We are pleased to announce the 7th Annual Meeting of the Necropoleis Research Network (NRN). The meeting will be held in Istanbul on 7-9 October 2024 and is hosted by the Netherlands Institute in Turkey (NIT). The meeting will consist of two conference days in the ANAMED auditorium, followed by a guided excursion (in Istanbul) on the third day.

The Necropoleis Research Network
The Necropoleis Research Network (Academia) brings together people working on any aspect of mortuary archaeology in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Near East between the Iron Age and Late Antiquity (all loosely defined). Although mortuary remains – arguably – represent one of the most dominant categories of evidence for this period/region, we feel that its scholars are widely scattered, not only geographically, but also in terms of methodological and theoretical approach. We believe that we can benefit greatly from closer collaboration. The NRN is primarily intended to facilitate an exchange of ideas and methodological best practices. The NRN explicitly aims to involve museum personnel, members of Antiquities Services, and scholars in universities and research institutes, and to discuss not only the past, but also contemporary issues revolving around mortuary archaeology (such as excavating human remains, storage, lack of funds for publication). We come together in our Annual Meetings, as well as (in panels organized) at international conferences.
If you would like to join the network and be on our mailing list, please get in touch via NecropoleisResearchNetwork@gmail.com.

Topics
This year, we invite scholars and researchers working on the following themes to submit their paper or poster proposal:

• Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to Funerary Ritual
• Mortuary Practices in Rural and Remote Landscapes
• Dealing with the Dead in Late Antiquity and the Byzantine Era
• New Discoveries and Recent (Field)work in Anatolia

Each paper presentation will last approximately 20 minutes, followed by a 10-minute discussion. Details on the poster session will be communicated at a later date.

Submission Guidelines

• The deadline for proposal submission is 30 April 2024.
• Proposals (up to 200 words) should be in English.
• Submit your proposal as a Word document in an e-mail attachment to Tamara Dijkstra (t.m.dijkstra@rug.nl) with the subject line ‘NRN 2024 – Paper Proposal’ or ‘NRN 2024 – Poster Proposal’.
• Add a short CV (200 words) or a link to an online CV.
• Please be sure to include your name, affiliation, and contact details in your e-mail.

Further Practicalities

• Attendance of the Annual Meeting is free of charge, but registration is required.
• We may be able to accommodate a small number of poster presentations. Please indicate this preference in your proposal.
• Details on the excursion will be announced later. In case of a maximum number of participants, presenters take precedence.
• Participants of the Annual Meeting are kindly asked to cover their own travel costs, accommodation and meals. Coffee/tea and refreshments will be provided by the NIT during the conference days.
• Presenters can apply for a MARE Travel Grant to cover (part of) their expenses.
• The language of communication during the Annual Meeting is English.
• The Annual Meeting is an in-person event that will not be livestreamed.
• There are no publication requirements following the meeting. The main purpose of the NRN Annual Meetings is to meet each other, share our research, and exchange ideas.

We look forward to receiving your proposals and/or to seeing you in Istanbul in October,

The NRN 2024 organizing committee,
Aysel Arslan (Netherlands Institute in Turkey)
Tamara Dijkstra (University of Groningen)
Fokke Gerritsen (Netherlands Institute in Turkey)
Gülşah Günata (Netherlands Institute in Turkey)
Bilge Hürmüzlü (Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta)
Lidewijde de Jong (University of Groningen)