CAA 2025 in Athens
The Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (CAA) conference took place in Athens, Greece, between the 5th and 9th of May. As usual, I took part and I don’t regret it. It was my first time in Athens, and I will certainly come back.
The CAA
This year, the 52nd CAA took place at the University of West Attica in Athens. Although the university is technically oriented and does not even offer archaeology courses, it was the host. During the preparatory phase, communication was somewhat chaotic, but everything went well in the end. We began with a keynote lecture on artificial intelligence. Shortly after that, the first sessions began.
I co-hosted a session on archaeogaming with Aris Politopoulos, as we did two years ago. We received lots of paper submissions, and I must say they were very interesting. In my opinion, archaeogaming is becoming an increasingly serious branch of scientific research. Sometimes the focus is on archaeology, and at other times it is more on public history or media studies. In any case, it is always interesting.
Athens
However, the first day was a Sunday, so I took the opportunity to explore the city. I had heard rumours that Athens isn’t that beautiful. I thought otherwise, but I was later told that I was living in a very nice neighbourhood. Just a few metres from my hotel, I had a wonderful view of the Acropolis. I took the opportunity to stroll around and inside the Acropolis. It was expensive, but it’s something you have to see at least once.
During and after the conference, I also had time to try some restaurants — you don’t need much to enjoy Greek cuisine. It was awesome! As well as food, the Greeks certainly know how to make coffee, and I gladly tried it in many different forms (hot, cold, sweet and super sweet). I also visited the Acropolis Museum, which was actually very nice. However, I wouldn’t recommend the restaurant inside as it was very overpriced!
Future CAA
As usual, the next CAA was announced during the General Meeting: Vienna! So next year, I will be attending the meeting in Austria, which is also very nice and close by. However, 2027 will be interesting. The 54th CAA was voted to be held in Chile! I think that’s great, although I’m not sure if I’ll be able to go. But I really like that South America is being included more, as I have met many people from Chile and Brazil who work in digital archaeology.
As always, the CAA was a great experience. Despite the price, it is one of my favourite conferences. The people are really nice and supportive. It’s very welcoming to students, and nobody needs to fear ‘difficult’ questions or jealous colleagues. It’s always great and worthwhile. If you have never been before, you should definitely change that!
