About

The Island Legacies Conference is an exciting new initiative led by Professor Eleanor Scerri, head of the Human Palaeosystems Group at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and Professor Nicholas Vella, of the Department of Classics and Archaeology at the University of Malta. The organising committee also includes Dr Huw Groucutt and Dr Mario Mata Gonzalez, to form a group of scholars working closely together on various aspects of Mediterranean Prehistory. 

Taking place in Malta, at the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, the Island Legacies Conference will bring together an international, multidisciplinary range of researchers concerned with unravelling the prehistory of Mediterranean islands. This broad theme includes both the natural and human history of islands, with a special focus on how the two interacted to shape Mediterranean islands today. This landmark conference therefore presents a unique opportunity to share knowledge and build new scientific links at a time when Mediterranean islands face some of their greatest climate and biodiversity challenges.

Thanks to funding from the Max Planck Society and the University of Malta’s Research Innovation and Development Trust, we are able to offer a fantastic programme for very competitive registration fees, while offering limited bursaries to local and international students and junior researchers.

The Conference includes three days of talks and poster sessions, including coffee breaks and lunches at the Old University Building of the University of Malta, which dates back to the founding of the Collegium Melitense in 1592. This historic building is situated in Valletta, the southernmost capital of Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, presenting an exceptional setting for the conference. On the first day, delegates will also have the opportunity to attend an evening keynote talk from Professor Cyprian Broodbank, author of The Making of the Middle Sea among many other seminal works, followed by a welcome wine reception. On the last day of talks, the gala dinner will take place within the beautiful 19th-century villa of the Corinthia Palace Hotel, situated next to the Presidential Palace and San Anton botanical gardens in Attard, in the centre of Malta. The following day, delegates will also have the chance to explore Malta’s extensive archaeological and natural history hotspots through the conference’s excursions, with choices between earlier and later prehistory tours.

The Island Legacies Conference call for papers is now open. We welcome papers from archaeologists, palaeontologists, biologists and geneticists, climate and earth scientists and any other allied fields of research covering aspects of ancient ecosystems, human societies, landforms and climate changes on Mediterranean islands.

Conference registration will be open shortly, with 150 places for delegates. Registration will be closed once this number has been reached.