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Journal article
Revealing relationships: colonial photograph albums of the Niger Delta at the British Museum: a case study
The focus of this paper is a collection of photographs currently housed in the British Museum. Two albums (British Museum reference numbers Af,A46 and Af,A47) are identified as belonging to Arthur Purt, thought to be a European trader in the Niger Delta in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries....Anderson, Helen
Nigeria, Photographs, and Colonial
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Journal article
The haunting of Assyria: a chilling new detail from the Sack of Nimrud
Discusses a previously unrecognised ancient graffito on an Assyrian sculptureSimpson, St John
iconoclasm, graffiti, and Assyria
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Book
Journal Special Issue: The Art of Gardens: Views from Melanesia and Amazonia
This volume argues that looking at gardens through the lens of art and aesthetics generates new insights into the role that gardens have for those who make and depend on them. Drawing on some of the debates around the anthropology of art, we suggest that aesthetics provides a rich analytical...Mitchell, Jean ; Bolton, Lissant
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Journal article
Technical steps towards enhanced localization of proteins in cultural heritage samples by immunofluorescence microscopy and micro-reflectance imaging spectroscopy
This study presents the results obtained during the optimization phase of a protocol based on immunofluorescence microscopy (IFM) with the aim to characterize and localize proteins in fluid-rich samples of cultural heritage interest. Chicken serum albumin from chicken blood was considered the primary target. Ovalbumin from chicken egg albumen (egg... -
Journal article
Some weapons to take away: the spread of decorated projectile points across Magdalenian societies
This paper presents a consideration on the spread of decorated weapon tips across Magdalenian societies. Based on a comprehensive review of the ten types of decorations identified on weapon tips from south-western France, the comparative analysis of their distribution shows their value to document both short and long distances relationships,...Lucas, Claire
Weapon, Magdalenian, and Portable art
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Journal article
Putting the pieces back together: Rembrandt's Lamentation drawing under the microscope
A thorough examination of Rembrandt’s early drawing of the Lamentation at the Foot of the Cross in the British Museum (Benesch 154; registration number Oo,9.103) using magnification (x10), transmitted light, infrared imaging and Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), in order to conclusively establish the construction of the paper and the different...Horbatsch, Olenka ; Snow, Rebecca ; Taylor, Samantha
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Book chapter
The small finds
Part of a multi-author chapter discussing late and post-medieval finds from excavations on the island of Kinolhas, illustrating links with South Asia, the Middle East and East Africa, and illustrating the importance of the Maldives within Indian Ocean networks.Abe, Yoshinari ; Dussubieux, Laure ; Wood, Marilee ; Haour, Anne ; Simpson, St John
archaeology, Indian Ocean, and Maldives
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Journal article
Tantra: Enlightenment to Revolution
A scholarly overview of the British Museum's 2020 exhibition, Tantra: enlightenment to revolution.Ramos, Imma
British Museum, Tantra, and exhibition
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Book chapter
Word and image in the drawings of Unica Zürn
An investigation of the interaction between word and image in the composite anagram poem-drawings of the Surrealist artist Unica Zürn.Seligman, Isabel ; Seligman, Isabel ; Mason, Louis ; Kivland, Sharon ; Newman, Michael ; Macfarlane, Kate …
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Journal article
Peasants, produce and tractors: farming scenes on Communist banknotes
Communist regimes in the twentieth century deployed a common visual language through banknote imagery, forging new narratives framed within the context of shared political and economic goals. In particular, farming imagery came to dominate banknote design. All communist regimes pursued extensive agricultural reform, from the ownership of land to the...Hockenhull, Tom
communism, currency, and agriculture
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Book chapter
Scientific analyses of some glass beads from Scythian and later sites in southern Siberia
A group of glass beads from late Scythian graves at Aymyrlyg and two groups of re-strung beads from a post-Scythian hoard at Znamenka were examined as part of a programme of scientific analysis associated with the exhibition Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia at the British Museum. All belong to the...Meek, Andrew ; Nikolaev, Nikolai N. ; Simpson, St John
natron, SEM-EDX, provenance, Glass beads, plant ash, and XRF
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Book
A Catalogue of the Late Antique Gold Glass in the British Museum
The British Museum holds one of the most extensive and important collections of Early Christian and Late Antique gold glass in Europe and the United States. With the last publication of the British Museum’s collection in 1901, this catalogue by Daniel Thomas Howells not only brings the collection up to...Howells, Daniel Thomas
Late Antiquity and glass
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Book
The Italian coins in the British Museum volume 1: South Italy, Sicily, Sardinia
A catalogue of the British Museum's collection of coins of South Italy, Sicily and Sardinia between 610 and 1860, with introductions on the history of the coinage and the provenance of the collection.Cook, Barrie ; Locatelli, Stefano ; Sarcinelli, Giuseppe ; Travaini, Lucia
British Museum, coinage, Italy, monetary history, and Sicily
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Book chapter
A carrier bag theory of drawing
This essay examines drawing as a technology, using the lens of author Ursula Le Guin's 1986 essay 'A Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction' to reflect on many of the drawings exhibited as part of the Drawing Room's 'Drawing Biennial 2021'.Seligman, Isabel
biennial, carrier bag, and drawing
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Book
Acropolis Restored
Published to mark the completion of a 35-year long study and restoration of the magnificent buildings on the Athens Acropolis. The individual contributors tell the story for an English reading audience of the dedicated and detailed efforts to understand the work of previous generations on the Acropolis and then to...Bouras, Charalambos ; Ioannidou, Maria ; Jenkins, Ian
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Book
Kom Firin II: The Urban Fabric and Landscape
Kom Firin, a large settlement site in the western Nile Delta, was the subject of British Museum archaeological fieldwork between 2002 and 2011. This second and final monograph presents the results of excavations in the Citadel, an area of Late Period occupation, and within the northeastern corner of the Ramesside...Spencer, Neal
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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
The Cuerdale Hoard and related Viking-Age silver and gold from Britain and Ireland in the British Museum
The Cuerdale hoard is the largest and most important hoard of Viking silver known from western Europe. The catalogue focuses on the entire non-numismatic contents (discovered in 1840), together with all the other hoards and single-finds of gold and silver artefacts (ornaments and ingots) of Viking character in the British...Graham-Campbell, James
numismatics, archaeology, metallurgy, History, and economics
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Book
The British Museum and the Future of UK Numismatics
Publication of the proceedings of a conference held to mark the 150th anniversary of the British Museum’s Department of Coins and Medals in 2011. The publication spells out ways forward for numismatic activity and the roles UK museums may play in developing the discipline in the 21st century.Cook, Barrie
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Book
Catalogue of the Japanese Coin Collection (pre-Meiji) at the British Museum (with special reference to Kutsuki Masatsuna)
The British Museum’s collection of Japanese coins is one of the best outside Japan. Many of the coins were originally in the collection of Japan’s renowned numismatist and collector, Kutsuki Masatsuna (1750–1802), and were acquired by the British Museum in the 1880s. At the same time as Kutsuki Masatsuna was...Wang, Helen ; Cribb, Joe ; Sakuraki, Shin’ichi ; Kornicki, Peter ; Screech, Timon …
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Book
Chronology of Temporary Exhibitions at the British Museum
This chronology lists the many hundreds of temporary exhibitions at the British Museum between 1838 and 2012. It includes the full range, from early displays of material in a few dedicated cases documented by a slim handlist of objects, to large-scale exhibitions accompanied by fully-illustrated catalogues.Bowring, Joanna
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Journal article
Heavy metal and the beauty industry: an unexpected connection from ancient Afghanistan
Explores the relationship between facial whiteners, cosmetic containers and by-products of the metal industry by reference to archaeological finds from Afghanistan and objects seized by UK law enforcement and now in the National Museum of AfghanistanSimpson, St John
Afghanistan, cosmetic, and Bronze Age
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Book
Kom Firin I: The Ramesside Temple and the Site Survey
First monograph on the British Museum fieldwork at Kom Firin in Egypt’s Nile Delta, a settlement created around the time of Ramses II, and occupied until late Antiquity. This volume focuses on the survey and remote sensing of the site, along with a full publication of the Ramesside temple.Spencer, Neal
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Journal article
An old problem in a new light: elemental and lead isotopic analysis of Luristan Bronzes
The emergence and provenance of the Luristan Bronzes has been a subject of interest for many decades. This paper presents the results of elemental and lead isotopic analysis of a series of Luristan Bronzes discovered from recent excavations in the Sangtarashan sanctuary, as well as an extensive comparative study on... -
Journal article
The art of gardens: an introduction
This volume argues that looking at gardens through the lens of art and aesthetics generates new insights into the role that gardens have for those who make and depend on them. Drawing on some of the debates around the anthropology of art, we suggest that aesthetics provides a rich analytical...Bolton, Lissant ; Mitchell, Jean
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Book chapter
Site-by site research on first millennium AD textiles from Egypt at the British Museum: conservation and documentation of archaeological collections
The chapter outlines recent approaches to conservation of and research on First Millennium AD textiles excavated in the early 20th century under the auspices of the Egypt Exploration Fund, Byzantine Research Fund and British School of Archaeology and now held in the British Museum. Systematic documentation and publication of First...Harrison, Anna ; O'Connell, Elisabeth ; Pritchard, Frances
research, conservation, and Textiles
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Journal article
The British Museum and the State Hermitage Museum: collaboration, exhibitions, research
Explores the long history of collaboration between these two museums through exhibitions, conferences, research, scientific exchanges and archaeological excavations over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries, and shows how museums exercise soft power and maintain dialogues even in challenging political timesSimpson, St John
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Book chapter
An analysis of coca leaves
Six Paracas/Nasca textiles with embroideries were scientifically examined not only to identify the fibres, but also to see if any of the textile bags contained traces of coca leaves. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed that one of these bags still contained tiny traces of coca leaves.Cartwright, Caroline
coca leaves, textile bags, and Peru
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Book
The Berthier-Delagarde Collection of Crimean Jewellery in the BM and Related Material
The Berthier-Delagarde Collection is the most significant collection of Early Medieval jewellery from the Crimean region of the Ukraine in the West. The catalogue is important not only for the archaeology of the region, but also for the broader relationship of the finds to Anglo-Saxon, Frankish and German jewellery.Andrási, Júlia
early medieval, jewellery, and Crimea
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Book
A Royal Renaissance Treasure and its Afterlives: The Royal Clock Salt
At centre stage in this volume is the Royal Clock Salt, an exceptional national treasure from the courtly culture of the Renaissance. Most probably made in Paris around 1530 by Pierre Mangot, the royal goldsmith to Francis I, the Clock Salt is somewhere between a jewel and a table ornament....Schroder, Timothy ; Thornton, Dora
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Book
Objects as Insights: R.H. Codrington’s Ethnographic Collections from Melanesia
R.H. Codrington (1830–1922) graduated from Oxford University in 1856 and was ordained in 1857. He volunteered to work in Nelson, New Zealand, from 1860–4 and was appointed as headmaster of the Melanesian Mission training school on Norfolk Island in 1867. He spent the next twenty years in this post and...Stanley, Nick
material culture, Melanesia, Codrington, collecting history, anthropology, and Pacific studies
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Book chapter
A licence to conserve: cultural diversity as a practical asset in conservation
This paper, co-authored by conservators from the Hirayama Studio at the British Museum, discusses whether staff at a Western institution have the right and appropriate qualifications to conserve objects from different cultures. What is appropriate in conserving culturally diverse material? Do we at the British Museum, on the one hand, risk...Weiss, Carol ; Qiu, Jin Xian ; Kim-Marandet, Meejung ; Kosek, Joanna ; Kusunoki, Kyoko …
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Book
Egypt and Empire: The Formation of Religious Identity after Rome
Across Eurasia and North Africa in the First Millennium AD, empires rose and fell, each adopting a universalizing faith which distinguished it broadly from its neighbours. In Egypt, our sources are particularly rich, owing to the land's arid climate and the unparalleled survival not only of stone, ceramic and metalwork,...O'Connell, Elisabeth R.
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Book
Painting Amara West: The Technology and Experience of Colour in New Kingdom Nubia
The first in a series of volumes generated by the British Museum's Amara West Research Project, this explores the use of pigments and the experience of colour in the town founded around 1300BC as a centre of the pharaonic administration of Upper Nubia (Kush). Combining scientific analyses, archaeological fieldwork, and...Fulcher, Kate
pigments, colour, and Amara West
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Journal article
A non-invasive investigation of Egyptian faience using Long Wavelength Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) at 2 μm
Egyptian faience is a non-clay ceramic semi-transparent material formed of a quartz core and alkali-lime glaze. Previous investigations have identified production techniques by using microstructure images obtained from invasive methods. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive 3D imaging technique that produces virtual cross-sections of transparent and semi-transparent materials. A...Read, Margaret ; Cheung, C. S. ; Liang, Haida ; Meek, Andrew ; Korenberg, Capucine
Egyptian faience, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and microstructure
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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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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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Journal article
How is museum lighting selected? An insight into current practice in UK museums
The results of a series of interviews with museum professionals on the subject of museum lighting specification and selection are reported, with the aim that this report should provide an insight into current practice. Specific attention is given to the usage of industry parameters (lux, CIE-Ra, CCT), and to investigating...Garside, Daniel ; Curran, Katherine ; Korenberg, Capucine ; MacDonald, Lindsay ; Teunissen, Kees …
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Journal article
Use of 3D laser scanning for monitoring the dimensional stability of a Byzantine ivory panel
The British Museum has in its collections a magnificent Byzantine ivory panel. However, the panel has become warped over time and there is a join on the left side, where it has suffered a break in the past. It has been connected with two metal pins and adhesive in a...Hess, Mona ; Korenberg, Capucine ; Ward, Clare ; Robson, Stuart ; Entwistle, Chris
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Book chapter
David Williams' treasures and the role of the Finds Liaison Officer in the treasure process
The Treasure Act 1996 makes it a legal requirement for finds of gold and silver objects, coin and prehistoric base-metal hoards to be reported to the Coroner. Its purpose is to enable museums to acquire these finds for public benefit. In practice the administration of cases reported under this law...Richardson, Ian
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Book
Down to Earth Archaeology
Professor William Y. Adams presents sixteen papers on Nubia, written at various times during his lengthy and productive academic career. Most of those selected had been previously published only in a limited way; encompassing a wide range of topics, Adams wanted to enable them to reach a wider readership than...Adams, William Y. ; Anderson, Julie R.
archaeology and Nubia
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Book
Chinese Numismatics: The World of Chinese Money
This is the first book to explore the history of the field of Chinese numismatics from both Eastern and Western perspectives. Consisting of four papers that complement each other beautifully, it gives a sound introduction to the study of Chinese numismatics, focusing on the 19th century and, crucially, how to...Wang, Helen ; Thierry, Francois ; Jankowski, Lyce
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Journal article
Aux origins de la conservation des peintures coréennes: le constat d’état du Portrait du roi Taejo et sa conservation (1763–64) (The origins of the conservation of Korean paintings: the condition report of the Portrait of King Taejo and its preservation (1763–1764))
A quite exceptional document drawn up by the court in 1763-1764 is held in the Jangseogak Archives, Gyeonggido, near Seoul (South Korea); it is a manuscript related to the condition assessment and restoration of a royal portrait of King Taejo, known the first ruler during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910). Painted...Kim-Marandet, Meejung
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Journal article
Re-membering Osiris: Late Period casting moulds and Osirian ritual
In 1969, a unique set of Late Period bronze casting moulds was discovered at the Qubbet el-Hawa necropolis illustrating the chaîne opératoire of the lost-wax technique. Usually only mould fragments, if anything at all, remain in the archaeological record, but this assemblage presents complete examples representative of different phases of...Verly, Georges ; Auenmüller, Johannes ; Delvaux, Luc ; W. Rademakers, Frederik
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Journal article
Counting when, who and how: visualizing the British Museum’s history of acquisition through collection data, 1753–2019
This paper critically examines the possibilities of using the British Museum’s collection database as a research tool to examine acquisition history. It publishes initial findings from the author’s research into the history of the collection through a quantitative analysis of collection data. Rather than focusing on individual collectors, collections or...MacDonald, Isobel