First call for papers and expressions of interest in attendance at an International Archaeology Conference which will be held in Prato (Tuscany), at the Monash Prato Centre, on Wednesday 29th, Thursday 30th June & Friday 1st July 2011, organised by the Centre for Archaeology and Ancient History, Monash University and the Soprintendenza Archeologica per la Toscana.

The purpose of the conference is to investigate the social, cultural and environmental aspects of housing in the Etruscan, Greek and Roman worlds of the Mediterranean basin, looking at habitat and urbanisation. The symposium aims at addressing questions such as “How did the social space and dynamics transform?” and “How did housing arrangements and styles change according to climate, and cultures, from the earliest Orientalising period down to the Late Antiquity?” .

The themes of the conference will therefore deal with the development and internationalisation of domestic architecture in the Mediterranean, the transformation and diffusion of different housing typologies, the implications for the social interaction, and the adaptation to regional environments of Classical models of housing

The Scientific Committee comprises Prof. Eugenio La Rocca (University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’); Prof. Giovannangelo Camporeale (University of Florence); Prof. Colin Hope (Monash University); Prof. Nicola Terrenato (Michigan University); Dr A. Andrea Di Castro (Monash University); Dr Gabriella Poggesi (Soprintendeza Archeologica per la Toscana); Dr Maria Chiara Bettini (Archeological Museum of Artimino)

Persons who have expressed interested in speaking

Penelope Allison (University of Leicester) Eating and drinking in domestic spaces
Giovannangelo Camporele (Università di Firenze) The Etruscan house
Paola Davoli (University of Salento, Lecce) Domestic architecture in the Fayyum, Egypt
Jean-Yves Empereur (Centre d'études Alexandrines, Alexandria) New discoveries of housing in Alexandria Colin Hope (Monash University) The Kellis villa: Classical style housing in Egypt's Dakhleh Oasis
Heather Jackson (University of Melbourne) Hellenistic domestic architecture in Syria
Luisa Musso (Università di Rome 3) North Africa housing
Lisa Nevett (Michigan University, Ann Arbor) Environment intersecting with status in North Africa
Gabriella Poggesi (Soprintendenza Archeologica per la Toscana) Classical Etruscan houses of Gonfienti
Nicola Terrenato (Michigan University, Ann Arbor) Ideology and function of early Roman villas in Italy
Helen Whitehouse (University of Oxford) Wall paintings from a Roman Egyptian perspective

Speakers who agree to contribute a paper are requested to confirm their participation by the 15th January 2011 by sending the title of their papers and an abstract of 300/500 words. Those wishing to attend but not present a paper should indicate such by 15th March 2011.