International Association for Coptic Studies (IACS)
13th International Congress of Coptic Studies
Göttingen, 27 July – 1 Aug 2026
(First Circular, 30 January 2025)
The Organising Committee is pleased and honoured to invite you to take part in the 13th International Congress of Coptic Studies in Göttingen. The congress is organised jointly by the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Lower Saxony (Digital Edition of the Coptic Old Testament) and the University of Göttingen (Institute for Egyptology and Coptic Studies), under the patronage and in close cooperation with the International Association of Coptic Studies. Göttingen is located in the centre of Germany, and its Academy of Sciences and its University, both founded in the 18th century in the Age of Enlightenment, have a noteworthy tradition in Egyptology and Coptic Studies.
The congress will take place from Monday, 27 July to Saturday, 1 August 2026. Further information about the congress, including accommodation, programme and events, will be available on the following website: https://iccs13.com. All questions or requests concerning the congress etc. should be directed to the Secretary of the Congress at the email address:
coptic-congress-2026@uni-goettingen.de.
1. Venue and Dates
The 13th IACS Congress will be held between Monday, 27 July to Saturday, 1 August, with the last day being reserved for the General Meeting of the IACS.
The inaugural morning session of the congress, on Monday, 27 July, will take place in the 19th century Aula (festal hall) of the University in the city centre.
The plenary sessions, the panels, and the individual papers will all be presented in the Central Lecture Building (Zentrales Hörsaalgebäude, ZHG) on the main Campus of the University. The Campus area is in walkable distance from all locations in the city centre of Göttingen.[1] In the ZHG, two large lecture theatres and four lecture rooms will host all sessions of the congress. The plenary sessions will be held in the lecture theatres, and the parallel sessions of the panels etc. will be allocated to any of the available spaces.
2. Accommodation
The city of Göttingen is not too large and most locations are in walkable distance. There is a discreet number of hotels, guest houses and hostels in the city and in nearby towns and villages, which are easily reachable by public transport. The next circular will provide you with more information about accommodation options, and it is recommendable to book your accommodation as early as possible.
3. Congress and Sessions Organisation
Registration for the participants will be available both on Sunday, 26 July, and on Monday, 27 July.
3.1 Registration
On Sunday, 26 July, early registration will be possible from 2 pm to 8 pm in the building of the Academy of Sciences in Geiststrasse 10, very close to the train station.
On Monday, 27 July, registration will be possible from 7:30 am to 12 noon in the Emmy-Noether-Saal of the University, Wilhelmsplatz 4, just across the square of the Aula building. From 12 noon onwards, registration will be available in the ZHG near the lecture theatres.
3.2 Plenary Sessions
The plenary sessions will be held in the morning session of each day in the large lecture theatres. 13 plenary papers have been confirmed:
|
Archaeology in Christian Egypt (2022–2026) |
Ina Eichner |
|
Coptic Bible (2016–2026) |
Frank Feder |
|
Coptic History and Historiography (2016–2026) |
Mary Farag |
|
Gnosticism and Manichaeism in Egypt (2016–2026) |
Eric Crégheur |
|
Coptic Linguistics (2022-2026) |
Ivan Miroshnikov |
|
Christian Art in Egypt and Museology (2022–2026) |
Dobrochna Zielińska |
|
Coptic Literature (2022–2026) |
Hugo Lundhaug |
|
Copto-Arabic Studies (2022–2026) |
Perrine Pilette |
|
Monasticism in Egypt (2022–2026) |
Paul Dilley |
|
Coptic Papyrology (2022–2026) |
Jennifer Cromwell |
|
Copts in Modern Egyptian History (2022–2026) |
Nelly van Doorn-Harder |
|
Ethiopic Literary Production Related to |
Alessandro Bausi |
|
Coptology and Digital Humanities |
Caroline T. Schroeder |
3.3 Panels, Papers, and Posters
Thematic panels and individual papers (to be grouped into thematic sections) will be divided into 6 parallel sessions beginning in the mid-morning (from 11:00 am) of each day. Wednesday afternoon (after the lunch break) is reserved for cultural activities (exhibition visits and guided tours through Göttingen). Each paper is allotted a time slot of no more than 20 minutes, followed by 5 minutes for discussion and questions. We invite interested colleagues to propose thematic panels. The prospective panel conveners are requested to suggest the title of the panel and to submit a short description of the topic to the congress organisers via email coptic-congress-2026@uni-goettingen.de, as soon as possible, but in any case by 30 June 2025. Participants who wish to attend a certain panel will be able to indicate this during the online registration process. Papers can be presented in English, German, or French.
Posters are recommended for the presentation of work in progress, research tools, and similar topics. A dedicated space for posters, which should be printed in A0 format, will be available near the main lecture theatres.
Short abstracts (ca. 200 words) for panel contributions, individual short papers, and posters need to be sent to: coptic-congress-2026@uni-goettingen.de before 31 December 2025. The congress committee reserves the right to decline any paper or poster proposal in light of time and capacity constraints.
4. Registration
In the next circular we will provide the link for online registration and information on registration fees.
5. Sustainability Policy
The aim of the conference is to be as sustainable as possible. Various measures are planned to avoid general and food waste as much as possible, including:
- the use of reusable cups, plates and cutlery
- the provision of tap water (which in Göttingen comes from the Harz mountains and is of excellent quality)
- a separate registration for the congress dinner for better advance planning of the catering
6. Social and Cultural Events
All participants are invited to a reception (at the historic city hall of Göttingen) and a conference dinner as well as to conference-related exhibitions and a guided city tour. Göttingen is very close to the cities of Hannover and Hildesheim (25-35 mins on the high-speed train, 75 mins on the local train), which boast of extensive collections of Egyptian and Coptic artefacts. The museums can be visited on an individual basis and will offer special conditions for congress participants. Further details will be communicated in the next circular.
7. Agenda
| First circular | January 2025 |
| Second circular, registration opening and call for papers | April 2025 |
| Deadline for abstract submission | 31 December 2025 |
| Registration closure 31 | March 2026 |
| Third circular and congress programme | April 2026 |
| Fourth and last circular | Early July 2026 |
| IACS Congress | 27 July – 1 August 2026 |
Organising Committee
Heike Behlmer, Andreas Effland, Carolina Kolze and Orell Witthuhn
(Georg–August–Universität Göttingen)
Frank Feder (Secretary of the Congress), Leila Hyde, Theresa Kohl and Malte Rosenau
(Niedersächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen).
[1] For your orientation you can use this interactive map: https://lageplan.uni-goettingen.de
