The UCL Ancient Near Eastern Studies Community
Conference 2026:
Call for Abstracts
Order Out of Chaos: Classification and Categories in the ANE
8th-10th July, UCL
Abstract submission deadline: 1st April 2026
Across the ancient Near East, people used systems of classification to impose structure on and make sense of the world around them. At the same time, modern scholarship relies on its own categorical frameworks to organise, analyse, and interpret ancient evidence. This conference explores the themes of classification and categorisation in the ancient Near East, both as an ancient intellectual practice and as a modern scholarly tool.
Participants are invited to reflect on how ancient Near Eastern cultures classified and ordered reality, and to critically examine the categories we use today to study them. By comparing ancient epistemologies with modern analytical frameworks, the conference aims to open new methodological and theoretical perspectives on ancient Near Eastern sources.The scope of the conference is interdisciplinary and seeks to foster international collaboration. We warmly welcome contributions from different fields, such as cuneiform studies, archaeology, history, linguistics, literature, religious studies, and art history. We will be accepting abstracts from postgraduate students, doctoral candidates, and early-career researchers, but all are welcome to attend.
The conference will be held in-person at UCL from the 8th to the 10th of July, and is organised in collaboration with the British Museum, where part of the workshop sessions will be held. The conference presentations will be streamed live on Zoom, but it will not be possible for participants to present remotely.
We are inviting proposals for papers (20 min long) and posters. Please send an abstract of c. 250 words to the conference’s email address eduba.london@gmail.com or via the form below by the 1st of April 2026.
For further questions, do not hesitate to contact the above email address or the conference’s main organisers, Daniele Borkowski (daniele.borkowski.23@ucl.ac.uk) and Eleanor Home (eleanor.home.23@ucl.ac.uk).