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Journal article
Inside out: Fusing 3D imaging modalities for the internal and external investigation of multi-material museum objects
3D imaging methods are increasingly employed in cultural heritage research to analyse and document objects in museum collections. In this work, we provide an interactive visualisation plugin for the open-source software Blender, to combine and inspect two complementary 3D imaging modalities: CT images, which capture the interior; and surface scans,... -
Journal article
Evidence for the earliest structural use of wood at least 476,000 years ago
Wood artefacts rarely survive from the Early Stone Age since they require exceptional conditions for preservation; consequently, we have limited information about when and how hominins used this basic raw material . We report here on the earliest evidence for structural use of wood in the archaeological record. Waterlogged deposits...Barham, L. ; Duller, G. A. T. ; Candy, I. ; Scott, C. ; Cartwright, C. R. …
archaeology and limnology
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Journal article
Diversified pottery use across 5th and 4th millennium cal BC Neolithic coastal communities along the Strait of Gibraltar
The region around the Strait of Gibraltar offered Neolithic societies a bridge connecting Iberia and North Africa. Using the sea for access to additional resources, Neolithic groups in the area developed close links with this territory as evidenced by its burial rites and storage practices. Nonetheless, the role pottery and...Breu-Barcons, Adrià ; Vijande-Vila, Eduardo ; Cantillo-Duarte, Jesús ; Comes, Pau ; Heron, Carl …
Strait of Gibraltar, pottery use, Neolithic, and organic residue analysis
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Book
‘To Aleppo gone …’: Essays in honour of Jonathan N. Tubb
To Aleppo Gone ... is a festschrift offered in honour of Jonathan Tubb, former Levant curator and Keeper of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum. It includes 44 contributions invited from Jonathan’s friends and colleagues from across the world, with each short essay exploring a single...Finkel, Irving ; Fraser, James ; Simpson, St John
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Journal article
Molecular evidence for new foodways in the early colonial Caribbean: organic residue analysis at Isla de Mona, Puerto Rico
Ceramic objects account for over 90% of the cultural material recovered from archaeological sites in the Caribbean. However, little research has been conducted on molecular evidence for past food production from these same vessels. Forty ceramic sherds from Isla de Mona have been analysed by GC–MS and GC-C-IRMS in order...Briggs, Lisa ; Cooper, Jago ; Craig, Oliver E. ; Heron, Carl ; Lucquin, Alexandre …
food, organic residues, Colonial Caribbean, pottery, and wine
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Journal article
Manufacturing variations in ISO Blue Wool fading standards under microfading exposure conditions
As is the case for other accelerated light-ageing methods, microfade test results are usually rated against the responses of the International Standards Organisation’s Blue Wool Fading Standards, the production of which is regulated by the International Standards Organisation. The suitability and convenience of the ISO Blue Wools for this purpose...Ford, Bruce ; Korenberg, Capucine
ISO Blue Wool Standards, Microfade testing, MFT, accelerated fade testing, and blue wool standard manufacturing
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Journal article
An exploration of potential raw materials for prehistoric pottery production in the Tao River Valley, Gansu Province, China
Northwest China is known for its Majiayao‐style Neolithic painted pottery which has received much praise for its high level of craftsmanship, yet its chain of production, in particular the step of raw material selection, is still poorly understood. To fill this lacuna, the present study explores the raw materials used...Dammer, Evgenia ; Hein, Anke ; Spataro, Michela
Northwest China, petrographic analysis, ceramic technology, and Majiayao style
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Book
Southeast Asia: A History in Objects
Southeast Asia: A History in Objects is a highly illustrated survey tracing the story of Southeast Asia from the Neolithic Age to the present day, following a treasure-trail of beautiful artefacts and works of art. Object by object, this richly illustrated volume, created in partnership with the British Museum, explores...Green, Alexandra
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Book
Creators of Modern China: 100 Lives from Empire to Republic 1796-1912
Creators of Modern China: 100 Lives from Empire to Republic (1796–1912) is the first book to be published on the most influential – yet often little-known – women and men of 19th-century China, a knowledge of whose lives, ambitions and achievements helps us understand modern-day China, its domestic challenges, political...Harrison-Hall, Jessica ; Lovell, Julia
China and 19th-century
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Book
China's Hidden Century: 1796–1912
Cultural creativity in China between 1796 and 1912 demonstrated extraordinary resilience in a time of warfare, land shortages, famines and uprisings. Innovation can be seen in material culture (including print, painting, calligraphy, textiles, fashion, jewellery, ceramics, lacquer, glass, arms and armour, rugs, silver, money, and photography) during a century in...Harrison-Hall, Jessica ; Lovell, Julia
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Book
Burma to Myanmar
The accompanying catalogue to the British Museum exhibition Burma to Myanmar. This beautiful book explores the histories and cultures of Myanmar – also known as Burma – promoting readers to consider pre-existing notions of this complex country. Known internationally for its long-running civil wars and pervasive poverty, it is a...Green, Alexandra
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Book
Luxury and power: Persia to Greece
The accompanying book to the British Museum exhibition Luxury and power: Persia to Greece. Luxurious objects are celebrated for their exoticism, rarity and style, but also disparaged as indulgent, extravagant and corrupt. The ancient origins of these attitudes emerged at the boundary between the imperial Persian and democratic Athenian Greek...Fraser, James
power, Luxury, Persia, and Ancient Greece
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Book chapter
Finger rings
This book aims to provide a new level of synthesis in the study of gold jewellery made in Egypt between 3500 bc and 1000 bc, integrating the distinct approaches of archaeology, materials science and Egyptology. Following accessible introductions to the art and use of gold in Ancient Egypt, and to...Guerra, Maria ; La Niece, Susan ; Meeks, Nigel ; Quirke, Stephen ; Troalen, L.
Ancient Egypt, gold, rings, and archaeology
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Book chapter
Granulation in Egypt and the cylindrical amulet from Haraga
This book aims to provide a new level of synthesis in the study of gold jewellery made in Egypt between 3500 bc and 1000 bc, integrating the distinct approaches of archaeology, materials science and Egyptology. Following accessible introductions to the art and use of gold in Ancient Egypt, and to...Guerra, Maria ; Meeks, Nigel
Ancient Egypt, gold, amulet, and archaeology
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Book chapter
Predynastic and Early Dynastic goldwork from Abydos
This book aims to provide a new level of synthesis in the study of gold jewellery made in Egypt between 3500 bc and 1000 bc, integrating the distinct approaches of archaeology, materials science and Egyptology. Following accessible introductions to the art and use of gold in Ancient Egypt, and to...Guerra, Maria ; Meeks, Nigel ; Quirke, Stephen
Ancient Egypt, gold, Abydos, and archaeology
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Book chapter
Second Intermediate Period jewellery in the collection of the British Museum
This book aims to provide a new level of synthesis in the study of gold jewellery made in Egypt between 3500 bc and 1000 bc, integrating the distinct approaches of archaeology, materials science and Egyptology. Following accessible introductions to the art and use of gold in Ancient Egypt, and to...La Niece, Susan ; Miniaci, G. ; Hacke, Marei ; Guerra, Maria
gold, jewellery, Ancient Egypt, and archaeology
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Journal article
A linchpin cap from Portstewart, Co. Antrim, and a harness ring from Kilrea, Co. Londonderry
Article about a linchpin cap from Portstewart, Co. Antrim, and a harness ring from Kilrea, Co. LondonderryMaguire, Rena ; Scott, Brian G. ; Perucchetti, Laura
Ireland and archaeology
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Journal article
The making of Bikini glass in Bida, Nigeria: ethnography, chemical composition, and archaeology
This paper discusses the process, prospects, and challenges of making glass in Bida (Nupeland), central Nigeria. The Masagá glassmakers of Bida provide the ideal case study for investigating the production of . Nineteenth-century Arab and European writings have described glassmaking in Nupeland; however, with the exception of the study carried...Lababidi, Lesley ; Babalola, Abidemi Babatunde ; Gratuze, Bernard ; Rolland, Joëlle ; Véron, Emmanuel …
Indigenous technology, Bida, Nigeria, ethnography, and glass making
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Journal article
The impact of farming on prehistoric culinary practices throughout Northern Europe
To investigate changes in culinary practices associated with the arrival of farming, we analysed the organic residues of over 1,000 pottery vessels from hunter-gatherer-fisher and early agricultural sites across Northern Europe from the Lower Rhine Basin to the Northeastern Baltic. Here, pottery was widely used by hunter-gatherer-fishers prior to the...Lucquin, Alexandre ; Robson, Harry K. ; Oras, Ester ; Lundy, Jasmine ; Moretti, Giulia …
hunter-gatherers, organic residue analysis, pottery, and early farmers
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Journal article
Industry and art on osseous materials from Courbet cave (Penne, Tarn, France) in the British Museum collections : evidence of Magdalenian connections
The Magdalenian site of Courbet cave in the Aveyron valley is renowned for a significant contribution to the nineteenth century debate about human antiquity and an outstanding set of engraved and sculpted artworks. The typological content of the assemblage nevertheless remained poorly known, making it difficult to assess the place...Lucas, Claire ; Cook, Jill ; Pétillon, Jean-Marc ; Mcgrath,, Krista ; van der Sluis, Laura …
osseous industry, circulation network, Aveyron valley, whale bone, and portable art
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Book chapter
Necklace British Museum EA3077 said to be from Thebes
This book aims to provide a new level of synthesis in the study of gold jewellery made in Egypt between 3500 bc and 1000 bc, integrating the distinct approaches of archaeology, materials science and Egyptology. Following accessible introductions to the art and use of gold in Ancient Egypt, and to...Meeks, Nigel ; La Niece, Susan ; Quirke, Stephen ; Guerra, Maria
Ancient Egypt, science, gold, archaeology, and jewellery
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Book chapter
New Kingdom strings in the collection of the British Museum
This book aims to provide a new level of synthesis in the study of gold jewellery made in Egypt between 3500 bc and 1000 bc, integrating the distinct approaches of archaeology, materials science and Egyptology. Following accessible introductions to the art and use of gold in Ancient Egypt, and to...Meeks, Nigel ; La Niece, Susan ; Guerra, Maria
Ancient Egypt, science, gold, archaeology, and jewellery
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Journal article
Parallel worlds and mixed economies: multi-proxy analysis reveals complex subsistence systems at the dawn of early farming in the northeast Baltic
The transition from foraging to farming was a key turning point in ancient socio-economies. Yet, the complexities and regional variations of this transformation are still poorly understood. This multi-proxy study provides a new understanding of the introduction and spread of early farming, challenging the notions of hierarchical economies. The most... -
Journal article
Forensic examination of a fragmentary funerary portrait in the collection of the Harvard art museums
The Harvard Art Museums’ collection includes six Egyptian funerary portraits of the Roman period. These portraits are all that remains of the funerary equipment of individuals whose bodies were carefully prepared for burial and the afterlife. One example, depicting a man, is particularly complicated, broken into multiple fragments which have...Rayner, Georgina ; Eremin, Katherine ; Smith, Kate ; Cartwright, Caroline ; Degryse, Patrick …
workshop, composite, analysis, Roman Egypt, and technical imaging
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Journal article
How can Neutron Imaging contribute to Heritage Science? An overview at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source
Heritage Science HS spans a large variety of objects and materials, as well as anything that has historic, artistic, anthropological, and natural significance. This paper aims to bridge the gap between the physical and natural sciences and the humanities, and divulge neutron imaging techniques to a wider community. Here we...Fedrigo, Anna ; Grazzi, Francesco ; O’Flynn, Daniel ; Kockelmann, Winfried ; Cantini, Francesco …
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Journal article
Light production by ceramic using hunter-gatherer-fishers of the Circum-Baltic
Artificial illumination is a fundamental human need. Burning wood and other materials usually in hearths and fireplaces extended daylight hours, whilst the use of flammable substances in torches offered light on the move. It is increasingly understood that pottery played a role in light production. In this study, we focus... -
Other
British Museum Studies in Ancient Egypt and Sudan (BMSAES) Issue 27
Issue 27 comprises two articles focusing on the collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts at the British Museum. The first one publishes for the first time a group of mummy bandages inscribed with the Liturgy of Opening the Mouth for Breathing. This text is only known from a few other sources,...Vandenbeusch, Marie
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Book
Dyes in History and Archaeology 41
This book is a reprint of the Special Issue Dyes in History and Archaeology 41 that was published in HeritageDyer, Joanne
colourants, organic pigments, and dyes
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Book chapter
Objects, knowledge, and museums: reflections on the Endangered Material Knowledge Programme
This chapter addresses some of the politics of knowledge that revolve around ethnographic collections in public museums today. In an increasingly politicised environment, museums with ethnographic collections are often now expected to undertake various kinds of moral work on behalf of wider society. Work such as reparation and restitution for...Bolton, Lissant
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Book
Rebel Emperors of Britannia – Carausius and Allectus
One of the most exciting periods of Britain’s history under the Romans remains largely unknown today. Yet, at the end of third century AD, two men successively ruled the island, together with parts of the Continental coast, as emperors of Britannia for a period of ten years. They minted their...Barker, Graham ; Moorhead, Sam
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Journal article
A view from the countryside: radiocarbon chronology for Zaolinhetan of the pre-Zhou culture in early dynastic China
The conquest of the Shang Dynasty at Anyang around 1046 BCE by the Zhou is one of the major events for not only Chinese Bronze Age but also early interaction between the pastoralist groups from the Eurasian Steppes and agriculture ones in the Central Plains of China. It is well-known...Li, Xiaojian ; Liu, Wei ; Xu, Yongxiang ; Dou, Haifeng ; Pollard, A Mark …
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Book
Look at the Coins! Papers in Honour of Joe Cribb on his 75th birthday
The twenty-four contributions in Look at the Coins! reflect the vast scope of Joe Cribb’s interests, including Asian numismatics, museology, poetry and art. The papers are arranged geographically, then chronologically or thematically. The first seven papers look at coins, charms and silver currencies in or from China: Chinese coin-shaped charms,...Wang, Helen ; Bracey, Robert
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Journal article
Neutron tomography of sealed copper alloy animal coffins from ancient Egypt
Animal mummification was commonplace in ancient Egypt, with the remains of many animals placed inside statues or votive boxes with representations of animals or hybrid human–animal creatures. Votive boxes were made from a variety of materials and often sealed; some boxes are still preserved in this state in museum collections....O’Flynn, Daniel ; Fedrigo, Anna ; Perucchetti, Laura ; Masson-Berghoff, Aurélia
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Journal article
A 'Scheme of My Protection': Rosalind Birnie Philip and the history of the James McNeill and Beatrix Whistler Collection at the University of Glasgow
The Whistler Collection, held at the University of Glasgow, is one of the most important collections related to the nineteenth-century American artist James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) in the world. It was established in the mid-1930s by the artist's sister in-law Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958) who donated the Whistler Estate to...Hughes, Alicia
James McNeill Whistler, University of Glasgow, history of collecting, and museum of studies
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Journal article
Diversification of faunal exploitation strategy and human-climate interaction in Southern China and Southeast Asia during the last deglaciation
Southern China and Southeast Asia were favourable habitats for foragers during the Last Glacial Maximum (∼25–18 ka BP) and the Last Deglaciation (∼18–11.7 ka BP), despite various climate fluctuation. However, the underlying subsistence strategies in these areas remains unclear, due to the lack of systematic chronological and archaeological data. The...Lu, Yongxiu ; Gao, Feng ; Wang, Yiren ; Ma, Minmin ; Zhou, Aifeng …
foragers, Southeast Asia, Southern China, and Late Paleolithic
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Journal article
New solidification simulation reveals the secret of the hidden metal cores in ancient Chinese bronzes
Regardless of the tremendous number of studies on ancient Chinese bronzes and fruitful understanding of the raw materials, technologies and their cultural significance, many related issues have still not been tackled. In particular, it has been known for decades that the legs of Shang and Zhou bronzes have metal cores,...Yang, Huan ; Fang, Minghui ; Chang, Yihang ; Liu, Ruiliang ; Fang, Zhao …
solidification process simulation, metal core, casting defects, and bronze tripod
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Journal article
Forager-farmer transition at the crossroads of East and Southeast Asia 4900 years ago
The southward expansion of East Asian farmers profoundly influenced the social evolution of Southeast Asia by introducing cereal agriculture. However, the timing and routes of cereal expansion in key regions are unclear due to limited empirical evidence. Here we report macrofossil, microfossil, multiple isotopic (C/N/Sr/O) and paleoproteomic data directly from...Ma, Minmin ; Lu, Minxia ; Sun, Rui ; Zhu, Zhonghua ; Fuller, Dorian Q. …
proteomics, isotopes, agricultural origins, Yunnan, and millet
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Journal article
Human migration in the eastern Tianshan Mountains between the 7th and 12th centuries
Mid- to late-Holocene large-scale population migration profoundly impacted the interaction of ethnic groups and cultures across Eurasia, notably in Central Asia. However, due to a lack of thorough historical documents, distinctive burial items, and human remains, the process of population migration during this historical era in the area is still...He, Letian ; Cao, Huihui ; Wang, Yongqiang ; Liu, Ruiliang ; Qiu, Menghan …
geopolitical pattern, isotopic analysis, cultural interaction, and ancient silk road
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Journal article
Bronze alloying recipes at Anyang during the Shang Dynasty
We present a detailed analysis of the chemical alloying data (Cu, Sn, Pb) on the bronzes recovered from the Late Shang capital at Yinxu, revealing a complex pattern which varies by social status and object typology, and which also changes over time. The preference for higher tin in the bronze...Pollard, A. Mark ; Zhang, Yun ; Liu, Ruiliang
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Book chapter
The use of kernel density estimates on chemical and isotopic data in archaeology
Kernel Density Estimates (KDEs) have found wide application in archaeological spatial analysis, where they have been integrated into geographical information systems with various user-friendly packages to explore the spatial distribution of archaeological finds. The creation of a KDE provides a non-parametric way of converting continuous data such as histograms or...Pollard, A.M. ; Ma, Qian ; Bidegaray, A.‐I. ; Liu, Ruiliang
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Journal article
From diversity to monopoly: major economic policy change in the Western Han Dynasty revealed by lead isotopic analysis
The relationship between the flow of metal and the state political and economic structures of the Qin and Han empires has thus far received inadequate scientific investigation. In this study, lead isotopic analysis was conducted on 54 bronzes unearthed from multiple sites of Eastern China dated to WHD (Western Han...Yang, Dongyi ; Wu, Xiaotong ; Liu, Ruiliang ; Wang, Qing ; Shi, Benheng …
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Journal article
Predicting bronze casting recipes in ancient China: ternary copper-lead–tin alloys and the “unit sum problem”
This paper explores the relationship between trends in the observed composition of ternary copper-lead–tin alloys and the recreation of “recipes” used for the casting of bronze objects, and in particular, to ask if the recipe can be reconstructed from the chemical data. The archaeological context is specifically the manufacture of...Pollard, A. M. ; Liu, Ruiliang
Bronze casting recipes , Chinese bronze coins, and Unit sum problem
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Journal article
Understanding the transport networks complex between South Asia, Southeast Asia and China during the late Neolithic and Bronze Age
The emergence and intensification of transcontinental exchange during both the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age profoundly influenced the social history of Eurasia. While scholars have intensively discussed east-west long-distance communication along the proto-Silk Road, the north-south transport networks that connected China to South and Southeast Asia during the Late Neolithic...Ma, Minmin ; Lu, Yongxiu ; Dong, Guanghui ; Ren, Lele ; Min, Rui …
Late Neolithic, Southeast Asia, transport networks, Bronze Age, South Asia, and China
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Book chapter
Japanese bindings
Conservation of Books is the highly anticipated reference work on global book structures and their conservation, offering the first modern, comprehensive overview on this subject. This chapter looks at the subject of Japanese bindings.Kusunoki, Kyoko ; Matsumaru, Mito
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Journal article
‘A lost chapter of ancient art’: archaeometric examinations of panel paintings from Roman Egypt
Ancient panel paintings on wood are, with the exception of the mesmerising mummy portraits, extremely rare. However, a small corpus of other types of Romano-Egyptian panel paintings is preserved in collections worldwide. The aim of this study is to explore the technical histories of these rare and intriguing artefacts. We...Brøns, Cecilie ; Stenger, Jens ; Newman, Richard ; Cartwright, Caroline ; Di Gianvincenzo, Fabiana …
radiocarbon dating, panel paintings, multi-spectral imaging, wood identification, and Roman Egypt
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Journal article
Analysis and conservation of a Bronze Age linen textile from Suffolk, UK
A rare Bronze Age linen textile was found inside a socketed axe, part of a bronze age hoard dating to circa 800 BCE, discovered in Somerleyton, Suffolk, in the 1920s. The recent loan of the objects from the hoard provided the opportunity for a collaborative study of the fragmentary textile...Harrison ; Cartwright, Caroline ; Harris, Susanna ; Shearman, Fleur ; Wilkin, Neil
Bronze age, metalwork, linen, and textile
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Book chapter
The Western Nile Delta Project: Reappraising the American Survey in 1977–1983
An extensive survey conducted by W.D.E. Coulson and A. Leonard Jr. between 1977 and 1983 explored more than 30 ancient sites in an area of about 800 km2 in the western Nile Delta. The project focused on the direct hinterland of Naukratis, investigating a previously (largely) unstudied area using modern...Masson-Berghoff, Aurelia ; Thomas, Ross
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Book chapter
Dynamism and scale in Western Asian Bronze Age trade networks
Cultural contacts and exchange are constituents of human behavior – ancient and modern. Within archaeology, particularly in that of Western Asia, the topic and related phenomena have been intensively studied during the last decades, leading to a re-evaluation of the cultural and economic, as well as physical landscapes throughout the...D’Alfonso , Lorenzo ; Highcock, Nancy A.