Received from Dr. Nick Evans (Birkbeck, University of London) and Dr. John Latham-Sprinkle (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
The SHOC Research Group at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in association with the Medieval Caucasus Network and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, have announced that registration for the international conference ‘Studying Non-Elites in the Medieval Caucasus’ is open. You can register here. The organisers welcome anyone, including academics, students and members of the public, with an interest in the history of the Caucasus or in methodologies for studying the experience of non-elite groups, such as women, peasants, or enslaved people.
Image supplied by the conference organisers
The conference features two days of papers on a variety of topics, from the Caucasian slave trade, to the place of women in medieval Armenian society, to the bioarchaeology of the medieval Caucasus. The keynote speakers are Nik Matheou (University of Edinburgh) and Irina Arzhantseva (Insitute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences). Speakers hail from Belgium, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Czechia, the Russian Federation, Georgia, Armenia, and Egypt. The final programme will be published soon, including details about the local area and catering options.
The in-person component of the hybrid conference will take place at the U-Residence, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium, on March 13th-14th 2026. It is also possible to participate online.
The conference will also include a social programme. Details of this are still being finalised, but will include a (paid) conference dinner, and a free lunch on the second day provided by a Caucasian restaurant in Brussels.
Registration costs 10 euros for members of the public, students, and PhD candidates, and 20 euros for postdoctoral and permanent staff members. Registration and payment are not necessary for speakers or for members of the conference’s Scientific and Organisational Committees.
The organisers recommend the following accommodation:
- Thon Hotel Bristol Stephanie: the principal conference hotel, this four-star hotel is conveniently located for major train stations in Brussels, and is a 30-minute tram or bus ride from the conference location at Vrije Universiteit Brussel
- Hotel Barsey: this four-star hotel also has a convenient location for the conference, and is slightly cheaper than the Thon Hotel.
- Adagio Aparthotel: this apartment hotel is a convenient 15-minute walk from the conference venue, on the other side of the campus of the Universite Libre de Bruxelles (VUB’s Francophone sister institution).
Brussels is served by international flights to Brussels Airport at Zaventem and Brussels South Airport at Charleroi, as well as by national and international rail connections.
Any questions may be directed to mcnconference2026@gmail.com. The organisers look forward to welcoming you in Brussels on March 13th-14th.