ASOR held its hybrid Annual Meeting last month, November 19-22, at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza and online. More than 1,100 people were registered for the meeting, with approximately 950 attending in Boston.

The hybrid format of the meeting offered a way for attendees in Boston and online to share their research on an international platform. There were more than 600 paper, poster, and workshop presentations given on the academic program. ASOR’s Annual Meeting Mobile App (powered by Guidebook) provided means for in-person and virtual attendees to connect and to build personalized schedules.

If you attended the 2025 Annual Meeting in Boston or online, please complete the 2025 Annual Meeting Evaluation to provide valuable feedback that will be considered as we plan for 2026 and beyond.

Read on for a summary of the 2025 Annual Meeting, including features from the academic program, the business schedule, special events, and the 2025 ASOR Honors & Awards.

The 2025 hybrid Annual Meeting opened on Wednesday, November 19, with the Plenary Address by Dr. Timothy P. Harrison (Director of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC) and Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Chicago) titled, The Middle East Cultural Heritage Crisis and Why It Matters. The presentation generated a lot of discussion and enthusiasm, which continued throughout the evening at the Welcome Reception. View the Opening Remarks from ASOR’s Executive Director and President, as well as the Plenary Address by Dr. Timothy P. Harrison here.

The sessions, workshops, and posters on the academic program took place Thursday through Saturday, November 20-22. There were over 125 sessions and workshops with presenters representing 30 countries. The Poster Session featured more than 40 projects shared in Boston, as well as a virtual poster gallery. Online attendees could join sessions and workshops via Zoom from the 2025 ASOR Online Schedule. This was a valuable resource, not only for those who are unable to travel, but also for local registrants who had to be on campus or at their office during portions of the meeting that they would have otherwise missed. Session and workshop organizers were supported by ASOR assistants who were trained to facilitate the hybrid logistics of the meeting.

The recorded content of the Annual Meeting is being edited and will be available to registered attendees via the ASOR Online Portal / 2025 Online Schedule through July of 2026. Registration includes access to past Annual Meeting content in the ASOR Online Library. Register for the 2026 ASOR Annual Meeting or purchase access to the ASOR Online Library in the ASOR Online Portal for continued access.

In addition to the academic program, attendees in Boston enjoyed several special events at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza, as well as extracurricular programs organized by members, and complimentary access to the Museum of Fine Arts with an ASOR name badge. Events at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza included the Early Career Scholars brown-bag lunch panel, Roundtable Discussions, and the Exhibit Raffle. Receptions were hosted during the event by ASOR, the Madaba Plains Regional Project, and the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute (CAARI). Before the meeting, attendees had the option to attend a seal carving workshop organized by Pinar Durgun, a workshop at the Harvard Art Museums organized by Jennifer Thum on building visitors’ museum literacy, and a tour of Little Syria with members of the ASOR GIV Committee.

The Exhibit Hall at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza included publishers, book sellers, universities, and booths by 2025 Annual Meeting sponsors, University of Chicago Press (Platinum Sponsor), Eisenbrauns / Penn State University Press (Platinum Sponsor), and ISD (Platinum Sponsor). Attendees browsed the exhibits on the centrally located Mezzanine foyer between sessions and during sponsored coffee breaks.

After the Annual Meeting, nearly 300 people stayed to celebrate ASOR’s 125th Anniversary with a festive evening of dining, live music, member-curated playlists, and ASOR-themed activities.

ASOR would like to thank everyone who participated and contributed to the success of the 2025 Annual Meeting. Please enjoy some of the memorable moments captured in the photo album below, and we hope you will continue to enjoy the recorded content from the meeting through June 2026.

Please mark your calendars for ASOR’s 2026 Annual Meeting at the Hilton Chicago and online, November 18–21. Registration is open! The Call for Member-Organized Session & Workshop proposals will be open from December 15, 2025, to January 15, 2026.

2025 ASOR Annual Meeting Photo Album

Thank you to ASOR member, Bruno Soltic, for all of the photos taken during the 2025 Annual Meeting!