International Council
for Archaeozoology

Contributed by the ICAZ International Committee

These days heightened political tension and outright physical violence world-wide threaten to undermine a social contract built on basic moral values. We express concerns over the extensive destruction of cultural heritage, the tangible memory of humanity, as well as the infringement of animal and environmental rights during these conflicts. More importantly, warfare is causing humanitarian catastrophes and costing the lives and minimal well-being of millions, while oppressive regimes are rising and structural violence permeates many political systems.

Ever since its 1971 inception, ICAZ stood for the unity of and cooperation among a community of committed scholars, regardless of nationality, affiliation or academic position. Race, religion or gender have never played a role in our modus operandi.

Nowadays some voices foster negative global trends that increasingly discredit international organizations, the right to education and the relevance of scientific thought. Ruthless politicians and businessmen profit from weaponising ideologically divisive issues to turn vulnerable individuals and communities on one another. In this increasingly manipulative atmosphere, ICAZ representatives and the membership have a shared responsibility not only in maintaining the integrity of the organization, but also in promoting the core values of equality, cooperation and decent human conduct, as advocated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

For over half a century ICAZ has successfully stood for these values by forming an inclusive, egalitarian, and cohesive academic community. Maintaining and promoting this spirit in teaching, research and international communication are important ways by which we, as a community as well as individuals, can resist the prevailing destructive trends. Within and beyond our organisation, ICAZ will always stand by those striving for education, research and outreach.

During the International Committee meeting in July the humanitarian situation in Gaza was raised as an issue to speak out about. After subsequent discussion within the IC, we have agreed on the wording of the following statement:

The ICAZ, through its Executive Committee and International Committee, expresses its deep concern about the humanitarian situation suffered by the Gazan people as a result of sustained military violence against them. Although a ceasefire has officially been in place since October 2025, this is fragile with continued violence being reported. The situation violates the fundamental human rights enshrined in the United Nations International Declaration of Human Rights, which expressly upholds the right to dignity and the value of the human person regardless of nationality. These rights must be effective and universally respected by all states. The situation of Gazan children is particularly serious, as their intrinsic right to life, protected by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, is being violated both directly by armed actions, and indirectly by destruction of vital civil infrastructure and restrictions on humanitarian aid.

We also express concern over the extensive destruction of cultural heritage and institutions - itself widely considered a breach of human rights - resulting from the conflict.

We strongly urge all parties involved, as well as all individuals and entities with influence over them, to abide by international law, including international humanitarian law, and to make every possible effort to prevent further harm to civilians. We also call for an immediate end to the use of violence and the initiation of dialogue for reconciliation.

While the situation in Gaza was the trigger to issue this statement, we would like to express that this concern applies to any war or conflict worldwide. We condemn all war crimes and human rights violations, regardless by which party or actor they are committed. We reassert that international law and human rights apply to everyone, always and everywhere.

The present situation in Gaza made the majority of the IC members feel a need to express our concern publicly.

The decision to release this statement was made via a democratic process and was agreed by two online votes of the International Committee and an extensive extraordinary meeting of that committee. Not all members of the IC wanted to release a statement, or agree with the exact wording used, but a majority was in favour of expressing our concern regarding both the humanitarian situation and the destruction of heritage. This version of the statement was voted for by 69% of participating IC members.

ICAZ and ISBA (International Symposium on Biomolecular Archaeology) have formed a partnership! The organisations will sponsor reciprocal conference prizes for early career presentations. ISBA will sponsor one award for a biomolecular paper at the main ICAZ conference and one more alternating between biomolecular-related working group conferences in each four year cycle. ICAZ will sponsor one award for the best zooarchaeology paper at each biennial ISBA conference. Prizes are free registration for the sponsoring organisation’s conference (or a chosen ICAZ working group for the ICAZ-sponsored prize). Winners will also be given a small cash prize.

ICAZ sponsored the first prize for the best zooarchaeology-related paper at the recent ISBA conference in Turin. Congratulations to the winner Emilio Mármol-Sánchez for his paper "Ancient RNA expression profiles from the extinct woolly mammoth". We look forward to further collaboration in the future. You can find out more about ISBA and join them at https://www.isbarch.org/

31 July 2023 - We, the members of the Executive and International Committees of the International Council for Archaeozoology (ICAZ), on behalf of the full membership of ICAZ, declare our strongest support of scientist colleagues, teachers and professors, indigenous peoples and the people generally of Jujuy province, Argentina.

These people have been suffering severe repression and illegal harassment and prosecution in the last couple of months after demonstrating for better working conditions, the preservation of natural resources in their territories, and the promulgation of a new provincial constitution that is at odds with basic human rights, such as making public demonstrations, without the necessary consultation to Jujuy people.

Several colleagues, including archaeologists, are affected by these measures, such as illegal trespassing by the police into the National University and threats by the governor to the University of Buenos Aires.

As an international academic community commonly hosted in universities and often working side by side with indigenous peoples, we would like to express our deep concern for those measurements against human rights, and affirm our solidarity with the people of Jujuy.

- ICAZ 2023 Executive Committee and ICAZ 2023 International Committee

31 de julio de 2023 - Nosotros/as, miembros de los Comités Ejecutivo e Internacional del Consejo Internacional de Arqueozoología (ICAZ), en representación de todos los miembros del ICAZ, declaramos nuestro más firme apoyo a los/as colegas científicos/as, a los/as maestros/as y profesores, a los pueblos indígenas y al pueblo en general de la provincia de Jujuy, Argentina.

Estas personas han estado sufriendo una severa represión y acoso y persecución ilegales en los últimos dos meses después de manifestarse por mejores condiciones de trabajo, la preservación de los recursos naturales en sus territorios, y la promulgación de una nueva constitución provincial que está reñida con derechos humanos básicos, como hacer manifestaciones públicas, sin la consulta necesaria a los/as jujeños/as.

Varios colegas, entre ellos/as arqueólogos/as, se ven afectados por estas medidas, como el ingreso ilegal de la policía en la Universidad Nacional de Jujuy y las amenazas del gobernador a la Universidad de Buenos Aires.

Como comunidad académica internacional que comúnmente está inserta en universidades y frecuentemente trabaja codo a codo con los pueblos originarios, queremos expresar nuestra profunda preocupación por estas medidas contra los derechos humanos, y afirmar nuestra solidaridad con el pueblo de Jujuy.

- Comité Ejecutivo del ICAZ 2023 y Comité Internacional del ICAZ 2023

ICAZ2023 Cairns, Australia is live! We look forward to welcoming all to the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, and showcasing the amazing indigenous culture of Australia, the oldest living culture in the world.

The ICAZ 2023 Conference Organising Committee invites session proposals, particularly those connected to the overall conference theme of "Oceans and Coasts – Past, Present and Future", and/or the following four sub-themes of:

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

Additionally, we would like to invite session proposals that focus on Ethics and First Nations Heritage. These proposals may connect to the conference themes, although this is not a requirement of session proposals within this specific theme.

Session organisers should provide a title and abstract (up to 250 words) for the proposed session within a nominated theme, with an estimate of the number of individual papers requested. Please note that all papers will be strictly 15 minutes in duration, with 5 minutes Q&A. Session proposals will normally be for a single session of 2 hours (6 papers), although depending on numbers of papers expected, sessions may run as double sessions (4 hours) or longer.

Session abstracts are to be submitted following this link: https://www.icaz2023.org/call-for-sessions/
Close of Session proposals: Nov 15 2022

Following assessment of session proposals by the Conference Scientific Committee, decisions on acceptance of proposed sessions will be communicated to the session organisers on Nov 14 2022.

Further announcements will be made concerning the submission of paper and poster abstracts, however the key dates for these will be:
Opening of paper/poster abstracts: Dec 1 2022
Close of paper/poster abstracts: Jan 31 2023

Please also note that presenters may only present one paper and one poster during the conference, although they may be co-authors on other papers and posters. Session organisers and presenters must be ICAZ members to participate and attend the conference. To become an ICAZ member, please follow this link: https://alexandriaarchive.org/icaz-wp/

April 29, 2021

The 10th meeting of the Italian Association of Archaeozoology (AIAZ) will take place on 3rd-6th November 2021 in the Santa Chiara Lab building, University of Siena, Italy (https://santachiaralab.unisi.it/). Depending on the development of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the event might have to be moved to a virtual platform, or be held as a hybrid meeting. Contextualised site-specific analyses, regional reviews, as well as methodological original papers are welcome, although they have to be related to Italy and/or nearby regions of the central Mediterranean.

Oral (20-minute slots) and written (poster) contributions are welcome, in Italian or English. If interested in participating, you can submit your abtract and register to the conference through the AIAZ website (www.aiaz.it); you will be able to choose among several thematic sessions, as described there.

The deadline for abstract submission is 10th June 2021. You will have to register for the conference by 31st August 2021. For more information on the venue, conference fee categories, accommodation waivers, related events, publication of the proceedings, and updates on how the COVID-19 pandemic might impact on the conference, please visit www.aiaz.it; important updates, including potential extensions to the deadlines, are also regularly posted on the AIAZ Facebook Group page. For any questions, feel free to send an email to segreteria@aiaz.it.

The 14th ICAZ International Conference will take place in Cairns, Australia, on 07 to 12 August 2023. The meeting will be held at the Cairns Convention Centre and the organising committee is comprised of Patrick Faulkner, Melanie Fillios, Jillian Garvey and Tiina Manne. Further details will be made available in the near future, and the organising committee can be contacted via email at admin@icaz2022.org.

October 2020
In October 2020, ICAZ’s International and Executive Committees gathered over Zoom for their biennial committee meetings. These virtual meetings were in lieu of the in-person symposium in Stockholm, which was planned to have taken place in June 2020, hosted by László Bartosiewicz. Sadly, due to the global pandemic, plans for the in-person meetings and the accompanying symposium and excursions, have been postponed until further notice. It was determined that virtual business meetings would be held via Zoom. The IC meeting on October 16, 2020, had an impressive turnout, with 36 IC and EC delegates in attendance, representing 23 countries and six continents. Minutes of the meetings can be accessed on the ICAZ Committee Meetings page.

The photo above shows the 2020 ICAZ IC meeting delegates. Members in attendance included (starting at top left in photo above): Christine Lefèvre (Secretary), Sarah Whitcher Kansa (President), Pam Crabtree, Mariana Mondini (Executive Committee member), Joaquín Arroyo-Cabrales, Cleia Detry, Sabine Deschler-Erb, László Bartosiewicz, Suzanne Pilaar Birch (Treasurer), Arianne Burke, Angelos Hadjikoumis, Hitomi Hongo (Executive Committee member), Lembi Lõugas, Idoia Gra Sologesata, Kat Szabó, Marta Moreno-Garcia, Albérico Nogueira de Queiroz, Patrick Faulkner (Current Conference Organizer), Terry O'Connor (Vice President), Eva Fairnell, Marjan Mashkour, Xiaolin Ma, Levent Atici, Shaw Badenhorst, Kitty Emery, Luis Borrero, Salima Ikram, Evangelia Pişkin (Past Conference Organizer), Richard Madgwick, Erika Gál, Umberto Albarella, Christian Küchelmann (Executive Committee member), Arati Deshpande-Mukherjee, Sebastian Muñoz, Richard Meadow (Executive Committee member), Luís Alberto Borrero (not pictured)

11 June 2020 - We, the members of the ICAZ Executive Committee, mourn with millions around the world over the murder of George Floyd and the murder and brutalization of so many others at the hands of the police and the state. Our community has a moral and ethical responsibility to combat violence and ideologies of hate. We must also ask ourselves how these murders represent larger patterns of violence and oppression against Black people, Indigenous people, and others. While these problems have reached a crisis point in the United States, the United States is not alone in struggling with systemic racism and institutionalized injustice. ICAZ stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter both in the United States and around the world.

ICAZ as an organization recognizes that systemic racism and discrimination need to be fought against and dismantled. We recognize that the ICAZ community has the ability and responsibility to promote anti-racist and anti-discriminatory practices-- to work toward making meaningful changes that reflect equity, diversity, and inclusion. We encourage all ICAZ members to consider what we can do to reflect these values in our various roles as teachers, researchers, mentors, and allies. As individuals, ICAZ members and all archaeologists should speak out promptly and publicly when myths and misinformation about the human past are used to support damaging race-theories, to counter such myth-making and not to let it go unchallenged just because the claims are absurd.

Race is a social construct that has real and devastating impacts on people’s lives, opportunities, and security. We recognize that historic and institutional inequalities and racism have harmed Black and Indigenous people and have disproportionately and negatively impacted their opportunities in the discipline of archaeology. In our efforts to be an anti-racist organization, ICAZ commits to the following actions:

• Ensure that our EC and IC represent the diversity of the ICAZ community.
• Work to make ICAZ more diverse and inclusive.
• Develop anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies for ICAZ and its affiliated working groups.
• Ensure clear and safe reporting paths to bring concerns forward.
• Increase transparency across the organization through visibility into decision-making processes, and accountability for information sharing.

These actions are a starting point that require our participation and ongoing attention. ICAZ is an international community and we want all members to feel safe and supported. We invite you to send your thoughts and suggestions on how ICAZ can continually work to fight racism and other forms of oppression while supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion.

In solidarity,
The ICAZ Executive Committee

Sarah Whitcher Kansa, Terry O’Connor, Christine Lefèvre, Suzanne Pilaar Birch, Hitomi Hongo, Hans Christian Küchelmann, Richard H. Meadow, Mariana Mondini, Evangelia Pişkin, Patrick Faulkner, and Eva Fairnell

The next Understanding Zooarchaeology I short course will be run in April 2020. This three-day course aims to provide an understanding of the basic theory and methods which zooarchaeologists use to understand evidence from animal remains.The introductory course will be followed by Understanding Zooarchaeology II, a three-day course suitable for anyone who has already attended our Understanding Zooarchaeology I course, or who has a basic knowledge of zooarchaeological methods. This course will cover the identification of a wider range of species than our introductory short course, including wild British mammals and birds, and the separation of sheep and goats. It will also provide participants with experience in recording and analysing a real archaeological assemblage.Both courses will use short lectures, hands-on practical activities, and case studies focused on current zooarchaeological research.

• Understanding Zooarchaeology I: 20th-22nd April 2020
• Understanding Zooarchaeology II: 23rd-25th April 2020
• Price for one short course: £ 200 / £ 140 (student/unwaged)
• Price for both short courses: £ 350 / £ 240 (student/unwaged)

For more information please visit our website. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter. For any questions, please feel free to email us at: zooarch-shortcourse@sheffield.ac.uk.

Organisers: Idoia Grau-Sologestoa (IPNA – University of Basel, Switzerland, idoia.grau@unibas.ch), Mauro Rizzetto (University of Sheffield, UK, mauro.rizzetto11@gmail.com), Tudur Davies (Cardiff University, UK, daviest32@cardiff.ac.uk)

The main aim of this session is to bring together researchers from different archaeological disciplines (such as archaeobotany, palynology, zooarchaeology, geoarchaeology, landscape archaeology, etc.) to explore common patterns and dissimilarities in the ways that rural economies changed or adapted to the new socio-political scenarios as the result of the collapse of the Roman Empire and the formation of medieval economies. We particularly welcome interdisciplinary papers which involve the integration of different scientific methods. The EAA 2020 meeting will take place in Budapest (26th - 30th of August 2020). Abstracts of no more than 300 words for oral presentations or posters should be submitted via the conference website https://www.e-a-a.org/EAA2020 by the deadline 13th of February 2020. Please do get in touch with any of us if you have any queries.