The British Archaeological Association annual conference for 2016 will be held in Paris. The city boasts a very rich archaeological history that is becoming increasingly well-¬‐known due to the ongoing work of the Commission du Vieux Paris, French based university teams focusing on the city’s material history, and scholars worldwide. Paris offers an embarrassment of riches to the archaeologist and art historian, and to set some limit on the possibilities, this conference will address the theme of ‘The Powers that shaped the City’ over the millennium between the end of the Roman Imperium and the Renaissance. Several powers converged and conflicted in the shaping of the city – royal power ; the power of the secular and the monastic church ; the power of the mendicant friars, the schools and colleges of the University of Paris ; and the power and wealth of a vibrant urban patriciate.

The conference will take place from Saturday 16th July 2016 to Wednesday 20th July 2016. Lectures will be held in the Institut National de l’Histoire de l’Art (INHA), at Rue Vivienne.

We welcome papers addressing any aspect of material culture in Paris (architecture, painting, decorative arts) that reflects on the theme of the powers that shape the city. If you would like to give a paper, please contact one of the convenors, Professor Meredith Cohen (mcohen chez humnet.ucla.edu) or Professor Lindy Grant (l.m.grant chez reading.ac.uk).

Paper proposal deadline : 1 June 2015.