International Council
for Archaeozoology

International Conferences

Once every four years ICAZ hosts an International Conference during which Individual Members in good standing have the opportunity to communicate aspects of their research by means of lectures, posters, or other forms of presentation considered appropriate by the conference organizers. Presentations by non-members of ICAZ may be invited or accepted by the conference organizers. Conference organizers are free to highlight certain themes of research, but the general program of the meeting is open in order to promote the broadest possible exchange of information among researchers.

A General Meeting, open to all Individual Members in good standing, is held during the ICAZ International Conference. During the meeting general business of ICAZ is conducted. This business may include voting for Officers and for International Committee members as stipulated in the ICAZ Statutes. A report on the ICAZ General Meeting is included in the ICAZ Newsletter following the meeting.

ICAZ 2027- Vancouver, Canada (May 17-22, 2027)

ICAZ 2027 Call for Sessions

The ICAZ 2027 Organizing Committee looks forward to welcoming participants to Vancouver, Canada, for the next meeting of the International Council for Archaeozoology!

The Organising Committee is excited to announce the acceptance of 32 sessions under the ICAZ 2027 conference theme of Interconnections Among Communities Past and Present - Ocean, Land, and Sky. We look forward to welcoming delegates from around the globe to a stimulating and engaging conference in beautiful Vancouver, Canada, May 17-22, 2027.

Session abstracts may be found on the ICAZ 2027 website. The portal for individual presentations is now open. Poster and paper abstracts may be submitted for inclusion in a session via the website or directly through the online submission form in English/en Français. The deadline for individual abstract submission is August 25, 2026, 23:59 PST.

The website also has a complete list of accepted sessions organized across the following themes:

  • Ocean Communities Connected
  • The Public, Stakeholder Engagement and Descendent Community Priorities
  • Transboundary Approaches in Archaeozoology: Across Land and Sea, and Beyond
  • Social Zooarchaeology
  • Old Bones - New Methods - Blue Skies
  • Economy and Domestication
  • Multispecies Worlds

Hybrid delivery is available for select thematic sessions. Attendees will be invited to register for the meeting and choose excursions following the announcement of presentation acceptances in Fall 2026. Additional information on hotel bookings and financial support available for students and reduced rate members will follow.

Please direct questions to ICAZ 2027 email: icaz2027vancouver@gmail.com

ICAZ 2023- Cairns, Australia (August 7-12, 2023)

The 14th ICAZ International Conference took place in Cairns, Australia. Taking place in the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, the conference showcased the amazing indigenous culture of Australia, the oldest living culture in the world.

The ICAZ 2023 Conference Organising Committee invited session proposals particularly connected to the overall conference theme of "Oceans and Coasts – Past, Present and Future", and/or the following four sub-themes, especially those with a focus on Ethics and First Nations Heritage:

  • Dynamic Landscapes, Dynamic Cultures
  • People and Animals in the Social World
  • Science and Zooarchaeology
  • Coastal and Maritime Connections

2018 ICAZ International Conference in Ankara, Turkey

The ICAZ 2018 International Conference took place from 2-7 September, 2018, in Ankara, Turkey. The conference venue was the Cultural and Convention Center (CCC) at the Middle East Technical University (METU).

2014 ICAZ International Conference in San Rafael, Argentina

The 12th ICAZ International Conference took place in San Rafael (Mendoza), Argentina at the Museo de Historia Natural de San Rafael, 22 - 27th September 2014. In the coming months, all paper and poster titles and abstracts will be posted to BoneCommons, together with any slides, text, or other media presenters have chosen to share. For more details about the conference, see the ICAZ Fall 2014 newsletter.

2010 ICAZ International Conference in Paris, France

The 11th ICAZ International Conference took place in Paris, France, from August 23-28, 2010. Some events were held at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, and others took place at the nearby campus of Pierre et Marie Curie University, where six amphitheatres with more than 120 seats and a large congress hall were reserved for the conference. Following two days of presentations, Thursday (August 26) was devoted to archaeological and cultural field trips in and around Paris. Several multi-days excursions were organised before and after the conference (such as visits to Dordogne Palaeolithic rock art sites and other sites located further away from Paris).

The conference had three main focal themes: 1) Archaeozoology in Central and Eastern Europe, 2) Palaeolithic Archaeozoology, and 3) the History of Archaeozoology. Papers and posters on any other topics were also welcome. We aimed to have many archaeozoologists from Central and Eastern Europe in attendance as well as archaeozoologists from around the world.

The conference organising committee was led by Jean-Denis Vigne, Marylène Patou-Mathis and Christine Lefèvre, with the assistance of Marie Balasse, Sandrine Grouard, Joséphine Lesur, Marjane Mashkour, Stéphane Péan, Anne Tresset, and Carole Vercoutère.

2006 ICAZ International Conference in México City, México

The 2006 ICAZ International Conference was held in México City, México, on August 23-28, 2006. The conference, organized by Joaquin Arroyo-Cabrales and Oscar J. Polaco, was hosted by Escuela Nacional de Conservación, Restauración y Museografía, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, México. The results of two conference-related competitions are available online: the ICAZ 2006 Poster Competition and the Junior Researcher Open Zooarchaeology Prize

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Past ICAZ International Conferences and Resulting Publications

ICAZ has sponsored 14 international conferences between 1971 and 2023. The proceedings of many of these past conferences have been published either in part or in full.