Who we are

The International Lychnological Association (ILA) is an association within the meaning of art.60 et seqq. of the Swiss Civil Code. Its provisional headquarters shall be located at the address of the Roman Museum, Nyon.

It shall encourage and assist in the coordination of scientific and technical research in the field of lighting in the Ancient World.

It shall have the following means of action :

• Establishment of links between researchers, technical experts and organizations ;
• Encouragement of the dissemination of knowledge in the field of lighting in the Ancient World ;
• Encouragement of the establishment of a national committee in each country, grouping specialists in lighting in the Ancient World ;
• Organization of congresses and symposiums.

Admission of members shall be subject to written application to the Committee. Legal entities, public law institutions and corporate bodies may be admitted as corporate members.

Any person deemed worthy of merit by the Association may, on the proposal of the Committee, be awarded honorary membership by the General Assembly.

All members shall have the same right of vote which may, if necessary, be delegated by proxy to another member, in writing, with a maximum of two rights of proxy per member present.

The General Assembly shall establish the amount of the annual subscription. Honorary members shall be exempted from payment of the subscription. Natural persons may become life members on payment of a single subscription to the value of twenty ordinary annual subscriptions.

Membership of the Association shall be forfeited if the member : Resigns

Is excluded by a two-thirds majority of the Committee following non-payment of the subscription or on justified grounds. The member so excluded may appeal against his exclusion to the General Assembly. A written appeal shall be submitted to the President not later than 30 days after the exclusion is announced.

The organs of the Association shall be :

I. The General Assembly

The ordinary General Assembly shall meet on the occasion of international symposiums and whenever it is convened by the Committee or at the request in writing of one-fifth of the members of the Association.

The Committee may convene an extraordinary Assembly only when it deems it necessary or when one-fifth of the members so request.

The Assemblys deliberations may be considered valid only if one-fifth of its members are present or represented.

No decision may be taken on matters that do not figure in the agenda. Members shall be notified of proposals to amend the statutes when they receive the agenda of a General Assembly.

The basic tasks of the General Assembly shall be :

• To elect the 9 members of the Committee, including a President, a Vice-President, a Treasurer, a Secretary and the Auditors ;
• To take note of and approve reports on the CommitteeÍs management
• To take decisions on proposals by members of the Committee ;
• To nominate honorary members.

The decisions of the General Assembly shall be taken by a majority of the members present or represented.

Votes shall be taken by show of hands or by secret ballot as the Assembly may decide ; a vote by correspondence may be taken if the General Assembly or the Committee so decides.

The President shall have the right to vote and in addition shall have a casting vote.

II. The Committee

The Committee shall

• be composed of 9 members, elected by the General Assembly for three years. No more than three members shall be of the same nationality.
• be renewed in toto. Outgoing members may be re-elected for two consecutive periods or following a three-year break. The Treasurer may be re-elected indefinitely.
• concern itself with the current business of the Association.
• meet as often as may be necessary, when convened by the President or at the request in writing of one-third of its members.

The Committee’s decisions shall

• be taken by a majority vote of the members.
• be valid only when not less than two-thirds of its members have been able to express an opinion.

When a vacancy occurs in the Committee during an administrative period, the Committee may co-opt a member to make up its numbers.

The President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary shall have right of signature. Documents engaging the Association shall, in principle, be signed by two of these officers, in accordance with the legal obligations of each country.

III. The Auditors

The General Assembly shall elect two Auditors and an alternate for three years. The Auditors shall be responsible for examining the accounts of the Association and reporting thereon to the General Assembly.

Pursuant to article 77 of the Swiss Civil Code, the Association shall be dissolved by right when it is insolvent or when its management can no longer be constituted in accordance with the Statutes. Reservation is made of article 78 of the Swiss Civil Code.

The dissolution of the Association may be decided only in an extraordinary General Assembly, by a three-quarters majority of the members present.

In the event of the dissolution of the Association, its property shall be transferred to some other institution or institutions having aims similar to those of the Association.

The constituent General Assembly adopted these Statutes on 2 October 2003. They shall enter into force immediately. The French version of these Statutes is be deemed to be the authentic text.

Nyon, 2 October 2003

The President Arja Karivieri

The Secretary Laurent Chrzanovski