Lecture series

The first lecture was delivered by Katrien Keune (Head of Science at the Rijksmuseum and professor in molecular spectroscopy at the University of Amsterdam). It focuses on the advantages and limitations of reconstructions and models system in heritage science.

 

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Prof. Zvi Koren delivered his lecture on the chromatographic analyses of natural purple pigments and dyes, explaining what is the malacological source of these archaeological pigments and dyeings, what was the ancient method by which these dyeings were performed, and more. He also showed some case studies of HPLC chromatographic analyses of archaeological samples dating from three millennia ago.

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The fifth lecture of “Current Topics in Heritage Science” series was delivered by Sahra Talamo on January 19th, 2022, from 3 to 4 pm (CET). She spoke about radiocarbon dating and its role in the study of human evolution. She addressed how we can overcome the fire of destroying precious objects and directly date them using the updated radiocarbon pretreatment, the latest AMS instrumental advances, and the new IntCal20 calibration curve.

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The seventh lecture of the “Current Topics in Heritage Science” series will be delivered by Caroline Solazzo on Thursday, March 16th, at 3 pm (Rome time). She presented a review of current proteomics and mass spectrometric techniques used for the study of fibrous proteins, in particular as used in historical textiles and garments.

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The ninth lecture of the “Current Topics in Heritage Science” series was delivered by Michela Botticelli (Kelvin Centre for Conservation and Cultural Heritage Research, University of Glasgow) on Thursday, May 18th, at 3 pm (Rome time). The speaker presented an up-to-date overlook on the main steps for ethical sampling in Cultural Heritage.

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The 1st lecture of the 2nd edition “Current Topics in Heritage Science” series was delivered by Piotr Targowski live and online, on October 26, at 4 pm (CEST). The speaker introduced OCT technique and instruments. On examples from the practice, he showed how the OCT technique may be used to examine the structure of various artworks, trace former conservation attempts, and help monitor some restoration procedures.

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The 3rd lecture of the 2nd edition “Current Topics in Heritage Science” series was delivered by Altug Hazosbek on December 14, at 3 pm (CET). The speaker introduced the most advanced state-of-the-art techniques, including Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL), Electron Spin Resonance (ESR), and in detail Uranium-Thorium (U-Th) dating. Altug explained the whole process from sample collection, and methodological considerations, to the associated instrumental analyses. Furthermore, the lecture was complemented by presenting real-world case studies, particularly from the CENIEH (National Center for Research on Human Evolution) and the Atapuerca site in Burgos, Spain.

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The 5th lecture of the 2nd edition of the “Current Topics in Heritage Science”was delivered by Bernhard Blümich, on the topic: Portable NMR for structural diagnostic in heritage science on Thursday, February 22nd at 3.00 pm (CET), using the Zoom webinar platform. This lecture introduced the participants to nondestructive methods of analysis, focusing on portable NMR technique. The talk is about: how portable NMR works and how the instrument is operated will be explained, and its use in analyzing objects of cultural heritage was illustrated in three case studies: 1) Comparative investigation of the mortar-layer stratigraphy of Roman frescoes; 2) the preservation state of master violins; and 3) the effect of solvent in varnish removal of easel paintings. 

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The 9th lecture of the 2nd edition of the “Current Topics in Heritage Science” was delivered by Mathieu Duval, on the topic: The illusion of non-destructive analysis in Palaeoanthropology. To what extent high resolution mCT-scanning of hominin fossil remains may impact ESR and Radiocarbon dating results? on Thursday, June 27th at 3.00 pm (CEST), using the Zoom webinar platform. The lecture illustrates how the systematic mCT scanning of human fossils should not be regarded as a non-destructive technique, but may instead significantly impact fossil preservation and associated dating results.

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The 8th lecture of the 2nd edition of the “Current Topics in Heritage Science”was delivered by Emilio Cano, on the topic: Electrochemical techniques for studying metal corrosion on heritage objects on Thursday, May 23rd at 3.00 pm (CEST), using the Zoom webinar platform. He presented the fundamentals of the technique and the applications to cultural heritage, with special focus on the Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and its application for non-destructive in-situ studies.

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The Lecture was delivered by Vivi Tornari, Senior Specialized Scientist, Head of the Holography Laboratory of Laser Applications at the IESL of the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (Crete, Greece). It is focused on the basic principles and prominent applications of Holographic Interferometry non-destructive examination of movable and immovable heritage objects.

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The fourth lecture of “Current Topics in Heritage Science” series was delivered by Josep Grau-Bové on December 15th, 2022, from 3 to 4 pm (CET). The lecturer addressed the key role that citizens play in heritage science. He illustrated the scientific tasks that are well-suited to be done in collaboration with citizen scientists and illustrated the research avenues in heritage that remain open in citizen science, beyond the assessment of data quality.

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The sixth lecture of the “Current Topics in Heritage Science” series will be delivered by Verônica C. Teixeira on Thursday, February 16th, at 3 pm (Rome time). She presented an overview about Sirius, its construction, the challenges around this project, and the potentialities of using Sirius light in several areas, empathizing studies of the Cultural Heritage.

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The eighth lecture of the “Current Topics in Heritage Science” series will be delivered by Daniel O’Flynn on Thursday, April 20th, at 3 pm (Rome time). He presented an introduction to the principles and current research directions of X-ray tomography, as well as its challenges from a heritage science perspective. Case studies will be presented showing applications of X-ray tomography on the collection of the British Museum.

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The tenth lecture of the “Current Topics in Heritage Science” series was delivered by Livio De Luca on Thursday, June 22nd, at 3 pm (Rome time). The speaker presented his research on digital data anda novel  experimental setting of the Notre-Dame de Paris scientific action (involving 175 researchers from disciplines such as archaeology, anthropology, architecture, history, chemistry, physics and computer science). He explained how to build a corpus of data on scientific practises in cultural heritage research in the digital age.

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The 2nd lecture of the 2nd edition “Current Topics in Heritage Science” series was delivered by Dante Abate on November 30, at 3 pm (CET). The speaker delievered a talk on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) – powered methods are now being employed to monitor online platforms, enabling the identification, tracking, and reporting of illegal sales and transactions. Dante illustrated how, through intelligent methods, we can harness the power of technology to offer a proactive approach, ensuring the safety and preservation of invaluable cultural assets for future generations.

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The 4th lecture of the 2nd edition “Current Topics in Heritage Science” series was delivered by Emma Karoune on January 25, at 3 pm (CET). The speaker introduced the audience to the main practices of open science and why it is important for all researcher to start moving towards more open working in archaeology. Emma illustrated the benefits of practising open science as well as touch on the barriers that have to be overcome. She presented a case study about the FAIR Phytoliths project – this is a project that aimed to assess phytolith data in terms of the FAIR data principles and has formed an open community to tackle implementation of open science practices.

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The 6th lecture of the 2nd edition of the “Current Topics in Heritage Science”was delivered by  Pascale Fraiture and Vincent Labbas, on the topic: Dendrochronology: tree rings, art, archaeology on Thursday, March 28th at 3.00 pm (CET), using the Zoom webinar platform. This lecture introduced the participants to the dendrochronological approach applied to cultural heritage. A practical look at how it can be applied to cultural heritage, with particular emphasis on dating, reliability and accuracy, was provided.

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The 7th lecture of the 2nd edition of the “Current Topics in Heritage Science” was delivered by Katja Malovrh Rebec, on the topic: Digitalization of cultural heritage: HBIM and OpenBIM on Thursday, April 18th at 3.00 pm (CET), using the Zoom webinar platform. The lecture is focused on digitization procedures for the efficient management, preservation, and enhancement of cultural heritage through the use of advanced technologies such as Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM) and use of complementary techniques.

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