Annual Meeting 2026

27th EAC Annual Meeting
Altamira – Santillana del Mar, Spain
19-21 March 2026

Bridging Borders in Heritage Protection: best practice against archaeological crime

The 27th EAC General Assembly and Heritage Symposium will be held on 19-20 March 2026 in Altamira, Santillana del Mar, Spain. The symposium will be followed by an excursion on 21 March 2026.

The event is organised by the Ministry of Culture of Spain, and is hosted by the Museum of Altamira.

Each year, the Symposium is open to EAC members and interested colleagues. It is free of charge to attend but participants must register. The 2026 venue has limited capacity. Registration will be opened for members of EAC organisations and working groups first, and will be opened to others later if space is available.

REGISTER HERE (opens 3 Nov)

Heritage Symposium

The theme of the heritage symposium is 'Bridging Borders in Heritage Protection: towards best practice for prevention of archaeological crime’. The scientific coordinators are Pilar Fatás (Director, Museo de Altamira) and Marta Arcos and Cristina Lafuente (Ministry of Culture of Spain).

The concept note and call for papers can be downloaded using the button below. Guidance for submitting an abstract can also be found using the button below.

DOWNLOAD Concept note/ Call for papers

SUBMIT an abstract

Key information

The Annual Meeting is being held at the Museum of Altamira in Santillana del Mar, Cantabria, northern Spain. We recommend that delegates stay in the nearest town, Santillana del Mar. Transport will be provided from there to the meeting venue each day.

Santander is the nearest international air and rail hub. More travel and accomodation information will be available soon.

The 27th EAC General Assembly and Heritage Symposium will be held on 19-20 March 2026 in Altamira, Santillana del Mar, Spain. The symposium will be followed by an excursion on 21 March 2026.

The event is organised by the Ministry of Culture of Spain, and is hosted by the Museum of Altamira.

Each year, the Symposium is open to EAC members and interested colleagues. It is free of charge to attend but participants must register. The 2026 venue has limited capacity. Registration will be opened for members of EAC organisations and working groups first, and will be opened to others later if space is available.

Host and venue

Venue – Altamira Museum

The National Museum and Research Centre of Altamira is dedicated to the conservation and research of the cave of Altamira, included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the 'Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain'. It is one of the National Museums of Spain, depending on the Ministry of Culture of Spain. The museum’s proposal to visitors is to know Altamira and its context through the Neocave, the reproduction of the cave of Altamira, and a permanent exhibition called The Times of Altamira. It also has a wide program of workshops, temporary exhibitions, and other activities related to archaeology and rock art.

Images © Museo de Altamira

Host – The Ministry of Culture of Spain

The Ministry of Culture is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for the promotion, protection and dissemination of Spanish heritage and culture, national museums, art, literature, cinema and audovisual culture, national archives and libraries. The Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage and Fine Arts is responsible for the protection and management of national cultural assets.

Key dates

14 October

3 November

15 December

1 December

23 February

9 March

19 March

Call for papers opens

Registration opens for EAC members

Registration opens for non-EAC members

Call for papers closes

Programme announced

Registration closes

Annual Meeting

General Assembly and Consilium

The EAC General Assembly and Consilium will take place on Thursday 19 March (9:30am) 2026. Representatives from all EAC member organisations and invited observers are welcome to join us for the General Assembly. Papers for the General Assembly are sent to members via email.