A World in Motion — International Conference on Changes along the Danube in the 2nd Millennium BC
Between 22 and 24 April 2026, the international conference A World in Motion — Between Tradition and Transformation in the Tumulus Culture along the Danube will be held in Budapest at the Institute of Archaeology, Research Centre for the Humanities, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE RCH). The focus of this much-needed meeting is on the complex transformation processes that took place in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. The aim of the conference is to initiate renewed dialogue and to provide a forum for researchers working on this period, with particular attention to representatives of the younger generation.
The original idea for the meeting emerged from the Tumulus Research Group, formed in 2024 and comprising young researchers. In view of the strong international interest, the event will be realised as a three-day international conference rather than a one-day workshop. Members of the research group are Kristóf Fülöp, Nóra Szabó, Gábor Sánta, Anna Szigeti, Ákos Mengyán, Polett Kósa, and Péter Mali. The scientific advisors of the conference are Gabriella Kulcsár and Viktória Kiss.
Within the framework of the conference, we can explore the events of a changing world not unlike our own. The transformations observable at the turn of the Middle and Late Bronze Age in Hungary, in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC, had an impact on the everyday lives of past communities. Climatic conditions changed, as did the relationship between humans and the landscape, and between life and death; similarly, changes can be observed through material culture in local, regional, and even long-distance connections. Like all periods of change, this era cannot be described as a simple linear process. During the 200–300-year period characterised by the Tumulus culture, tradition and innovation, rejection and adaptation, locality and mobility are all present simultaneously. The meeting offers an opportunity to take a closer, interdisciplinary look at this diverse and defining period, which affected almost the whole of Europe, with a focus on the Carpathian Basin and the surrounding Danube regions.
At the conference, 33 papers will be presented within five major thematic sections, addressing chronology, burials, settlements, raw materials, and the themes of tradition versus innovation:
- Section — Still or Shifting? The Dynamics of Chronology
- Section — How deep are biographies buried?
- Section — What Makes a Place Worth Living?
- Section — How far is near enough?
- Section — What connects and what divides us?
In addition to the papers, there will be an opportunity to present posters. Poster applications are welcome until 28 February 2026. Participation in the conference is free of charge; only prior registration is required.
The international scientific conference held in Hungary is organised by the Institute of Archaeology, Research Centre for the Humanities, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE RCH), and the MTA–ELTE HTK Lendület Bázis Research Group, with the support of the National Cultural Fund of Hungary. Cooperating partners include HUN-REN ATOMKI, Isotoptech Zrt., the Institute of Archaeology, University of Szeged (SZTE BTK), the National Institute of Archaeology of the Hungarian National Museum Public Collection Centre (MNMKK MNM), the Institute of Exploration Geosciences, University of Miskolc.