About CAA

Mission

Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (CAA) is an international organisation bringing together archaeologists, mathematicians, and computer scientists. Its mission is to encourage and facilitate dialogue between these disciplines, to provide an overview of the present state of the discipline, and to stimulate discussion to progress the field. Membership is open to anyone upon payment of a nominal, annual fee.

Annual Conference

CAA organises an annual international scientific conference covering a wide range of topics, including data acquisition and recording, conceptual modelling, semantic technologies, data analysis, data management, digital 3D object reconstruction, image visualisation in archaeology, geophysics, and GIS. The conference format includes thematic paper and poster sessions as well as round tables and workshops. After the conference, papers presented can be submitted for publication in the peer-reviewed CAA proceedings. Conference proceedings have been published since 1973.

CAA’s next conference, which will be the organisation’s 51st meeting, will be be held in Auckland, New Zealand, from 8 to 12 April 2024.

National Chapters

CAA encourages the establishment of national chapters to promote the organisation’s mission at a country or regional level. National chapters help to facilitate the exchange of ideas within their geographic areas and may organise their own meetings. National chapters are also encouraged to support local bids to host the international conference.

Organisational Structure

CAA is managed by an Executive Steering Committee (ESC), consisting of six voting officers elected by the membership. The ESC is advised and supported by a wider Steering Committee, which includes the local conference organising chairs, the Scientific Committee chair, the Ethics Officers, and the Outreach Officer, as well as representatives of the National Chapters. The ESC officers can also co-opt additional members as needed. For more details on CAA’s governance, please see the CAA Constitution.

CAA’s History

CAA recently held its 50th conference in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The organisation grew out of a small group of archaeologists and mathematicians interested in computer applications and working in the United Kingdom (UK) in the early 1970s. The first meeting was convened in Birmingham, England, in 1973. The organisation continued to grow over the next two decades and held its first conference outside of the UK in 1992. Since then, the annual meeting has been held in many European countries as well as at sites in North America, Asia, and Australia. For more details, see the CAA History page.

Contact

For more information, contact the CAA Secretary.