72nd Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, 19-23 July 2027, Sofia
“Medicine, Health and Safety in the Ancient Near East”
1. Circular: Call for Workshops – 30 September 2026
Workshop Submission – 1 October 2026 – Deadline 10 November 2026 (Acceptance/Rejection – until 10 December 2026)
2. Circular: List of Accepted Workshops + Call for Paper & Poster Submissions – 15 December 2026
Paper & Poster Submissions – 15 December 2026 – Deadline 10 February 2027 (Acceptance/Rejection – until 1 March 2027)
3. Circular: Call for Registration – 1 March 2027
First Circular. Call for Workshops (30 September 2026)
The Organising Committee of RAI Sofia 2027 cordially invites you to attend the 72nd Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale. The conference will take place from Monday, July 19, to Friday, July 23 2027, in the main building of Sofia University, located in the centre of Sofia (15 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd, 1504, Sofia). It is our great pleasure to announce that this RAI will be devoted to Babylonian medicine and healing arts in general. We invite all scholars who plan to participate to consider how their areas of expertise can contribute to the theme of “Medicine, Health, and Safety in the Ancient Near East.” By bringing together the widest range of perspectives from texts and iconography, reflecting both human and divine spheres (including managing daily life, predicting the future, warding off ghosts and demons, visiting the doctor), we can produce a conference that does justice to and illustrates the role of medicine and healing in ancient Near Eastern societies.
Workshop submissions
The RAI 72’s Organising Committee is pleased to announce that submissions for workshops are now open. We welcome proposals that address the conference theme, as well as other topics relevant to the Ancient Near East. Please submit workshop proposals by email to [email protected] by November 10, 2026. The organisers of workshops will be notified by December 10, 2026 – at the latest.
We strongly encourage workshop organisers to issue open calls for participation in order to foster inclusive and collaborative discussions – if possible. In response to recent queries regarding workshop length and requests for additional slots/sessions, we will not impose a strict limit on the number of workshop sessions. However, we kindly ask organisers not to schedule more than 12 sessions per workshop, corresponding to a single “standard” conference day.
Workshop proposals should include the following information:
1. Name(s) of the organiser(s).
2. Organiser(s)’ contact email.
3. Workshop title.
4. A description of the workshop’s objectives and aims – max. 250 words.
5. A preliminary list of three confirmed speakers and proposed presentations, along with any open presentation slots.