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Book chapter
Steps from history. The Happisburgh footprints and their connections with the past
Human footprints were discovered at Happisburgh, UK, in 2013. This paper describes their discovery and the difficulties of recording such enigmatic remains in a coastal environment.Ashton, Nick
Happisburgh; human footprints; Lower Paleolithic; Early Pleistocene; Britain; Europe
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Book chapter
The fabric of banknotes – textiles in and on paper money
At various times in history and across the world, textiles have been used in payments and exchange, for example, in Tang Dynasty China when coins and textiles were the main forms of money, and in social and cultural conventions, such as dowries. Banknotes originate in the ‘flying money’ (feiqian) of...Wang, Helen
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Book
India: A History in Objects
India: A History in Objects is a beautiful exploration of India's past, which highlights objects from the British Museum collection. Arranged chronologically, and abundantly illustrated with expertly selected objects, this superb new overview connects today’s India with its past. Early chapters uncover prehistoric objects from 1.5 million years ago, examine...Blurton, Richard
material culture, history, and India
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Book
Sutton Hoo Excavations 1966, 1968–70
A report of the British Museum excavations at Sutton Hoo in 1966 and 1968-70.Longworth, I.H.
Sutton Hoo, archaeology, and Anglo-Saxon
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Book
A Romano-British Village at Grandford, March, Cambridgeshire
Publication of excavations at Granford, in the Cambridgeshire fens undertaken between 1958 and 1964. The authors excavated a very large Romano-British settlement which seems to have been initially occupied around AD 65-75, and grew to a substantial size, subsisting mainly on agriculture, but evidence for weaving, and pottery production was...Potter, T.W.
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Book
The Interface between Science and Conservation
This publication examines the increasingly important role of the conservation scientist. Conservation science, where scientists develop an understanding of why and how museum objects deteriorate, and research into methods and materials for arresting that deterioration, has become a specialism in its own right. The importance of adequate communication between the...Bradley, Susan
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Book
Catalogue of Punic Stelae in the British Museum
This catalogue discusses some aspects of Carthaginian or 'Punic' culture as shown by the inscribed and carved stones, or stelae, in the British Museum's collections. The majority of the North African, mainly Tunisian, stelae have votive or dedicatory inscriptions in Punic and some of them are thought to come from...Mendleson, Carole
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Wang, Helen
China, sinology, and numismatics
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Journal article
Roman coins from the Masson and Mackenzie collections in the British Museum
The British East India Company’s Museum in Leadenhall Street housed an eclectic range of objects that were predominantly collected by those associated with the Company. Charles Masson and Colin Mackenzie were two such individuals. Their collections were acquired by the EIC, and after the closure of the museum in 1878...Jansari, Sushma
British Museum, India, and coins
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Journal article
Dangeil 2013−14: porches, ovens and a glimpse underground
Excavations at Dangeil, Nile State, between October and December 2013 focused upon features within the temenos enclosure of the 1st century AD Amun temple and upon the nearby cemetery WTC. In addition, the preparation of a site management and presentation plan for the temple site was initiated (Plates 1 and...Anderson, Julie ; Bashir, Mahmoud Suliman ; Ahmed , Salah Mohammed
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Journal article
The Kushite cemetery of Dangeil (WTC): preliminary analyses of the human remains
A preliminary analysis of the human remains at the Kushite cemetery of Dangeil.Pieri, Anna
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Journal article
Geophysical survey at ancient Naukratis, Egypt
A summary of the geophysical survey undertaken at the site of Naukratis in Egypt.Strutt, Kristian ; Thomas, Ross Iain
Geophysics and Naukratis
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Book chapter
Conservation of an Amun Temple in the Sudan
An account of the conservation at the temple of Amun at Dangeil, Sudan, based on a paper given at the 12th International Conference for Nubian Studies held at the British Museum, London, from 1st-6th August 2010.Sweek, Tracey ; Anderson, Julie ; Ahmed, Salah Mohammed ; Tanimoto, Satoko
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Book chapter
Early Kushite royal statues at Dangeil, Sudan
An essay about the early Kushite royal statues at Dangeil, Sudan based on a paper presented at the 12th International Conference for Nubian Studies held at the British Museum, London, from 1st-6th August 2010.Anderson, Julie ; Ahmed, Salah Mohammed
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Research report
Excavations in the Meroitic Cemetery of Dangeil, Sudan
An educational resource on the excavations in the Meroitic Cemetery of Dangeil, Sudan. An Arabic version was also created with contributions from Salah Mohamed Ahmed, Fakhri Hassan Abdula Hassan and Fawzi Hassan Bakheit. The English version can be found at: https://bookleteer.com/book.html?id=2963& The Arabic version can be found at: https://bookleteer.com/book.html?id=2964&Anderson, Julie ; Bashir , Mahmoud Suliman
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Journal article
Dangerous perfection’ and an old puzzle resolved: a ‘new’ Apulian krater inspired by Euripides
An Apulian calyx krater attributed to the Underworld Painter that entered the British Museum in 1867 as part of the collection of the Duc de Blacas (GR 1867,0508.1335, Vase F270) has long puzzled scholars on account of its enigmatic iconography, seemingly representing Orpheus and Cerberus in the Underworld. Yet cleaning... -
Book
Babylon: Legend, History and the Ancient City
Babylon: for eons its very name has been a byword for luxury and wickedness. 'By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept', wrote the psalmist, 'as we remembered Zion'. One of the greatest cities of the ancient world, Babylon has been eclipsed by its own sinful reputation. For...Seymour, Michael
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Journal article
The Qatar-Sudan Archaeological Project at Dangeil. Satyrs, rulers, archers and pyramids: a miscellany from Dangeil 2014−15
Two seasons of work were undertaken at Dangeil recently, one in autumn 2014 and the other in March 2015, with some rather unanticipated finds.Work was conducted in three areas: the Amun temple site, Cemeteries WTC and FRC, and Dangeil NE, the latter being situated approximately 300m to the north east...Anderson, Julie ; Bashir , Mahmoud Suliman ; elRasheed, Rihab Khidir
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Journal article
Dangeil: excavations on Kom K, 2014−15
An account of the excavations on Kom K at Dangeil, Sudan, in 2014−15Maillot, Sébastien
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Book chapter
Five years of excavations at Dangeil, Sudan: a new Amun temple of the Late Kushite period
Insight into the newly discovered temple of Amun discovered at Dangeil, Sudan, in a collection of 150 essays presented at the Tenth International Congress of Egyptologists, organized at the University of the Aegean (Rhodes), 22-29 May 2008.Anderson, Julie ; Ahmed , Salah Mohammed
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Book chapter
Egyptian-Greek exchange in the Late Period: the view from Nokradj-Naukratis
This volume in which this chapter appears presents 16 papers that explore aspects of the economic and religious life of the northwestern Nile Delta in the first millennium BC. The papers concentrate on presenting new research on a range of material culture—ceramics, coins, weights, statuettes, statues, royal decrees and abandoned...Villing, Alexandra
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Book chapter
Cult and trade. A reflexion on Egyptian metal offerings from Naucratis
This volume in which this chapter appears presents 16 papers that explore aspects of the economic and religious life of the northwestern Nile Delta in the first millennium BC. The papers concentrate on presenting new research on a range of material culture—ceramics, coins, weights, statuettes, statues, royal decrees and abandoned...Masson, Aurélia
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Book
Hoards: Hidden History
Every so often a remarkable discovery hits the headlines - often an account of treasure hunters striking lucky after years of searching the land, or perhaps a chance find made by a farmer after ploughing. With each new hoard comes a story, or a number of possible stories and unanswered...Ghey, Eleanor
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Book
Symbols of Power: Ten Coins That Changed the World
Money has always been a subject of interest, today more so than ever. For centuries it has performed a key role around the globe – most obviously in trade and the economy, but also in the development of national identities, religions and the spread of empire. Introduced as measurements of...Hockenhull, Tom
numismatics and currency
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Book
Hoards: hidden history
Every so often a remarkable discovery hits the headlines – often an account of treasure hunters striking lucky after years of searching the land, or perhaps a chance find made by a farmer after ploughing. With each new hoard comes a story, or a number of possible stories and unanswered...Ghey, Eleanor
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Journal article
Handaxe and non-handaxe assemblages during Marine Isotope Stage 11 in northern Europe: Recent investigations at Barnham, Suffolk, UK
Britain has an important geological, environmental and archaeological record for Marine Isotope Stage 11 (MIS 11), which makes a major contribution to understanding of the human occupation of northern Europe. New fieldwork at Barnham, Suffolk, UK, has identified through improved geological resolution the change in assemblages from simple core and...Ashton, Nick ; Lewis, Simon G. ; Parfitt, Simon A. ; Davis, Rob J. ; Stringer, Chris
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Journal article
Identification, Geochemical Characterisation and Significance of Bitumen among the Grave Goods of the 7th Century Mound 1 Ship-Burial at Sutton Hoo
The 7th century ship-burial at Sutton Hoo is famous for the spectacular treasure discovered when it was first excavated in 1939. The finds include gold and garnet jewellery, silverware, coins and ceremonial armour of broad geographical provenance which make a vital contribution to understanding the political landscape of early medieval...Burger, Pauline ; Stacey, Rebecca J. ; Bowden, Stephen A. ; Hacke, Marei ; Parnell, John
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Journal article
The mystery of Naukratis: revealing Egypt’s international gateway
An article on the lost port of Naukratis, once Egypt’s great international gateway. Despite pioneering late 19th-century archaeological research at the site, Naukratis has since languished in the shadows. Who really lived there, how did the port work, and what salacious secrets were hidden away by the Victorians? Its mysteries...Villing, Alexandra ; Thomas, R.I.
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Book chapter
Egypt and Greece: early encounters
A chapter on early encounters between Egypt and Greece in the catalogue that accompanied the 2016 British Museum exhibition, Sunken Cities: Egypt's Lost WorldsMasson-Berghoff, Aurélia ; Villing, Alexandra
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Journal article
Identification, geochemical characterisation and significance of bitumen among the grave goods of the 7th century mound 1 ship-burial at Sutton Hoo (Suffolk, UK)
The 7th century ship-burial at Sutton Hoo is famous for the spectacular treasure discovered when it was first excavated in 1939. The finds include gold and garnet jewellery, silverware, coins and ceremonial armour of broad geographical provenance which make a vital contribution to understanding the political landscape of early medieval...Burger, Pauline ; Stacey, Rebecca J. ; Bowden, Stephen A. ; Hacke, Marei ; Parnell, John
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Journal article
Rethinking Human Responses to Sea-level Rise: The Mesolithic Occupation of the Channel Islands
This work provides new insights into human responses to and perceptions of sea-level rise at a time when the landscapes of north-west Europe were radically changing. These issues are investigated through a case study focused on the Channel Islands. We report on the excavation of two sites, Canal du Squez...Conneller, Chantal ; Bates, Martin ; Bates, Richard ; Schadla-Hall, Tim ; Blinkhorn, Edward …
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Journal article
QSAP Dangeil 2016: Aspelta, Beloved of Re’-Harakhty and Tombs in the Temple
Excavations are being conducted within the temenos enclosure of a 1st century AD Amun temple at Dangeil, River Nile State, as the Berber-Abidiya Archaeological Mission is focusing upon the sacred landscape of the late Kushite period in this region. Recently two field seasons were conducted, one in autumn 2016 and...Anderson, Julie ; elRasheed , Rihab Khidir ; Bashir , Mahmoud Suliman
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Book chapter
The Growing Pains of an Indic Epigraphic Corpus
As the papers in this volume testify, digital scholarly editing is a vibrant practice. Scholarly editing has a long-standing tradition in the humanities. It is of crucial importance within disciplines such as literary studies, philology, history, philosophy, library and information science, and bibliography. In fact, digital scholarly editing represents one...Balogh, Dániel
textual scholarship; scholarly editing; software; digital humanities
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Journal article
Refinements introduced in the Oddy Test methodology
The ‘Oddy test’ is an accelerated corrosion test introduced in the 1970s at the British Museum to identify materials likely to emit volatile substances that could harm museum artefacts. It is carried out in many museums all around the world, but not always using the same methodology, which makes it...Korenberg, Capucine ; Keable, Melanie ; Phippard, Julie ; Doyle, Adrian
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Book chapter
Don’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg? Some thoughts on bird sacrifices in Ancient Greece
Sokrates’ famous last words, ‘Krito, I owe a cock to Asklepios; will you remember to pay the debt?’, as reported in Plato’s Phaidon (117e–18a), have long occupied scholars trying to understand the reason for the ‘debt’, but the choice of sacrificial animal has equally surprised. Cattle, sheep, goats and pigs...Villing, Alexandra
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Journal article
Rhodes and Kos: East Dorian pottery production of the Archaic period
To date, the pottery production of Rhodes, Kos and other ‘East Dorian’ islands and coastal areas remains little understood. This article presents and discusses new neutron activation analysis (NAA) of eighth–sixth-century vessels found on Rhodes and in related areas, placing them in the wider context of past and present archaeometric...Villing, Alexandra ; Mommsen, Hans
NAA, Rhodes, and East Greek pottery
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Book
Hokusai: Beyond the Great Wave
The accompanying title to the major British Museum exhibition Hokusai: beyond the Great Wave. Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) is widely regarded as one of Japan’s most famous and influential artists. This publication casts fresh light on the sublime paintings and prints Hokusai created in the last thirty years of his life,...Clark, Tim
Japanese art, Hokusai, drawing, painting, woodblock printing, and British Museum
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Journal article
The date of Kanishka since 1960
The 1960 London Conference on the Date of Kanishka involved many leading scholars of Central and South Asian studies and had a profound impact on the field. This article examines the historiography of the central problem posed at the conference: In what year did the era of Kanishka commence? It...Bracey, Robert
Kushan, numismatics, Kanishka, and epigraphy
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Journal article
Ancient encaustic: An experimental exploration of technology, ageing behaviour and approaches to analytical investigation
The composition of the ancient wax-based painting technique known as encaustic has long been the subject of debate. Ancient sources provide few details of the technology, and modern understanding of the medium is restricted to theoretical interpretation and experimental observation. In this multi-analytical collaborative study, a number of analytical approaches...Stacey, Rebecca J. ; Dyer, Joanne ; Mussell, C. ; Lluveras-Tenorio, A. ; Colombini, M.P. …
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Journal article
' A Shield Loaded with History: Encounters, Objects and Exhibitions
This article discusses an Aboriginal shield in the British Museum which is widely believed to have been used in the first encounter between Lieutenant James Cook's expedition and the Gweagal people at Botany Bay in late April 1770. It traces the ways in which the shield became ‘Cook-related’, and increasingly...Nugent, Maria ; Sculthorpe, Gaye
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Journal article
A corroboree for the Countess of Kintore: Enlivening histories through objects
This paper discusses a corroboree performed in Darwin in 1893 to illustrate the potential of British ethnographic collections for researching overlooked historical events. The performance was brought to light after a collection of Aboriginal artefacts used in it was noted and examined by the author in the collections of Marischal...Sculthorpe, Gaye
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Journal article
The Qatar-Sudan Archaeological Project – Drones and Doors. Dangeil 2017−18
Recent excavations and conservation initiatives at Dangeil focused on several areas within the sacred enclosure of the late Kushite, 1st century AD Amun temple including the southern half of the temple’s monumental pylon entrance, the south-east side of the peristyle hall, and the northern half of the first hall. Work...Anderson, Julie ; elRasheed, Rihab Khidir ; Bashir , Mahmoud Suliman
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Book chapter
A visitor-focused approach to interpretation and learning
An illustrated overview of the British Museum's interpretation and learning programme centred around the Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic World that opened at the British Museum in 2018. The chapter discusses new way of interpreting objects in the Museum's collection based on years of visitor research as well as...Frost, Stuart
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Book chapter
Recent discoveries at Dangeil, Nile State: exploring the Amun temple complex
A summary of the recent discoveries at Dangeil, Sudan, specifically the Amun temple complex in a collection of essays dedicated to the archaeology and the ancient history of Nubia.Anderson, Julie ; Bashir, Mahmoud Suliman ; Ahmed , Salah Mohammed
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Book chapter
Die sozioökonomische und politische Kontext der Archäologie auf Zypern im 19. Jahrhundert
A study of the socio-economic and political situation linked to archaeology in 19th-century Cyprus in a volume about the German archaeologist, Max Ohnefalsch-Richter.Kiely, Thomas ; Merrillees, Robert
archaeology and Cyprus
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Book chapter
Auf Max Ohnefalsch-Richter Spuren im British Museum
An overview of the relationship between the archaeologist Max Ohnefalsch-Richter Spuren and the British Museum.Kiely, Thomas
British Museum, archaeology, and Cyprus
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Book chapter
Cyprus and Assyria
A overview of the relationship between Cyprus and Assyria at the time of Ashurbanipal in an exhibition catalogue to accompany the 2018 British Museum exhibition, I am Ashurbanipal: king of the world, king of Assyria.Kiely, Thomas
Assyria, Ashurbanipal, archaeology, and Cyprus
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Research report
Understanding and Monitoring the Cromer Forest-bed Formation
The Cromer Forest-bed Formation that is exposed on the foreshores of the Suffolk and Norfolk coasts is of critical importance in understanding the earliest human occupation of northern Europe, but is under continual destruction from coastal erosion. This report is the culmination of a four year programme to monitor and...Ashton, Nick ; Lewis, Simon G. ; Parfitt, Simon A. ; Bates, Martin R. ; Bates, Richard …
coastal; environmental studies; geoarchaeology; palaeolithic
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Journal article
Detection of opium alkaloids in a Cypriot base-ring juglet
A method has been developed for extracting poppy alkaloids from oily matrices, specifically lipid residues associated with archaeological ceramics. The protocol has been applied to fresh and artificially aged poppyseed oil and to residue from a Late Bronze Age Cypriot juglet in the collections of the British Museum. The juglet...Smith, Rachel K. ; Stacey, Rebecca J. ; Bergström, Ed ; Thomas-Oates, Jane
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Journal article
Ancient encaustic: An experimental exploration of technology, ageing behaviour and approaches to analytical investigation
The composition of the ancient wax-based painting technique known as encaustic has long been the subject of debate. Ancient sources provide few details of the technology, and modern understanding of the medium is restricted to theoretical interpretation and experimental observation. In this multi-analytical collaborative study, a number of analytical approaches... -
Journal article
Museological approaches to the management of digital research and engagement: The African Rock Art Image Project
The African Rock Art Image Project at the British Museum has documented and disseminated c. 24,000 digital images of rock art from throughout the continent, donated by the Trust for African Rock Art (TARA). The images were registered into the British Museum’s permanent collection and treated as objects in their...Anderson, Helen ; Galvin, Elizabeth ; de Torres Rodriguez, Jorge
archaeology, Museum studies, and Africa
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Journal article
A corroboree for the Countess of Kintore: enlivening histories through objects
This paper discusses a corroboree performed in Darwin in 1893 to illustrate the potential of British ethnographic collections for researching overlooked historical events. The performance was brought to light after a collection of Aboriginal artefacts used in it was noted and examined by the author in the collections of Marischal...Sculthorpe, Gaye
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Book chapter
Beyond the boundaries of the Periplus: the Persian Gulf route in the supply to Myos Hormos and Berenike
This article compares the quantity of Parthian and Sassanian pottery found at the Egyptian Red Sea ports of Myos Hormos and Berenike. It demonstrates greater interconnections during the Sassanian period than the Parthian, correlating to the rise in international importance of the Sassanian empire.Tomber, Roberta
Parthian pottery, Myos Hormos, Red Sea, Sassanian pottery, Berenike, and Persian Gulf
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Journal article
The use of wood-based products in showcases: an insight into current practices
It has long been established that wood emits volatile organic compounds that can be harmful to museum collections. An online survey was conducted to assess whether museums still used wood and composite wood inside showcases and, should this be the case, what strategies they employed to reduce the risk posed...Bertolotti, Giulia ; Korenberg, Capucine
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Book
I Object: Ian Hislop's Search for Dissent
A visual history of dissent, told through objects that challenge authority, published to accompany the exhibition at the British Museum co-curated by the satirist Ian Hislop. Challenging authority is an essential ingredient in the development of human civilisation. Across millennia, it has acted as a driving force behind social and...Hislop, Ian ; Hockenhull, Tom
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Journal article
Natural mummies from Predynastic Egypt reveal the world's earliest figural tattoos
The application of tattoos to the human body has enjoyed a long and diverse history in many ancient cultures. At present, the oldest surviving examples are the mainly geometric tattoos on the individual known as Ötzi, dating to the late 4th millennium BCE, whose skin was preserved by the ice... -
Journal article
Human occupation of Northern Europe in MIS 13: a response to comments by Gibbard et al. (2019)
In a recent paper (Lewis et al., 2019) we reported the results of geological and archaeological investigations at Happisburgh Site 1. We also considered the significance of the site for understanding the human occupation of northern Europe during the early Middle Pleistocene. In a comment on the paper, Gibbard et...Lewis, Simon ; Ashton, Nick ; Hoare, Peter G. ; Parfitt, Simon
Happisburgh; human footprints; Lower Paleolithic; Early Pleistocene; Britain; Europe
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Journal article
‘A bastion of colonialism’: public perceptions of the British Museum and its relationship to empire
This article uses visitor research to explore public attitudes to the British Museum and perceptions of its relationship to the history of the British Empire. Firstly, it provides an analysis of direct messages received by the Museum over a twelve month period via letters, emails and comments on social media...Frost, Stuart
British Museum; colonialism; imperialism; exhibitions; visitor research
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Journal article
QSAP: Dangeil 2018-19. Conservation challenges and an ever-expanding sacred landscape
Recent excavations and conservation conducted in the late Kushite temple complex at Dangeil over the course of the Qatar-Sudan Archaeological Project (2013-2019) have revealed many surprises and provided much information about this ancient edifice. Of note, work in the Amun temple’s peristyle court exposed the processional way through the building...Anderson, Julie ; Guiducci, Francesca ; Hajduga, Roksana ; Bashir, Mahmoud Suliman ; elRasheed , Rihab Khidir
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Journal article
Making pottery in the Nile Delta: ceramic provenance and technology at Naukratis, 6th–3rd centuries BC
The interdisciplinary study of Egyptian- and Greek-style pottery found in the Nile Delta aims to test and expand the potential of different scientific methods to identify regional variation and cultural traditions in ceramic fabrics from a relatively uniform geological setting. Neutron activation analysis (NAA), polarised light microscopy and SEM-EDX analyses...Spataro, Michela ; Mommsen, Hans ; Villing, Alexandra
SEM-EDX, Polarised microscopy, NAA, Egyptian pottery, and chaîne opératoire
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Book
Reimagining Captain Cook: Pacific Perspectives
The accompanying publication to the British Museum exhibition Reimagining Captain Cook: Pacific Perspectives, held from 29 November 2018 – 4 August 2019. On the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cook’s extraordinary voyages of exploration, this publication reflects on and charts the enduring legacies of his encounters with Pacific peoples. Objects...Adams, Julie ; Bolton, Lissant
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Book chapter
Taharqo and his descendants: a statue cache upstream of the Fifth Nile cataract
A study of the statues of Taharqo and his descendants upstream of the Fifth Nile cataract in a collection of essays on Egyptian statuary from the Old Kingdom to Late Antiquity.Anderson, Julie ; Ahmed, Salaheldin Mohammed ; Bashir , Mahmoud Suliman ; elRasheed, Rihab Khidir
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Book chapter
From Salamis to Bloomsbury: Transporting the Bull’s Head Capital to the British Museum
An account of the transportation of the famous marble bull's head capital discovered in the 1890 excavations at Salamis to the British Museum.Kiely, Thomas
archaeology, Cyprus, and Salamis
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Book chapter
Scanning Sobek. Mummy of the Crocodile God
Ancient Egyptians always had an intense and complex relationship with animals in daily life as well as in religion. Despite the fact that research on this relationship has been a topic of study, gaps in our knowledge still remain. In a volume with over 30 contributions that explore Human-Animal relationships...Anderson, Julie ; Antoine, Daniel
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Journal issue
Sudan & Nubia Volume 23
Volume 23 of Sudan & Nubia, edited by Julie Anderson with 54 authors. PDF freely downloadable from http://www.sudarchrs.org.uk/resources/publications/journal-sudan-nubia/#toggle-id-23Anderson, Julie
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Journal article
Evidence of an Ancient Archive? The Papyrus British Museum EA 9961
Used on both sides, the papyrus British Museum EA 9961 reproduces a marsh scene on the recto and a copy of the myth of Isis and her seven scorpions in cursive hieroglyphs on the verso. Although the high quality of the illustration is the most striking feature, the text has...Vandenbeusch, Marie
tomb decoration, papyrology, papyrus gathering, British Museum EA 9961, magic, Bird hunting, and Isis and the seven scorpions
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Journal article
Production and function of Neolithic black-painted pottery from Schela Cladovei (Iron Gates, Romania)
This paper presents for the first time the results of a combination of petrographic, geochemical and organic residue analyses of early Neolithic ceramics from the Iron Gates region of the Danube basin. Eleven early Neolithic potsherds from Schela Cladovei (Romania) were analysed in detail. The results of the petrographic analysis... -
Journal article
Palaeodemographic modelling supports a population bottleneck during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in Iberia
Demographic change lies at the core of debates on genetic inheritance and resilience to climate change of prehistoric hunter-gatherers. Here we analyze the radiocarbon record of Iberia to reconstruct long-term changes in population levels and test different models of demographic growth during the Last Glacial-Interglacial transition. Our best fitting demographic... -
Journal article
Developing a systematic approach to determine the sequence of impressions of Japanese woodblock prints: the case of Hokusai’s ‘Red Fuji’
Ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock prints were mass-produced in the Edo Period and early impressions of a given print are generally of higher quality and more sought after by connoisseurs than late impressions. The present publication presents an innovative approach that combines the classical method of examining line quality with a systematic... -
Journal article
Borders and interruptions
While museums are perceived as institutions dedicated to the dissemination and exchange of culturally diverse knowledges, museum scholarship has been hampered by a lack of multilingual networks and publications necessary for the exchange of museological perspectives between different linguistic, regional, and national communities. At the same time, the museum decolonization... -
Journal article
Emissions from MDF: governing factors and mitigation strategies
Many museums use elements, such as baseboards and inserts, made of medium density fibreboard (MDF) inside showcases. MDF is manufactured by bonding wood fibres with a resin. It emits volatile compounds that can be harmful to a wide range of museum objects, including formaldehyde. There is currently no entirely effective...Korenberg, Capucine ; Bertolotti, Giulia
MDF, showcases, VOCs; pollutants, wood, barrier film, and fibreboard; sealant
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Journal article
Historical formulations of lake pigments and dyes derived from lac: A study of compositional variability
“Lac” is a term referring to a pink-red-purple organic colourant derived from an insect and used as a lake pigment or a dye. Although historical sources indicate extensive usage, findings in historical samples remain scarce and are based on the detection of laccaic acids A and B, which are the...lac; shellac; historical recipes; photo-induced luminescence; HPLC-MSPCA
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Journal article
Fibre optic reflectance spectroscopy and multispectral imaging for the non-invasive investigation of Asian colourants in Chinese textiles from Dunhuang (7th-10th century AD)
The archaeological complex of Dunhuang (northwestern Gansu, China) is considered a pearl on the Silk Road and the content of its caves revolutionised oriental studies. The British Museum hosts a significant number of textiles and textile fragments from the site. Although mostly catalogued and studied from the point of view...Tamburini, Diego ; Dyer, Joanne
Dunhuang, Asian dyes, Silk road textiles, Multispectral imaging, and FORS
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Journal article
Developing a systematic approach to determine the sequence of impressions of Japanese woodblock prints: the case of Hokusai’s ‘Red Fuji’
Ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock prints were mass-produced in the Edo Period and early impressions of a given print are generally of higher quality and more sought after by connoisseurs than late impressions. The present publication presents an innovative approach that combines the classical method of examining line quality with a systematic... -
Journal article
The potential of triterpenoids as chemotaxonomic tools to identify and differentiate genuine, adulterated and archaeological balsams
Plant exudates have been extensively used in the past for different applications related to their olfactory, physical or medical properties. Their identification in archaeological samples relies, notably, on the characterisation of chemotaxonomic molecular markers but is often hampered by the severe alteration of their typical genuine molecular signature due to...Courel, Blandine ; Adam, Pierre ; Schaeffer, Philippe
Styrax, Liquidambar, Myroxylon, GC/MS, 6‑oxygenated oleanolic acid, 3-epi oleanolic acid
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Journal article
Twisted handaxes in Middle Pleistocene Britain and their implications for regional-scale cultural variation and the deep history of Acheulean hominin groups
A better understood chronological framework for the Middle Pleistocene of Britain has enabled archaeologists to detect a number of temporally-restricted assemblage-types, based not on ‘culture historical’ schemes of typological progression but on independent dating methods and secure stratigraphic frameworks, especially river-terrace sequences. This includes a consistent pattern in the timing...White, Mark ; Ashton, Nick ; Bridgland, David
ovate handaxes, social networks, Middle Pleistocene, hominin settlement, and Acheulean
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Journal article
From site to museum: a critical assessment of collection history on the formation and interpretation of the British Early Palaeolithic record
The British Lower and Middle Palaeolithic record makes an important contribution to understanding the early occupation of northern Europe, in particular, through the detailed, systematic and multidisciplinary excavations of key sites. However, it is the historic collections, amassed by a large number of collectors over a 100-year period from the...Harris, Claire R.E. ; Ashton, Nick ; Lewis, Simon G.
Collecting, UK, Museum, Early Palaeolithic, and Handaxes
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Journal article
Investigating the use of Paleolithic perforated batons: new evidence from Gough’s Cave (Somerset, UK)
Perforated batons, usually made from a segment of antler and formed of a sub-cylindrical shaft and at least one perforation, have been documented across Europe from sites throughout the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic. The function of perforated batons is still debated. We present here three Magdalenian perforated batons from the... -
Journal article
Investigating Asian colourants in Chinese textiles from Dunhuang (7th-10th century AD) by high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry – towards the creation of a mass spectra database
A broad palette of natural dyes is often mentioned with reference to dyed textiles from ancient China. However, few scientific works address the problem of correctly identifying these dyes, often referring simply to unidentified sources. The aim of this work was the creation of a database of mass spectra of...Tmaburini, Diego
HPLC-MS, Tandem mass spectra, Asian dyes, Chinese textiles, Dunhuang Silk Road
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Journal article
Pottery technology in the Tang dynasty (ninth century ): archaeometric analyses of a Gongyi sherd found at Siraf, Iran
In 1969–70, a single Tang dynasty blue-spotted Gongyi sherd was found at Siraf, Iran, the main trading port on the Persian Gulf in the early Islamic period. This is the only known example of Chinese blue-and-white ware, whether low- or high-fired, found in the Middle East from such an early... -
Journal article
The curation and display of Lindow Man
Lindow Man is one of the best-preserved Iron Age bog bodies from Europe. Since his discovery in August 1984, he has been on almost permanent display to the public and the subject of close scientific scrutiny. This article focuses on the life of Lindow Man since his discovery, charting how...Joy, Jody ; Farley, Julia
display, ethics, preservation, wetlands, museum, curation, human remains, and Bog body
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Journal article
Insights from nondestructive geochemical analyses of Hacienda Grande (Puerto Rico) and Salt River (Virgin Islands) Saladoid and Ostionoid ceramics
After decades of archaeological excavations, legacy collections present us with vast reservoirs of untapped research potential. By studying Ceramic Age (ca. 500 bc–ad 600) Caribbean pottery from Hacienda Grande (Puerto Rico) and Salt River (St. Croix), this exploratory study devised a method for the use of nondestructive geochemical analyses (portable...Van Thienen, Vince ; Martínez Milantchí, María Mercedes
legacy collection, ceramic practice, Caribbean archaeology, cultural interaction, and geochemistry
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Book
Abydos: The Sacred Land of the Western Horizon. Proceedings of the Annual Egyptological Colloquium at the British Museum ‘Abydos: the sacred land at the western horizon
This volume is the first of two complementary volumes that explore Abydos through the lenses of the latest archaeological, archival and collections research, building upon a colloquium and workshop held at the British Museum in 2015. A second volume (Abydos in the First Millennium AD, BMPES 9) presents a focussed...Regulski, Ilona
Archaeology, Egypt, and Abydos
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Book
Statues in Context: Production, Meaning and (Re)Uses
Moving beyond typological and stylistic discourses on Egyptian statuary, the papers gathered here seek to explore the architectural, cultic and production contexts of statuary, to shed light on religious or cultural practices, and the political or economic agenda behind the display or hiding of these sculptures. How and why were...Masson-Berghoff, Aurélia
archaeology, Egyptology, statues, Egyptian sculptures, and Egyptian bronzes
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Book
Inspired by the East: How the Islamic world Influenced Western Art
A broad view of the West's complex relationship with the Middle East and North Africa, told through a selection of exquisite art objects. This publication accompanies the exhibition 'Inspired by the East: how the Islamic world influenced Western art' organized by the British Museum and the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia.Greenwood, William ; de Guise, Lucien
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