# Theoretical Archaeology Group

The Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG) is an academic national body in the United Kingdom founded in 1979 "to promote debate and discussion of issues in theoretical archaeology". Since 1977 TAG conferences have been held in December at various universities in the UK and Ireland discussing a range of contemporary theoretical approaches in archaeology. The conferences are supported by the journal Antiquity.

## History
### Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG) Conferences

TAG began at the University of Southampton in December 1977, with the University of Sheffield hosting the following year. The first two conferences were held as seminar-like gatherings for like-minded archaeology staff and students from Southampton and Sheffield. From December 1979, TAG became an annual conference open to all universities. These are hosted annually by different archaeology university departments across the UK and Ireland.
TAG is an example of a parallel session conference. Past conferences have inspired some of the most innovative journal articles in archaeology, published in respected journals such as Archaeological Dialogues, Antiquity, and the Journal of Social Archaeology. The Antiquity Keynote, Wine Reception, Antiquity Quiz, TAG Party and the annual TAG National Committee meeting have become annual features of the conference.

### Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG) National Body

The Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG) was established as a national body in 1979. The national body comprises two governing entities: a National Committee and Trustees.

#### TAG National Committee

TAG is managed and guided by a National Committee, which includes representatives from previous TAG conference host departments. The committee meets annually at the conference.

#### TAG Trustees

The TAG Trustees convene and organise annual National Committee meetings, administer TAG finances and promote the annual conference.

##### Current Trustees

* Julian Thomas
* Karina Croucher.

##### Past Trustees

* Colin Renfrew
* Timothy Darvill
* Andrew Fleming.

## List of Annual TAG Conferences in the UK and Ireland
### By Conference Year

The Theoretical Archaeology Group conferences have been held or are planned at the following institutions:
| Year | Host Institution | Theme / Meeting Name | Conference Dates |
| 2025 | University of York | Theory in Action | 15-17 December |
| 2024 | Bournemouth University | Evolution? | 13-15 December |
| 2023 | University of East Anglia | Climate Archaeology: Temporalities and Ontologies | 18-20 December |
| 2022 | University of Edinburgh | Revolutions | 15-17 December |
| 2021 | Antiquity | | 17-19 December |
| 2020 | University of Leicester | Fringe TAG | 18 December |
| 2019 | University College London | TAG@UCL-IoA | 16-18 December |
| 2018 | University of Chester | TAG Deva | 17-19 December |
| 2017 | Cardiff University | | 18-20 December |
| 2016 | University of Southampton | | 19-21 December |
| 2015 | University of Bradford | | 14-16 December |
| 2014 | University of Manchester | | 15-17 December |
| 2013 | Bournemouth University | TAG on Sea | 16-18 December |
| 2012 | University of Liverpool | | 17-19 December |
| 2011 | University of Birmingham | Central TAG | 14-16 December |
| 2010 | University of Bristol | | 17-19 December |
| 2009 | Durham University | | 17-19 December |
| 2008 | University of Southampton | | 15-17 December |
| 2007 | University of York | | 14-16 December |
| 2006 | University of Exeter | Factor X TAG | 15-18 December |
| 2005 | University of Sheffield | | 19-21 December |
| 2004 | University of Glasgow | | 17-19 December |
| 2003 | University of Wales, Lampeter | TAG@25 | 17-19 December |
| 2002 | University of Manchester | | 21-23 December |
| 2001 | University College Dublin | TAG in Ireland | 13-15 December |
| 2000 | University of Oxford | TAG 2000 | 18-20 December |
| 1999 | Cardiff University | | 14-17 December |
| 1998 | University of Birmingham | | 19-21 December |
| 1997 | Bournemouth University | | 16-18 December |
| 1996 | University of Liverpool | | 16-18 December |
| 1995 | University of Reading | | 18-21 December |
| 1994 | University of Bradford | | 14-16 December |
| 1993 | Durham University | | 13-16 December |
| 1992 | University of Southampton | euro-TAG | 14-16 December |
| 1991 | University of Leicester | | 16-19 December |
| 1990 | University of Wales, Lampeter | | 17-20 December |
| 1989 | Newcastle University | | 18-20 December |
| 1988 | University of Sheffield | | 13-15 December |
| 1987 | University of Bradford | | 15-17 December |
| 1986 | University College London | | 15-17 December |
| 1985 | University of Glasgow | | 16-18 December |
| 1984 | University of Cambridge | | 14-16 December |
| 1983 | Cardiff University | | 12-14 December |
| 1982 | Durham University | | 13-15 December |
| 1981 | University of Reading | | 14-16 December |
| 1980 | University of Southampton | | 14-16 December |
| 1979 | University of Sheffield | | 17-19 December |
| 1978 | University of Sheffield | | 8-10 December |
| 1977 | University of Southampton | | 9-11 December |

### By Host Institution

The founding institutions of TAG, the University of Southampton and the University of Sheffield, have hosted the most conferences:
| Host Institution | No. of Conferences |
| University of Southampton | 5 |
| University of Sheffield | 4 |
| Bournemouth University | 3 |
| Cardiff University | 3 |
| Durham University | 3 |
| University of Bradford | 3 |
| University College London | 2 |
| University of Birmingham | 2 |
| University of Glasgow | 2 |
| University of Leicester | 2 |
| University of Liverpool | 2 |
| University of Manchester | 2 |
| University of Reading | 2 |
| University of Wales, Lampeter | 2 |
| University of York | 2 |
| Antiquity | 1 |
| Newcastle University | 1 |
| University College Dublin | 1 |
| University of Bristol | 1 |
| University of Cambridge | 1 |
| University of Chester | 1 |
| University of East Anglia | 1 |
| University of Edinburgh | 1 |
| University of Exeter | 1 |
| University of Oxford | 1 |

## List of Regional TAG Conferences

Since 1985, regional TAG conferences have also been held in Europe and North America.
| Year | Host Institution / City / Town | Organiser | Country | Dates |
| 2025 | College of William & Mary | TAG North America | United States | 9-11 May |
| 2024 | Santa Fe University of Art and Design | TAG North America | United States | 21-23 May |
| 2024 | Turku | Nordic TAG | Finland | 6-9 March |
| 2022 | Oslo | Nordic TAG | Norway | |
| 2021 | TAG-Turkey III | TAG Turkey | Turkey | 6-9 May |
| 2021 | Stanford University | TAG North America | United States | |
| 2020 | University of Lisbon | TAG Ibérico | Portugal | 15 February |
| 2019 | Syracuse University | TAG North America | United States | |
| 2018 | University of Florida | TAG North America | United States | |
| 2018 | Carmona, Sevilla | TAG Ibérico | Spain | 3-4 February |
| 2017 | University of Toronto | TAG North America | Canada | |
| 2016 | Süleyman Demirel University | TAG Turkey | Turkey | |
| 2016 | Terrigal | Aus-TAG session | Australia | 6-8 December |
| 2016 | University of Colorado Boulder | TAG North America | United States | 22-24 May |
| 2015 | Copenhagen | Nordic TAG | Denmark | |
| 2015 | New York University | TAG North America | United States | |
| 2014 | Mimar Sinan University | TAG Turkey | Turkey | 5-6 February 2015 |
| 2014 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | TAG North America | United States | 23-25 May |
| 2014 | Stockholm | Nordic TAG | Sweden | 22-26 April |
| 2014 | University of West Bohemia | Czech TAG | Czech Republic | 3-4 March |
| 2013 | Ege University | TAG Turkey | Turkey | 9-11 May |
| 2013 | University of Chicago | TAG North America | United States | 9-10 May |
| 2013 | Reykjavík | Nordic TAG | Iceland | 21-25 April |
| 2012 | University of Glasgow | Scottish TAG | Scotland | 6 October |
| 2012 | Oulu | Nordic TAG | Finland | |
| 2012 | University at Buffalo | TAG North America | United States | 27-30 May |
| 2011 | University of California, Berkeley | TAG North America | United States | 6-8 May |
| 2011 | Kalmar | Nordic TAG | Sweden | 26-29 April |
| 2010 | Brown University | TAG North America | United States | 30 April-2 May |
| 2011 | Stanford University | TAG North America | United States | 1-3 May |
| 2009 | Trondheim | Nordic TAG | Norway | 26-29 May |
| 2008 | Columbia University | TAG North America | United States | 23-25 May |
| 2007 | Aarhus | Nordic TAG | Denmark | |
| 2005 | Lund | Nordic TAG | Sweden | |
| 2003 | Uppsala | Nordic TAG | Sweden | |
| 2001 | Oslo | Nordic TAG | Norway | |
| 1997 | Gothenburg | Nordic TAG | Sweden | |
| 1992 | Helsinki | Nordic TAG | Finland | |
| 1990 | Bergen | Nordic TAG | Norway | |
| 1987 | Umeå | Nordic TAG | Sweden | |
| 1985 | Elsinore | Nordic TAG | Denmark | |