CAA 2026 in Vienna – A Conference Report

Last week, I attended the 53rd International Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (CAA) in Vienna, Austria. The conference took place from 31 March to 4 April at the University of Vienna, right on the famous Ringstraße. It was a packed week – and a very good one.

Presenting and organising

I had a double role at this year’s CAA. First, I gave a talk presenting the KIŠIB project, where I work at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. This was a general introduction to the project for the CAA community, outlining what we do, our aims, and where we currently stand. It was a good opportunity to get the project on people’s radar and to connect with others working on related topics.

Second, I co-organised a session on archaeogaming together with Aris Politopoulos. We had ten talks in total, and what struck me most was the sheer breadth and quality of the contributions. There was no single standout talk – and I mean that in the best possible way. The session was consistently strong across the board, covering a wide range of approaches to the intersection of archaeology and games. That kind of evenness is rare and speaks to the field’s maturity.

AI and cuneiform

Among the many sessions I attended, the talks on AI and machine learning left the strongest impression. One presentation on the automatic translation of cuneiform tablets stood out. The idea of using machine learning to help translate the vast number of still-unread tablets in museum collections worldwide is genuinely exciting. We are not talking about replacing human expertise here, but about creating tools that can support and accelerate specialists’ work. For someone working with a digital corpus of ancient West Asian seals, developments like these feel very relevant.

Good organisation, great social events

A conference lives and dies by its organisation, and the CAA 2026 team in Vienna did a very good job. Everything ran smoothly, and the venue at the University of Vienna was well-suited for a conference of this size. But what really stood out were the social events. The ice breaker at the Technical University was a highlight – there are worse places to have your first drink of the conference. The conference dinner was equally well done and provided the kind of relaxed atmosphere where real conversations happen, well, if you can scream loud enough!

And that brings me to what I value most about conferences like CAA: the people. The hallway conversations, the coffee break exchanges, the spontaneous dinner plans – these are the moments where ideas take shape, collaborations begin, and you remember why academic community matters. I had many good conversations throughout the week, and I am leaving Vienna with new ideas and renewed energy.

Looking ahead

CAA 2027 will take place in Santiago, Chile. That is a bold and exciting choice, and I hope it will bring new voices and perspectives into the CAA community. If Vienna is anything to go by, the bar is set high.

Were you at CAA 2026? What were your highlights? I would love to hear your impressions.