"Interconnected Pottery geographies. Reflections of cross-cultural
contacts in the Roman and Late Antique World"

Madrid, September 28th – October 4th 2026

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Organisers:
Horacio González Cesteros, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Alejandro Quevedo, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)

Partners:
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC),
Universidad Complutense de Madrid,
Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (DAI Madrid),
Museo Arqueológico Nacional.

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Dear Fautores, dear colleagues, dear friends!

At the last congress in Leiden the upcoming 2026 Congress in Madrid was announced. Both of us, Horacio González Cesteros and Alejandro Quevedo, are very pleased to welcome the Fautores community to Madrid. The conference will be organised by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) and the Universidad Complutense (UCM), in collaboration with the German Archaeological Institute in Madrid (DAI Madrid) and the National Archaeological Museum (MAN).

The conference will take place from September 28th to October 2nd. In accordance with the Fautores tradition, a full program will follow in due time, for now it is our pleasure to share the congress theme with all of you.

The Roman and Late Antique economic geography had its main centre at the Mediterranean Sea, where commercial and economic contacts were constant despite the political fluctuations of the different historical moments. Albeit the relevance of the Mediterranean area, other regions also participated in this commercial and thus cultural interactions, broadening the Mediterranean economy and culture to distant inland areas in Anatolia, the Iberian Peninsula, or central Europe, as well as creating an intense interconnection with remote areas as for instance the Arabian Peninsula, India or central Asia.

The archaeological evidence for these interconnected geographies is mostly based on our pottery remains and its eventual combination with other historical sources. We encourage scholars working in the pottery flows and economic currents in and outside the Mediterranean to present their newest research and ideas during the 2026 conference in Madrid. We hope to develop together a fruitful discussion and share constantly our knowledge about the interconnected geographies of the Roman and Late Antique World based in our pottery studies.

The congress’ conference will be followed by two days of optional post-congress excursions on the 3rd and 4th of September, the first one to the city of Clunia and the second to the Visigothic Church of Santa María de Melque and Toledo. Clunia is placed at around two hours north of Madrid and is one of the biggest Roman settlements in the Iberian Peninsula. It was the capital of the Conventus Cluniensis and, both, the landscape and the architectonical remains are some of the best evidence of the Roman presence in the central Iberian Peninsula. The second day the bus will bring us first to Santa María de Melque, around 1 hour and 15 minutes from Madrid. This church is one of the best-preserved examples of late Visigothic religious architecture, located just 30 minutes from the Visigothic capital of Toledo, a UNESCO World Heritage city with an impressive past that we will visit before returning to Madrid.

Although Madrid is the only major European capital founded during the Islamic period, its many museums house valuable collections of ancient pottery, especially the impressive Museo Arqueológico Nacional. In addition, a large display will allow conference attendees to learn about some important contexts of the Iberian Peninsula in ancient times.

We will be pleased to host the best ceramic specialists in our city in the beginning of fall 2026 and are already looking forward to an inspirational and interesting week. In case of questions, please contact us directly using this e-mail address:

hogonzal@ucm.es

alejandro.quevedo@cchs.csic.es

Best wishes on behalf of the congress organisers,

Horacio González Cesteros

Alejandro Quevedo