Apr 30 - University of Gibraltar To Host Calpe Conference 2015
This year’s Calpe Conference – the 19th in the series – promises to be a very special event. The event will be held at the new premises of the University of Gibraltar as part of its opening week. The Gibraltar Museum has put together a high-profile programme of international speakers who will converge on Gibraltar to discuss the topic of “Redefining the Neanderthals”.
The theme is appropriate at this time for a variety of reasons. Research in the last decade has changed many established concepts of the Neanderthals and some of this research has been carried out in Gibraltar itself. Second, the nomination for World Heritage Status for the “Gibraltar Neanderthal Caves and Environments” site has now been submitted and is in the process of evaluation. In this context the arrival of the world’s leading specialists in this field for the Calpe Conference serves to highlight the importance which Gibraltar has gained in this field.
The conference will be spread over three days – 24th to 26th September – with a field trip for speakers and invited delegates on the 27th. Two themes will dominate the sessions: Neanderthal Biology and a second session on Neanderthal Ecology and Behaviour. Among the speakers will be the main personalities who have been at the forefront of research in the past three decades. They include Professor Christopher Stringer of the Natural History Museum in London, Professor Milford Wolpoff of the University of Michigan, Professor Erik Trinkaus of the University of Washington and Professor Clive Gamble of the University of Southampton. Professor Stringer will deliver the opening lecture.
The sessions will include presentations of the latest work on Neanderthal behaviour. This will include research from Gibraltar and also the latest findings, reported last month from Croatia, of the use of eagle talons for jewellery. The speakers come from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Croatia. The speakers will include Professor Gerd- Christian Weniger, Director of the Neanderthal Museum in Germany.
Commenting on the events, Clive Finlayson, who has put the programme together, said: “I am proud of the line-up that we have put together. It has been gratifying to receive such a wonderful response from speakers who are at the highest level of this research and who all have huge demands placed on their busy schedules. That they have all replied positively and enthusiastically is a credit to the high profile which Gibraltar has achieved in this field.”
He continued: “I am also hugely honoured that Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar has recognised the importance of the event by offering to host it in the brand new premises of the University of Gibraltar during its opening week.”
The Minister for Heritage, Steven Linares, said: “I am really pleased to see that the Museum team led by Clive has now submitted the nomination for World Heritage Status, the Gibraltar Neanderthal Caves and Environments and is in the process of evaluation. Our Government is committed to this project and will continue to support it. This is in line with our manifesto commitment that is now developing even further. I would like to thank all those involved for their hard work and commitment to this project.”
Details of how to register will shortly be made available at the Gibraltar Museum’s web site. Registration, as in previous years, will be free for locals wishing to attend. Further information may also be obtained from the Gibraltar Museum (telephone +(350) 200 74289).
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