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Book
The carnyx in Iron Age Europe : the Deskford carnyx in its European context [2]
The carnyx, an animal-headed bronze horn, once echoed across Iron Age Europe. Now, after centuries of silence, this book presents a full picture of this dramatic instrument for the first time. It considers the rare surviving fragments, with a detailed study of the Deskford carnyx from north-east Scotland, alongside depictions...Hunter, Fraser
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Book
Ecomorphology of Cyclorrhaphan Larvae (Diptera)
This book offers an overview of the larva of Diptera Cyclorrhapha. It first discusses the principal forms, functions and roles of larvae, and then evaluates feeding, locomotion and respiration in larval saprophages, phytophages and zoophages as keys to understanding and predicting larval morphology. It also highlights how the environment affects... -
Book
Histeridae, Sphaeritidae and Silphidae of Britain and Ireland
The Histeridae and Silphidae atlas covers 75 beetle species in three families. Histeridae: the clown beetles. Sphaeritidae: the false clown beetles Silphidae: the carrion beetles. Many of these large charismatic beetles are associated with decaying organic matter, including carcasses, dung and dead wood. Several species are widespread and common in...Lane, S A ; Lucas, C B H ; Whiffin, Ashleigh L
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Book chapter
Museum nature
From Aztec accounts of hibernating hummingbirds to contemporary television spectaculars, human encounters with nature have long sparked wonder, curiosity and delight. Written by leading scholars, this richly illustrated volume offers a lively introduction to the history of natural history, from the sixteenth century to the present day. Covering an extraordinary...Alberti, S J M M
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Book chapter
Sex, art and museums: on the changing institutional censorship of Shunga
rt is continuously subjected to insidious forms of censorship. This may be by the Church to guard against moral degeneration, by the State to promote a specific political agenda or by the art market, to elevate one artist above another. Now, and in the last century, artwork that touches on...Boyd, Louise
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Book chapter
Probing the factors which control degradation in museum collections of cellulose acetate artefacts
Cellulose acetate artefacts in museum collections cover a period from the early 1900's to the present day. Conservators have observed that certain of these objects are showing signs of warping, crazing, cracking, discolouration and shrinkage accompanied by a strong smell of acetic acid. Previous studies on cellulose nitrate artefacts show...Ballany, Jane M ; Littlejohn, D ; Pethrick, R P ; Quye, Anita
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Book chapter
The use of accelerated ageing tests for studying the degradation of cellulose nitrate
Previous studies have shown that high levels of sulphate in cellulose nitrate artefacts may be a cause of increased degradation. Accelerated ageing tests have been used to study and monitor the deterioration of prepared cellulose nitrate samples and artefacts over time. An evaluation has been made of the effects of... -
Book chapter
The Museum of Scotland and conservation issues of commissioned art
The Museum of Scotland is a new building in Edinburgh which opened in November 1998 to present the history of Scotland from its geological beginnings to the present day. This article considers conservation issues within three themes: the building itself as iconic modern architecture and its effect on the exhibition...Tate, Jim ; Clarke, David V ; Spencer, Helen ; Cobo del Arco, B
Scotland), exhibiting, Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh, museology, museums, and modern art
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Book chapter
Plastics conservation – Barbie™ and friends
The chemical sciences and their applications are all around us. Many museums and galleries have scientific departments, and collectors of objects that may not even be "antique" in the strict definition of the word often need to have some scientific knowledge to stop their collection deteriorating. This resource shows how... -
Book chapter
Degradation studies of cellulose nitrate plastics
This book addresses the interaction of principle and practice, of materials, techniques and ideas, which characterise contemporary conservation as a whole.Stewart, R ; Littlejohn, D ; Pethrick, R P ; Quye, Anita ; Tennent, N H
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Book chapter
Monitoring of damage to historic tapestries (MODHT): a newly initiated EU project
The trade in dyestuffs has played an important role in the economic history of many nations. In medieval Europe this is demonstrated by the important place held by woad in the economy of many countries, but while the woad industry of Toulouse or Erfurt is quite well known, that of...Quye, Anita
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Book chapter
Technologies of the self: painted pebbles, ornaments and the burial
During the late 1st millennium BC into the early 1st millennium AD, the small island of Unst in the far north of the Shetland (and British) Isles was home to well-established and connected farming and fishing communities. The Iron Age settlement at Milla Skerra was occupied for at least 500...Goldberg, D Martin ; Hunter, Fraser
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Book chapter
Development of analytical techniques for the study of natural yellow dyes in historic textiles
Interest in all aspects of dyestuffs has grown considerably since an informal meeting of researchers twenty years ago developed into the annual meetings of Dyes in History and Archaeology, with the journal of the same name publishing a selection of papers presented. Analysis has revealed that the early 20th-century clothing...Ferreira, Ester S B ; Quye, Anita ; McNab, Hamish ; Wouters, J ; Boon, J J …
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Book chapter
Appendix 1. The pre-2500 BC individuals
Some 17 individuals sampled for the BPP can be assigned to the Neolithic period, either on the basis of radiocarbon dating (n=12) or because of their contextual associations (n=5). In some cases (such as Liffs Low, Derbyshire) the selection had been deliberate: they were known to be Neolithic when they...Jay, Mandy ; Montgomery, Janet ; Pearson, Mike Parker ; Sheridan, J A
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Book chapter
Historical and analytical research of dyes for early Scottish tartans
Papers in this volume cover various aspects of the deterioration of textiles and the different scientific techniques that can be applied to investigate the characteristics of historic textiles, their fibres, dyes etc. The authors include textile, paper and painting conservators, conservation scientists, chemists, archaeologists, engineers, biochemists and a zoologist. This...Cheape, Hugh ; Quye, Anita
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Book chapter
Early People
Eduardo Paolozzi (1924-2005) was one of the greatest Scottish and European artists of the 20th Century. He was a prolific sculptor and printmaker as well as an inspirational teacher. His was an exceptional talent, drawing on culture in all its forms, from Classical myths to comics and ephemera. Most would...Clarke, David V
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Book chapter
Shale analysis. In: Arabaolaz, Iraia. 2019. Beside the River Ayr in prehistoric times: excavations at Ayr Academy
Archaeological interventions at Ayr Academy, Ayrshire revealed a number of pits and postholes on a raised beach on a terrace of the River Ayr dating from the late Mesolithic to the late Bronze Age. One group of pits and postholes probably defines a middle Bronze Age burial ground. The environmental...Hunter, Fraser
lithic artefacts, prehistoric structure and pits, Palimpsest site, and prehistoric pottery
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Book chapter
Objects of the past in the past in the past
How did past communities view, understand and communicate their pasts? And how can we, as archaeologists, understand this? In recent years these questions have been approached through studies of the extended occupation and use of landscapes, monuments and artefacts to explore concepts of time and memory. But what of objects...Knight, Matthew G ; Boughton, Dot ; Wilkinson, Rachel E
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Book chapter
Doughtful associations? Assessing Bronze Age 'multi-period' hoards from northern England, Scotland and Wales
How did past communities view, understand and communicate their pasts? And how can we, as archaeologists, understand this? In recent years these questions have been approached through studies of the extended occupation and use of landscapes, monuments and artefacts to explore concepts of time and memory. But what of objects...Knight, Matthew G
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Book chapter
Early Medieval beads
The crannog on Llangorse Lake near Brecon in mid Wales was discovered in 1867 and first excavated in 1869 by two local antiquaries, Edgar and Henry Dumbleton, who published their findings over the next four years. In 1988 dendrochronological dates from submerged palisade planks established its construction in the ninth...Redknap, Mark ; Davis, Mary
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Collecting and displaying Japanese culture in 19th-century Scotland
Disciplinary boundaries are inevitable within a complex academic system and as those boundaries shift with time, the problem of speaking across them only increases. The scholars today who study the Japanese collections held by British museums are primarily art historians or archaeologists, but the context in which these collections were...Buckland, Rosina
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Lecture
(Re)discovering the Gaulcross Hoard and other early medieval silver
Lecture by Alice Blackwell and Dr Martin Goldberg of National Museums Scotland and Dr Gordon Noble of the University of Aberdeen at the 2015 Archaeological Research in Progress (ARP) conference, Saturday 30 May 2015.Goldberg, D Martin ; Blackwell, Alice ; Noble, Gordon
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Lecture
Alexander Henry Rhind and Archaeology
A look at how Rhind’s work in Scotland informed his pioneering work in Egypt, advocacy for the protection of antiquities in both Scotland and Egypt, and his role in devising the original displays of British, Scottish, and Egyptian artefacts at the National Museum of AntiquitiesMaitland, Margaret
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Conference paper (unpublished)
Keeping natural history collections healthy: preventing deterioration in store and on display
Ogilvie, Ticca M A
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Conference paper (unpublished)
National Museums Scotland, Digital Collecting in Museums, 2020
A multi-disciplinary group of museum and heritage professionals with shared interests in collecting born-digital material met at the National Museum of Scotland on 11 March 2020 to discuss best practice and opportunities. The symposium included a range of papers outlining different approaches to collecting and interpreting digital entities, with definite...Alberti, Samuel J M M ; Angus, Sonny ; Laurenson, Sarah ; Osborn, Molly ; Volkmer, Laura M B
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Lecture
The Storrar Coverlet: a double weave tradition in Scotland and Scandinavia
Coverlet in red and yellow wool, woven in a double weave with a geometric design of birds, a chequered band and the date 1729 at each end. Formerly in the possession of the Storrar family of Nether Urquhart, Fife: probably made in Sweden.Wyld, Helen
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Conference paper (unpublished)
From Edo to Edinburgh: Curating Japan at National Museums Scotland
The conference will explore cultural connections between the visual and material cultures of Scotland and Japan. It will bring together academics, independent researchers, curators, archivists and artists to share new research in the area, as well as to exchange ideas, and engage in lively discussions related to the shared art...Boyd, Louise
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Lecture
Exploring the climate crisis through collections and programming at National Museums Scotland
Climate change has a profound impact on communities of the North and their way of life. As Russia assumes the Chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021-2023, we open a conversation about the Arctic as a unique eco system and focus on the sustainable development of the region and what...Higgitt, Rebekah
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Lecture
Insects - The little things that run your Garden
Gardens can support an incredible diversity of insects, but beyond butterflies and bees, how aware are you of these 6-legged neighbours? Do you know what bizarre behaviours and essential services are occurring in the undergrowth? Join Ashleigh as she shares her passion for some of the unconventionally charismatic insects, and...Whiffin, Ashleigh L
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Conference paper (unpublished)
Brough of Birsay revisited: a new look at the Pictish workshop
Maldonado, Adrián
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Master's dissertation
After-hours events: a product for attracting, engaging and retaining new musum audiences? A case study of National Museums Scotland
Cultural heritage is recognised as one of the major contributors to the economy. As a result, museums have moved away from their traditional role as collectors and conservators of artefacts of historical importance, to become more audience focused. The recognition by museums of an obligation to meet the needs and...Easson, Hilary
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Doctoral thesis
Making music of the world accessible: three significant non-Western music collections in European Museums
This sub-thesis presents a study of non-Western music collections held in three separate European museums. The museums under investigation are the Horniman Museum in London, the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam and the National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh. It surveys how these museums acquire, research interpret and exhibit non-Western music collections in...Moloney, Kylie
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Democratising knowlege and visualising progress: illustrations from Chambers's Encylopaedia, 1859-1892
In the 19th century, the Scottish firm of W. & R. Chambers transformed the publishing model of encyclopaedias from a book aimed at the elite to a tool for mass education. This multidisciplinary study examines the design of the first two editions of Chambers's Encyclopaedia, focusing on their illustrations and...Roberto, Rose
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The development and application of analytical methods for the identification of dyes on historical textiles
The analytical investigation of several historically important natural yellow and red dye sources is presented, extending previous work on the chemical characterisation of the acid hydrolysed extracts from dyed yarns. The PDA HPLC studies of weld (Reseda luteola L.) dyed yarn extracts found that neither the substrate nor additional steps...Peggie, David A
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Lecture
Conservation of the Galloway Hoard. The richest collection of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in Britain or Ireland.
The hoard was found in 2014 and an exhibition is now on tour in Scotland after extensive research and conservation work. It was a true conservation challenge having a variety of material (glass, rock crystal and other minerals, minerally preserved organics) in addition to the precious metals. The lecture will...Goldberg, Martin ; Davis, Mary
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Still image
Carved powder-horn. Accession no. M.1931.581
Carved powder-horn bearing the names of Jonathon Webb and James Cameron and hung on an American Indian woman's burden strap, inscribed 1 September 1758, carried by a soldier of the 42nd Royal Highlanders. Accession no. M.1931.581. Image refNational Museums Scotland
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Still image
Large disc brooch from the Viking-Age Galloway Hoard
Large disc brooch made of two discs riveted together. Decorative silver front disc plate made of pierced silver. The back disc is copper alloy with possible gilt surface on one side which is visible through the pierced silver disc surface. The pin is riveted through the back disc and possibly...National Museums Scotland
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Lecture
Hidden treasure of National Museums Scotland revealed: A silk rug with Tree of Life by Kashani master weaver Mohtasham
This fine silk rug features a large flowering tree. Likely never used, the multiple colours of the rug’s dazzling array of blossoms are magnificently preserved. The weaver of this exquisite piece, Hajj Molla Mohtasham, ran one of the most successful carpet manufactures in 19th-century Kashan. Mohtasham rugs are highly prized...Voigt, Friederike