistently shown an increasing incidence as their first wave continues; these include Indonesia, Iraq, and Myanmar, although Indonesia is reporting a slight drop this week. South Africa and Australia are examples of countries that have successfully managed to reduce the number of new cases and have seen large reductions from earlier peaks.
So these are the epidemiological facts. Perhaps as much as our physical health is endangered, so is our spiritual wellbeing and psychical stability. So words of wisdom and compassion are needed more than ever: Pope Francis in his ENCYCLICAL LETTER FRATELLI TUTTI (October 3rd 2020) said on fraternity and social friendship: “the COVID-19 pandemic momentarily revived the sense that we are a global community, all in the same boat, where one person’s problems are the problems of all. Once more we realized that no one is saved alone; we can only be saved together. As I said in those days, the storm has exposed our vulnerability and uncovered those false and superfluous certainties around which we constructed our daily schedules, our projects, our habits and priorities”.
While His Holiness Dalai Lama said that the virus "will change basic human nature."
Head of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Gehbreyesus reminds us that: "History will judge us on the decisions we do and don't make in the months ahead. Let's seize the opportunity and bridge national boundaries to save lives and livelihoods."
Hoping for better times and how to bridge the gap.
It is more than obvious that under the current situation it is impossible to organise an on-site face to face congress. After long negotiations we have decided that instead of turning our 2021 congress into something purely virtual, we organize a hybrid WAC-9 in 2022. We hope in two years time the majority of us will be able to attend the global meeting in Prague in person, however for those who for any reason would not be able to travel there will be an online platform for distant participation.
We have been also discussing how to bridge the gap of another year without WAC meeting and so the idea was born to organize a WAC-9 Virtual Pre-congress. This is going to involve several Key-notes emphasizing current issues in global archaeology as well as specialized discussion platforms developing the topics related to the spirit of WAC. This virtual meeting will be also promoting the academic program of WAC-9 2022 and will be accessible free of charge. We will keep you informed about further details soon.
So we have some new WAC events to look forward to!
I wish you all good health and strong faith in a better future!
Yours Sincerely
Jan Turek
WAC-9 Academic Secretary
ANNOUNCEMENT – WAC-9 POSTPONED
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
As you are all aware, the current Coronavirus Pandemic has resulted in strict governmental restrictions to host large gatherings in Prague, and in many other countries. In addition, there are now many global travel restrictions and border closing, as well as movement restrictions within cities and towns. If the current situation extends in time, no Congress or large gathering will be permitted in Prague or elsewhere for an uncertain period of time. Protecting people’s health is now a global priority and it is also our priority.
With much regret, and in response to the recommendation made by the WAC-9 2020 LOC as the result of the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, the Council of the World Archaeological Congress has unanimously endorse the postponement of the Ninth World Archaeological Congress, which was scheduled to be held in Prague, Czech Republic, between 5 and 10 July 2020.
see the full announcement here
WAC-9 GOES DIGITAL
POSTERS – No longer a bridesmaid…!
No more carrying the cumbersome tubes with posters, no more pin-pierced fingers, no more printing and wasting paper! The WAC-9 goes digital.
Consider proposing a poster for WAC-9 2020 Prague
- All poster presentations will be presented digitally on display screens available at the congress venue as well as in the WAC-9 digital application. The latter is an online platform that shall be accessible to registered WAC-9 participants during the congress and for a limited time afterwards.
- As an advantage, while the oral presentations will be available only for a limited audience, your poster will be accessible throughout the congress to every registered participant.
- Using the online system, you can compose and design your own poster, uploading texts, graphs, charts, images, links to your published work and even short video sequences.
- There will be team of specialists ready to offer you technical support.
WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO HELP YOU PRESENTING YOUR RESEARCH AT WAC-9 2020 IN PRAGUE
WELCOME PRAGUE