LATEST NEWS ON WIC2009:

Latest News on the WIC Proceedings

May 2011: We are approaching the finishline.. Most authors will already have received their reviewed papers, if not you can expect yours in the coming days or weeks. We'll keep you informed. Jane and Xander.

Proceedings well under way!

October 2010: Just to let all of you out there know that we are well under way with the editing of the proceedings. Reviewed papers should be with authors as soon as possible. We'll keep you informed by mail and here as well. Jane and Xander.

Conference Review in HMS Newsletter

You can read Brian Dolan's review of WIC2009 in the Historical Metallurgy Society Newsletter no 71, on page 5 and 6.Click here to open the PDF

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Full Conference Programme On-line!

The full conference programme is now available on-line, please click here to look at the Detailed Schedule

Early Registration and Drinks Reception at the Institute of Archaeology

Early registration + drinks reception will take place at the Institute of Archaeology, 31-34 Gordon Square, WC1H 0PY, London, on Sunday 15th of February, from 15:00 till 19:30.

Normal registration will start at the venue, the Natural History Museum, from Monday 16th of February, 10:00 onwards.

Hotels and room sharing

We have added a range of relatively (this is London) affordable hotels in the vicinity of the Natural History Museum to our Accommodation page. These are hotels the NHM often deals with, but prices can differ..
We have also added instructions on how to offer or seek to share a hotel room with another WIC2009 participant, in order to allow you to lower costs of your accomodation. Please look at the Share a Room page for details.

Pay by credit or debit card through PayPal

You can now also pay your conference fee using your debit or credit card using PayPal (you will need to open a PayPal account if you do not yet have one). Payment details and account information can be found on the 'How to Pay' page.

Decision on Acceptance of Papers and Posters received?

If you have not received any communication on your submitted abstract by now, please contact us as soon as possible. We have encountered a few cases where emails from participants were spam or virus filtered before they reached us!

Conference Dinner FREE

In order to make sure all of you can attend, we have decided to integrate the WIC Conference Dinner in the wider event. This means the Conference Dinner, which will take place on Thursday 19 February 2009, will be FREE for all participants!

WIC2009 Bank Details updated

From today, November 24, you will be able to pay (by cheque or electronic/internet banking) your conference fee directly to WIC2009. Bank details and account numbers can be found on the 'How to Pay' page.

Important Date Changes

Due to the massive response and high quality of the submitted abstracts, we have changed the following dates: notification of acceptance is taking place now, and the deadline for registration and payment of reduced registration fee: January 1st, 2009

Welcome

We kindly invite you to attend the upcoming

WORLD OF IRON CONFERENCE 2009 (WIC)

Which will take place at the Natural History Museum, in London, United Kingdom from 16-20 February 2009.

Scope of the conference

The 'World of Iron' conference sets out to explore and celebrate the anthropological significance of the inception, adoption, expansion, and impact of prehistoric iron production outside Europe. Interlacing regional and themed sessions, it will relate archaeological and archaeometallurgical studies to wider anthropological issues such as technological style; technological variation, change and development; technical and social adaptation; and the evolving influences of iron on society and the physical environment.

This five day event is the first attempt to synthesise the latest research being conducted on iron and steel around the world, and to stimulate future research of the highest level. It creates a globally comparative perspective, integrating insights gained from established and emerging analytical techniques, Anthropology of Technology, and environmental history, highlighting nuances often obscured by Eurocentric perspectives. By bringing together established scholars and young researchers from four key regions, namely Africa, East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and Western and Central Asia, it will stimulate an international exchange of ideas and experiences.

Sessions

The Regional Sessions bring together scholars and research from four key regions around the world and discuss the latest anthropological, archaeological and metallurgical research in the context of region-specific and wider anthropological themes and considerations:

Africa (Chair: Bertram Mapunda)
East Asia (Chair: Han Rubin)
Indian Subcontinent (Chair: Sharada Srinivasan)
Western and Central Asia (Chair: Ziad al-Saad)

The Themed Sessions incorporate the latest research being carried out in all regions, including Europe, on both theoretical, technological, and environmental topics, to ensure maximum coverage of all major anthropological considerations concerning the study of iron production:

Invention, Innovation and Inspiration (Chair: Gill Juleff)
Theoretical Approaches to Technology (Chair: Bryan Pfaffenberger; Co-chair: Pierre Lemonnier)
Scientific Approaches to Technology (Chair: Vincent Serneels)
Environmental Considerations (Chair: Don Wagner)

Language of the Symposium

The official language of the Symposium will be English.

Registration Fees

Please see the Payment Detail pages for more information.

Key Dates

Deadline for submission of abstracts: October 15th, 2008
Notification of acceptance or rejection: December 1st, 2008
Deadline for registration and payment of reduced registration fee: December 15th, 2008

Organisers

Xander Veldhuijzen, Jane Humphris, Thilo Rehren
Mail us at WIC2009@ironsmelting.net