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
15 Dec: Official invite and papers for the Annual Meeting have gone out to EAC members and working group members by email. Please use the link provided in the email to register for the Annual Meeting if you wish to attend in person or online.
We may reopen in person registration to interested colleagues who are not EAC members at a later date if numbers allow.
If you wish to register for online attendance at the symposium only, EAC members and other interested colleagues can do so using this link.
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.
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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, so it is necessary for us to prioritise the attendance of EAC members and working group members.
NEW: The hosts are offering online access to the event to increase access, and this option is available to all. Spanish/ English translation will also be available.
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).
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The concept note and call for papers can be downloaded using the button below. Please note that the call for papers has now closed, and we will be in touch with those people who submitted abstracts soon.
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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.
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Santander is the nearest international airport, and there are train connections via Madrid. Detailed information about travel and accomodation options can be downloaded using the link.
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.
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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.
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Key dates
14 October
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3 November
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15 December
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15 December
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23 February
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9 March
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19 March
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Call for papers opens
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Registration opens for EAC members​
Online registration opens for non-EAC members
Call for papers closes
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Programme announced
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Registration closes
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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.
© Tobiasz BuÅ‚ynko, National Institute of Cultural Heritage