This year’s Calpe Conference will be held between Thursday 21^st and Sunday 24^th September at the University of Gibraltar. The conference theme is:

2023 - The Three Anniversaries (1783, 1848, 1893). Gibraltar: from the Great Siege to the construction of the Naval Dockyard, including the Discovery of its Famous Skull. History and Heritage.

The conference commemorates three important dates in the Gibraltar history calendar: the first is the end of the Great Siege in 1783 (240 years), the longest campaign in British military history. The second is the discovery of the famous Gibraltar 1 Neanderthal skull in 1848 (175 years); the third is the start or works related to the construction of the Gibraltar Dockyard in 1893 (130 years). Even if, at first sight, these three anniversaries may seem unrelated, they are, in fact, interwoven. The conference will adopt the interdisciplinary approach that has characterized the work of the Gibraltar National Museum in recent decades and which has made it a world-renowned institution. The conference will have three sections. The first will cover military history, the second the history of science, and the third will cover heritage aspects that will bring all the themes together.

An impressive line-up of leading specialists from the United Kingdom, the United States, Switzerland, Israel, Malta, France, Spain and Portugal will accompany local historians and scientists. The event will coincide with a meeting of the International Research and Conservation Council, some members of the council participating as Calpe speakers.

A full programme will shortly be published on the Gibraltar National Museum’s website www.gibmuseum.gi where those interested may register. The event is free to Gibraltar residents.