Search Constraints
Search Results
-
Abstract
Gold and silk embroidered braid, 900 CE Scotland
In 2014 metal detectorists in southwest Scotland discovered a Viking Age hoard of metals and other precious materials, including rare, preserved textiles, and silk braid with unusual gold embroidery. The braid is part of a textile-wrapped bundle containing three gold filigree socketed mounts and a black stone pendant with gold... -
Book
The Old Red Sandstone, or New Walks in an Old Field
Facsimile edition of this classic book first published in 1841. Ross-shire-born polymath Hugh Miller (1802-56), self-educated stonemason, geologist and writer, was famous in his lifetime across the English-speaking world. On one level, The Old Red Sandstone, is a description of the geology of Cromarty, Ross-shire, with diversions into its scenery,...Miller, Hugh
-
Book
The Old Red Sandstone, or New Walks in an Old Field
Facsimile edition of this classic book first published in 1841. Ross-shire-born polymath Hugh Miller (1802-56), self-educated stonemason, geologist and writer, was famous in his lifetime across the English-speaking world. On one level, The Old Red Sandstone, is a description of the geology of Cromarty, Ross-shire, with diversions into its scenery,...Miller, Hugh
-
Lecture
Geology to jewellery: sourcing and crafting Scottish metals and gems in the nineteenth century
From the late eighteenth century, jewellers in Scotland used precious metals and colourful stone to craft little luxuries that were bought, gifted and worn by men, women and children. This paper explores how jewellers and lapidaries responded and contributed to developing knowledge about geology and mineralogy through the things they...Laurenson, Sarah
jewellery, geology, jewellers, mineralogy, precious stones, lapidaries, and Scotland
-
Journal article
New specimen and redescription of Anisodontosaurus greeri (Moenkopi Formation: Middle Triassic) and the spatiotemporal origins of Trilophosauridae
Anisodontosaurus greeri is an enigmatic small-bodied tetrapod with a heterodont dentition from the Holbrook Member of the Moenkopi Formation (Middle Triassic) of Arizona (U.S.A.). The evolutionary relationships of this taxon have long been debated and remain uncertain. Using micro-computed tomography (µCT) scans we redescribe the holotype of Anisodontosaurus greeri (UCMP...Foffa, Davide ; Nesbitt, Sterling J ; Kligman, Ben T ; Butler, Richard J ; Stocker, Michelle R
-
Presentation
Did the Vikings exist?
We can all picture a Viking. But the Vikings that archaeologists dig up look rather different. Those Vikings adopted fashions from wherever they settled, and even changed religions when needed. They traded and married as much as they raided and harried. Their ships carried men, women, children and even pets....Maldonado, Adrián
-
Journal article
A Thomas Rathbone & Joseph Machin letter
I purchased a letter on a postal history website as it was from Thomas Rathbone, and which had been sent from his pottery at Portobello on the 17th June 1817 and addressed to the important Staffordshire potter Joseph Machin.Haggarty, George R
Joseph Machin, Thomas Rathbone, pottery history, Jack Dunlop, letter correspondence, and Messer's Leggat stoneware merchant
-
Book review
Exhibition Review: A new power: photography in Britain 1800-1850 Weston Library, Oxford, 1 February - 7 May 2023
The two overlapping exhibitions running in adjacent galleries in the Weston Library, Oxford (put on by the Bodleian Library) illustrated the twin inventions announced in 1839 that subsequently became known as 'photography'Morrison-Low, Alison
photographic incunabula, Bodleian Library, library exhibition , exhibition review, and early photography
-
Blog post
Tartan trendsetting in our library catalogue
Tartan’s bold and sometimes scandalous history is retold in 19th century pattern books and trade catalogues at the National Museums Scotland Library that form part of our Special Collections. Assistant Librarian Jennifer Higgins puts the spotlight on several of these books to better understand how the mass adoption of Highland...Higgins, Jennifer
Tartan, Research Library , National Museum Of Scotland , National War Museum , Scottish Fashion , and Books
-
Lecture
St Moluag's Monastery on Lismore - a Rival to St Columba's Monastery on Iona
Community excavation on Lismore has identified an Early Christian monastic site which includes an enclosed cemetery, one oval stone building and evidence for a specialised craft workshop area in which fine pieces of jewellery and other intricately decorated objects were made, antler was worked, leather was embossed and stone was...Ellis, Clare ; Cruickshanks, Gemma
Isle of Lismore, St. Moluag, monastic site, Pictish settlement, Christian missionary, archaeological research, and community excavation
-
Book
Donald Ross and the Highland Clearances 'Yet still the Blood is Strong'
The Highland Clearances was a dark episode in Scottish history when many thousands of people were forced off lands that they and their kin had lived on for generations. Some boarded ships destined for the colonies of America and Australia, others ended up on small barren plots by the coast...Ross, Andrew J
evictions, emigration , venerable societies , highland clearances, biography , and Donald Ross (1813-1882)
-
Magazine article
Donald Ross and the highland Clearances
Andrew J. Ross provides the background to his new book on the life of his relative Donald Ross, a critic of the highland clearances who raised money and provided supplies for sufferers of the potato famine, but ultimately became a victim of his own success and emigrated to Canada following...Ross, Andrew J
venerable societies, emigration, highland clearances, biography, and Donald Ross (1813-1882)
-
Journal article
World Catalogue of the family Lonchaeidae (Diptera, Cyclorrhapha, Acalyptratae)
A catalogue of world species of Lonchaeidae is provided. Ten valid genera and 611 valid species in two subfamilies are listed. For each valid species the list includes author, year of publication, full publication name, page number of original description and, where known, type locality and type depository. All validly...MacGowan, Iain
ACALYPTRATAE , BIOGEOGRAPHIC REALM, NOMENCLATURE , TYPE LOCALITY , NEW COMBINATION DISTRIBUTION , NEW SYNONYM , CYCLORRHAPHA , DIPTERA , and TYPE DEPOSITION
-
Journal article
Artefacts of Arran pitchstones from Slewcairn Early Neolithic funerary monument, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
Between 1973 and 1980, the late Lionel Masters excavated an Early Neolithic long cairn at Slewcairn, close to the Solway Firth in south-west Scotland (NGR NX 9239 6142; Canmore ID 65491). The monumement is situated on the slope of Meikle Hard Hill, 6 km from the coast and 15 km...Ballin, Torben ; Sheridan, J A
pitchstone, assemblage report, long cairn, and Early Neolithic Scotland
-
Research report
Surfacing the National Collections: adapting image cataloguing standards to transform access to National Museums Scotland's online collections
This report summarises the findings and outputs of a knowledge exchange project between the University of Glasgow and National Museums Scotland (the Museums) which was intended to inform image cataloguing standards through an audience-centred approach. A recent AHRC-Towards-a-National-Collection-funded report identified a discrepancy between metadata standards used by the Museums’ staff... -
Journal article
Neolithic culinary traditions revealed by cereal, milk and meat lipids in pottery from Scottish crannogs
Cereal cultivation in Britain dates back to ca. 4000 BCE, probably introduced by migrant farmers from continental Europe. Widespread evidence for livestock appears in the archaeozoological record, also reflected by ubiquitous dairy lipids in pottery organic residues. However, despite archaeobotanical evidence for domesticated plants (such as cereals), organic residue evidence...Hammann, Simon ; Bishop, Rosie R ; Copper, Mike ; Garrow, Duncan ; Greenwood, Caitlin …
Lipids , Plant domestication, Archaeology, and Mass spectrometry
-
Book
The bare bones: explore the Early Neolithic chambered cairns of the North Channel
The spread of farming across Europe from the Near East is an amazing story of how a new way of life was established by farmers who moved on to new land as their population grew. People were growing crops and tending domesticated animals from around 9500 BC in the Levant...Lindsay, Gavin ; Ritchie, Matt ; Sheridan, J A
agriculture, migration, early farmers, and Neolithic Scotland
-
Journal article
Evolutionary trends in trimerellid brachiopods
Non-articulated trimerellides, one minor group among the largest brachiopods, are commonly found in massive monospecific accumulations in Ordovician and Silurian rocks. In this paper, all species of the family Trimerellidae are listed for the first time, and some of them are discussed. They appeared in the Sandbian and became extinct...Chen, Di ; Huang, Bing ; Candela, Yves
-
Blog post
Brooching questions: conserving a silver brooch from the Galloway Hoard
After spending over 1,000 years in the soils of Galloway, it’s no wonder objects from the Galloway Hoard needed some serious work before going on display. Bethan Bryan talks through the complex process of conserving a silver brooch, from mending “mini-volcanoes” of copper erosion to using porcupine quills and algae-derived...Bryan, Bethan
-
Lecture
Highland dress and fashionable culture in Georgian Britain
Fashion and textile historian Dr Rosie Waine tells the story of the remarkable transformation of Highland dress from warrior culture to the colourful world of fashion in Georgian Britain. A REMARKABLE TRANSFORMATION As a living tradition, Highland dress is deeply rooted in the history of Scotland. Once associated with the...Waine, Rosie
fashion , Highland dress, material culture, and Georgian Scotland
-
Interactive resource
'Contributions' by Knight, Matthew G In: Woolmer-White, Grace 'The Corrymuckloch Hoard'
In May 1995, the tenants of Corrymuckloch Farm, near Amulree, made a remarkable discovery (PKHER: MPK9219). Walking across rough pasture to the north of the farm whilst looking for stones for a rockery, they spotted what was at first taken to be a helmet in an area of boggy ground....Woolmer-White, Grace
-
Interactive resource
Early Medieval
This early medieval chapter deals with the period around AD 350–1058 and will follow a new structure which aligns with those used for the medieval and post-medieval chapters. In the past the period was often viewed as ‘the Dark Ages’ at the end of ‘prehistory’. The emphasis was on the...Strachan, David ; Maldonado, Adrián ; Hall, Mark ; Mitchell , Juliette
Research Framework, early medieval , archaeological period, and Scotland
-
Interactive resource
Chalcolithic and Bronze Age
The British Chalcolithic period is now widely recognised as beginning during the 25th century BC. It is marked by the appearance of the first metal artefacts, produced from copper and gold and the introduction of new material culture and other practices from the European Continent (Allen et al 2012; Parker...Sheridan, J A ; Knight, Matthew G
Chalcolithic, archaeological period, Early Bronze Age, Prehistoric Scotland, Late Bronze Age, Middle Bronze Age, and Research Framework
-
Interactive resource
Neolithic
The appearance, probably shortly after 4000 BC, of a new lifestyle that was more sedentary than that of Mesolithic hunter-fisher-foragers marks the beginning of the Neolithic period in Scotland. This lifestyle was based on the use of domesticated plants and animals and featured fresh technology (pottery) as well as notably...Brophy, Kenny ; Sheridan, J A
Neolithic, archaeological period, Research Framework, and Prehistoric Scotland
-
Other
‘An account of the ancient Lordship of Galloway’, R.R. Vol 7
‘An account of the ancient Lordship of Galloway …. To the year 1455’ (p.1); ‘A tour in Nithsdale, 1787, ‘ pts.i-iii (pp.59, 94, 203), illustrated with watercolours and engravings; ‘An excursion by Dr Clapperton to Lough Urr, 1787’ (p.248); list of barons and lairds in Dumfriesshire and Galloway (p.257); and...National Museums Scotland
journal transcription , exploration, Special Collections, and Archives
-
Other
Robert Riddell manuscripts A Collection of Scottish Antiquities, selected by R.R. Vol 6
‘1788’ (title page torn away). ‘A catalogue of great and learned men born in Dumfriesshire’ (p.36); a history of Sweetheart (pp.7, 52), with a satirical poem on William Copland of Colliston, who sold it for demolition (p.55); the ballad, ‘The Bedesman on Nithsdale’ (p.56); anecdotes of Prince Charles Edward (p.147);...National Museums Scotland
journal transcription , Special Collections, exploration, and Archives
-
Other
Robert Riddell manuscripts A Collection of Scottish Antiquities, selected by R.R. Vol 3
A collection of Scottish antiquities...Vol.3d., 1786’: accounts of English families and Cumbrian antiquities (p.2); ‘A dissertation on the ancient fortresses and castles in Scotland,’ by Riddell (p.58). ‘Historical and genealogical collections....1786’ (p.173): ‘Icolmkill,’ by the Earl of Buchan, 1786 (p.187) (not the same as the paper in Archaeologia Scotica., I).Lists...National Museums Scotland
journal transcription , exploration, Special Collections, and Archives
-
Other
Robert Riddell manuscripts A Collection of Scottish Antiquities, selected by R.R. Vol 2 1786
‘A collection of Scottish antiquities, selected by R.R. Vol.2d., 1786’: accounts of Border and other Scottish families (pp.1, 22, 25). ‘Scottish antiquities, historical and genealogical, collected by Capt. Robert Riddell....1786’ (p.69): genealogies and antiquities of various parts of Scotland; copies of early documents; account of raids on the Western Border...National Museums Scotland
journal transcription , exploration, Archives, and Special Collections
-
Other
Robert Riddell manuscripts: A Collection of Scottish Antiquities Selected by R.R. Vol 11 1791
Ballads, with notes: Jock o’ Milk (p.1); Archie of Capeld (p.14); Lord Maxwell’s Goodnight (p.18); Sir Andrew Barton (p.20); Fair Helen of Kirkconnel (pp.29, 46); Lads of Wamphray (p.34); Lochmaben Harper (pp.39, 42); Fray of Soupart (p.55); Border Lament of the Union (p.59); Outlaw Murray (p.61); Laidley Worm (p.71); McNaughton...National Museums Scotland
-
Other
Robert Riddell Manuscript Collection
Robert Riddell (d1794) was a gentleman antiquary who inherited the Glenriddell estate and lived at Friars Carse near Dumfries. Riddell's "Collection of Scottish Antiquities" (1786-1792) were a series of bound manuscripts containing accounts of the history, families and antiquities of Dumfriesshire and Galloway, with some material relating to the rest...National Museums Scotland
-
Other
Library Special Collections: Robert Riddell Manuscript Collection Volume 8 (SAS 586). A journal of a tour in Scotland in 1789, made by Captain Grose and Captain Riddell.
Transcription of Robert Riddell Manuscript Collection Volume 8 (SAS 586). A journal of a tour in Scotland in 1789, made by Captain Grose and Captain Riddell.National Museums Scotland
Special Collections, journal transcription , exploration, and Archives
-
Other
Library Special Collections: National Museums Scotland Archives
National Museums Scotland Archives Incorporating: • Industrial Museum of Scotland • Edinburgh University Natural History Museum • Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art • National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland • Royal Scottish Museum • National Museums ScotlandNational Museums Scotland
-
Blog post
A little cup of happiness in search of a coco chocolatero
There’s nothing quite like a cup of hot chocolate. But have you ever had one from a coconut cup? Assistant Curator Dr Emily Taylor and Professor Kathleen Kennedy explore the origins and cultural background behind a ‘little cup of happiness’ in our collections – a coconut shell made into a...Taylor, Emily ; Kennedy, Kathleen
Collections, silver, Colonial Histories And Legacies , and coconut cup
-
Podcast
The Viking-Age Galloway Hoard
The Galloway Hoard is one of the most spectacular Viking-Age hoards ever discovered, its multiple packages and layers containing not only a huge volume of remarkable silver and gold jewellery and a stunning lidded silver vessel, but also an astonishingly rare collection of the organic materials - in this case,...Maldonado, Adrián
scandinavia , ireland , vikingage, britain, vikings, archaeology, viking , and history
-
Journal article
Understanding gold in Prehistoric Scotland
Gold, along with copper was the first metal to be used in Scotland, with the earliest dated example of its use here being the tiny, conical sheet gold rivet caps on the superb Langdale tuff 'wrist-guard' - a piece of fancy archery kit - from Culduthel, Inverness. The man's skeleton...Sheridan, J A
-
Book
Paleoneurology of Amniotes
This book presents a detailed examination of the current state of knowledge in the field of paleoneurology in the main amniote groups (reptiles, birds and mammals), and advances resulting from new non-invasive technologies. The study of fossil endocasts is an area of considerable current interest, and has long been central...Walsh, Stig
fossils , endocast , inner ear , Cranial Pneumaticity , brain evolution, dinossaurs brain , sensory evolution, Computed tomography, and Encephalization Quotient
-
Journal article
A global catalog of whole-genome diversity from 233 primate species
The rich diversity of morphology and behavior displayed across primate species provides an informative context in which to study the impact of genomic diversity on fundamental biological processes. Analysis of that diversity provides insight into long-standing questions in evolutionary and conservation biology and is urgent given severe threats these species...Kuderna, Lukas F K ; Gao, Hong ; Janiak, Mareike C ; Kuhlwilm, Martin ; Orkin, Joseph D …
evolutionary and conservation biology, primates, and genomic diversity study
-
Journal article
The landscape of tolerated genetic variation in humans and primates
Personalized genome sequencing has revealed millions of genetic differences between individuals, but our understanding of their clinical relevance remains largely incomplete. To systematically decipher the effects of human genetic variants, we obtained whole-genome sequencing data for 809 individuals from 233 primate species and identified 4.3 million common protein-altering variants with...Gao, Hong ; Hamp, Tobias ; Ede, Jeffrey ; Schraiber, Joshua G ; McRae, Jeremy …
-
Blog post
Orientations: Queer imaginings and the Caithness doublet
In our Orientations series, members of the LGBTQIA+ community explore an object that resonates with their identity. We know our collections are filled with queer stories but often they can be hard to find (and even harder to prove). In looking for representation in museums, Joe Setch explores how the...Setch, Joe
Collections , Scottish History, Orientations , and LGBTQIA+
-
Conference paper (unpublished)
The material culture of long-distance connections: the evidence from Neolithic Orkney
Anderson-Whymark, Hugo
-
Conference paper (unpublished)
Scotland in Renaissance Europe
Groundwater, Anna
-
Lecture
A temple for the sun-god: remarkable finds from Roman Inveresk
Dr Fraser Hunter, Principle Curator of Iron Age and Roman Collections at the National Museum of Scotland, returns to the 1722 Waggonway Heritage Centre to give a lecture on the Roman finds at Inveresk, including clues which point to a Temple of Mithras.Hunter, Fraser
Mithras, Roman Scotland, stone altar , and Inveresk
-
Journal article
Der Galloway-Hort
Goldberg, Martin
Viking-age hoards, Anglo-Saxon, research project, conservation, and Galloway Hoard
-
Journal article
A Late Bronze Age Gold Lock-ring from Chirnside
In 2019 a decorated gold penannular ring was found during metal-detecting at Chirnside in the Scottish Borders. This type of ring, typically refereed to as a 'lock-ring', dates to the Late Bronze Age (c/1150-800 BC).Knight, Matthew G
-
Journal article
Silver stories: new insights from the Traprain Treasure
The late Roam silver hoard from Traprain Law (East Lothian) was found over 100 years ago but is still revealing fresh secrets. A recently-published research project (see 'Book Reviews') involved an international team of specialists analysing all aspects of this silver, from its manufacture and use to is later treatment,...Hunter, Fraser
-
Journal article
Conservation of the elaborate Anglo-Saxon cross from the Galloway Hoard
The Galloway Hoard is a set of rare and precious artefacts, some of them centuries old when deposited around AD 900. One of the most spectacular objects is an Anglo-Saxon pectoral cross, made to be worn on the chest of a high-ranking member of the clergy. Its true glory has...Davis, Mary
research, conservation, Trewhiddle style art, Galloway Hoard, and pectoral cross
-
Journal article
Slag: an introduction
Slag, also variously referred to as 'vitrified material' or 'industrial residue', is a waste product which can form during a range of pyrotechnic activities, including domestic hearths and metalworking, particularly ironworking - or focus here.Cruickshanks, Gemma
archaeology, ironworking, vitrified material, and iron slag assemblages
-
Lecture
The Calton Hill Observatories and their Edinburgh Audiences
This talk takes a look at the history of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, and the longer story of popular astronomy on its Calton Hill site. Rather than focusing solely on the astronomers, it will widen the scope to those who supported, used and otherwise experienced the work of these observatories...Higgitt, Rebekah
Calton Hill, Edinburgh, popular astronomy , and Royal Observatory Edinburgh
-
Abstract
Curating & Communicating: on a mission to advocate for insects
Ashleigh is a museum-based entomologist, working with National Museums Scotland for the past 8 years to care for, curate and develop the collection of 2.5 million insect specimens. A key element of this role is ensuring accessibility to the collection, which can take many forms. From hosting in-person visits and...Whiffin, Ashleigh
promotion, National Museums Scotland entomology collections, science communicaton, and accessibility
-
Abstract
Readiness for Red Alert: Engaging with the Royal Observer Corps Material Culture
The Royal Observer Corps (ROC) were a uniformed civilian organisation tasked with preparing for nuclear disaster and would have stepped up to maintain control of Britain had an attack happened during the Cold War. Although stood down in 1991, the legacy of the ROC lives on through the remaining underground...Harper, Sarah
Royal Observer Corps, aviation , exhibitions , museums, Cold War , and material culture
-
The Vulcan’s Voice: multiple meanings of a Cold War artefact
On 12 April 1984, a massive delta-winged nuclear bomber landed at an airfield in south-east Scotland. Vulcan XM597 was not on a routine journey, but its final flight; for East Fortune was not an active airport, but rather housed an aviation museum, the aircraft’s destination. This moment of transfer was...Alberti, S J M M
Cold War, exhibitions, museums, aviation, and material culture
-
Conference paper (unpublished)
Through the Looking Glass War: Museums and exposing Cold War espionage in contemporary Berlin
Gledhill, Jim
material culture , Cold War , museums, exhibitions, and espionage
-
Abstract
What Colour was the Cold War?
In interviews with museum professionals about museology I asked each participant if they associated any colour with the Cold War. I intended to use colour as a lens on curatorial perceptions, as well as preconceptions, of an historical era. By leading with associations, rather than empirical data, all interviewees had...Douthwaite, Jessica
-
Abstract
Cable, Link Analyser, Synthesiser: Connecting the Cold War in the Museum
In his book Grammophone, Film, Typewriter, the cultural theorist Friedrich Kittler linked the history of writing and imaging machines to the history of warfare. For him, the computer is fundamentally and essentially a machine that structures the production of knowledge in the Cold War. Kittler’s existentialist analysis, however, is based...Nehring, Holger
-
Magazine article
Captain Waring and the Great House on Broad Street
Taylor, Michael A
-
-
Journal article
The correct name for the montane Hydrophorus species (Diptera, Dolichopodidae) occurring in the British Isles
The presence of Hydrophorus pilipes Frey, 1915 is confirmed in the British Isles, the species being previously mis-identified as Hydrophorus rufibarbis Gerstäcker, 1864.MacGowan, Iain ; Drake, C Martin
montane Diptera, olichopodid Hydrophorus rufibarbis, National Museums Scotland collections, and David Horsfield
-
Journal article
Managing Aspen stands in the Scottish Highlands for dead-wood insects
This article details the management strategies and actions employed in aspen stands in northern Scotland to ensure the continuity of the associated specialised saproxylic insect fauna. This fauna depends on the correct "under-bark" conditions and management focuses on ensuring continuity of this transient microhabitat. Although the strategies have been developed...MacGowan, Iain
-
Journal article
An apparent nineteenth-century record of Scopoli’s Shearwater in Hampshire
A putative specimen of a Great Shearwater Ardenna gravis from Hampshire, dated 1878, was located at Leicester Museums & Galleries. On examination, it was found to be a male Scopoli’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea. If shown to have a wild origin, the specimen would potentially represent the first British record of...McInerny, Christopher J ; McGowan, Robert Y ; Clark, John M ; Moody, Marc P ; Senfeld, Tereza …
-
Journal article
Historical Mitogenomic Diversity and Population Structuring of Southern Hemisphere Fin Whales
Fin whales Balaenoptera physalus were hunted unsustainably across the globe in the 19th and 20th centuries, leading to vast reductions in population size. Whaling catch records indicate the importance of the Southern Ocean for this species; approximately 730,000 fin whales were harvested during the 20th century in the Southern Hemisphere... -
Journal article
Continued survival of the elusive Seram orange melomys (Melomys fulgens)
Many poorly-known small mammals have remained undetected for decades, including , a distinctive orange murid from Seram, Indonesia, that has been unrecorded since 1920. We report previously undocumented specimens of collected in 1993 and 1994, and local ecological knowledge from 2017 including descriptions and recent sightings, providing strong indirect evidence...Turvey, Samuel T ; Jeffree, Timothy E ; Macdonald, Alastair A ; Leus, Kristin ; Kennerley, Rosalind J …
species rediscovery, local ecological knowledge, lost species, extinction, and Indonesia
-
Journal article
A new fossil from the London Clay documents the convergent origin of a “mousebird-like” tarsometatarsus in an early Eocene near-passerine bird
We describe a partial skeleton of a small bird from the lower Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK), which shows close affinities to two phylogenetically controversial early Paleogene taxa, Morsoravis sedilis (lower Eocene of Denmark) and Pumiliornis tessellatus (lower/middle Eocene of Germany). Our phylogenetic analysis supports a clade including...Mayr, Gerald ; Kitchener, Andrew C
Aves, Walton-on-the-Naze, Sororavis solitarius, Eocene, UK, and evolution
-
Lecture
Hamilton Palace and the Dukes of Hamilton and their Collections
The speaker, Dr Godfrey Evans is part of the Virtual Hamilton Palace trust which is digitally recreating the house and its collections. According to the trust’s website: ‘During the nineteenth century, the 10th Duke's collecting activities made the Palace internationally famous, a veritable treasure trove of amazing paintings, furniture and...Evans, Godfrey
-
Journal article
New postcranial remains from the Lealt Shale Formation of the Isle of Skye, Scotland, showcase hidden pterosaur diversity in the Middle Jurassic
The Early to Middle Jurassic transition was significant in pterosaur evolution, during which these volant reptiles exploded in diversity alongside dinosaurs and other animals. It has long been thought, however, that pterosaurs did not develop large wingspans until after the Jurassic, a notion challenged by the recent discovery of in...Jagielska, Natalia ; Challands, Thomas J ; O'Sullivan, Michael ; Ross, Dugald A ; Fraser, Nicholas C …
Palaeontology and Geobiology, Palaeoenvironments, and Palaeogeography
-
Journal article
New machaeridian data from the Upper Ordovician of Scotland: palaeoecological and global palaeobiogeographical implications
New machaeridian material housed in the National Museum of Scotland alongside the type material held in the Natural History Museum London and the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Cambridge, is documented here from the Ordovician of Girvan. The specimens are included in four taxa, three of these in open nomenclature.... -
Journal article
Evolutionary trends in trimerellid brachiopods
Non-articulated trimerellides, one minor group among the largest brachiopods, are commonly found in massive monospecific accumulations in Ordovician and Silurian rocks. In this paper, all species of the family Trimerellidae are listed for the first time, and some of them are discussed. They appeared in the Sandbian and became extinct...Chen, Di ; Huang, Bing ; Candela, Yves
morphospace and phylogenetic analyses, evolution, brachiopods, and trimerellides
-
Book
Hamilton Palace: The Dukes of Hamilton and their collections
This is the story of Scotland’s lost treasure trove. The destruction of Hamilton Palace, the grandest stately home in Britain, was one of the greatest losses to national heritage ever to happen in this country. In 1882, Hamilton Palace stood grandly to the south-east of Glasgow. Home to the Dukes...Evans, Godfrey
Hamilton Palace collection, architecture , galleries, Dukes of Hamilton, museums, collection dispersal, applied art, and fine art
-
Conference paper (unpublished)
“Endangered Crafts: Documenting Shu Making in Chitral, Northern Pakistan“
This paper is concerned with issues related to the documentation of endangered crafts. It takes as an example an ethnography which aims to understand and record over two years the weaving of shu, a type of woollen cloth characteristic of the region of Chitral in northern Pakistan, for which the... -
Abstract
The ‘Pre-Disciplinary’ Early African Collections of the National Museums Scotland
The African collection of the National Museums Scotland (NMS) is one of the oldest in Britain, because it contains assemblages from two other Edinburgh institutions that were founded well before NMS’ own launch in 1854 as The Industrial Museum of Scotland. The earliest of these contributing institutions was the University... -
Abstract
In the eye of the beholder
In my current role as an assistant curator at National Museums Scotland, I am interested in what we can learn from repaired objects. Working as a conservator with world cultures collections for many years, it was important to understand earlier repairs to inform contemporary conservation practice. Taking this interdisciplinary practice...Richardson, Heather
-
Abstract
Entangled Knowledges: Kaartdijin, Science and History in the Robert Neill collection
Taking a multidisciplinary cross-museum collection as its starting point the Entangled Knowledges project aims to highlight Menang Nyungar knowledge embedded in a historic collection of fishes, mammals and artefacts held at National Museums Scotland and a portfolio of sketches of fishes held by the Natural History Museum, London, by returning... -
Conference paper (unpublished)
Music, Movement and the Construction of Identity in Rural Southern Tanzania
Social anthropologists began to take a serious interest in cultural institutions involving spirit possession from the beginning of the 1960s. Where the so-called ‘cults of affliction’ were concerned, the dominant approach in many early studies of was to view them as ‘historically sensitive modes of cultural resistance’ (Body 1994: 419)....Kingdon, Zachary
fieldwork, spiritualism, music, social anthropology, Tanzania, and movement, experience and identities
-
Conference paper (unpublished)
From Art to Craft: Re-thinking Iranian material culture in British museum collections
Within the last twenty years, leading museums in Western Europe and North America have acknowledged the diversity of the Muslim world to a greater degree than previously in their renovated and expanded Islamic art galleries. Often driven by perceived or habitual audience expectations, Western aesthetics (masterpieces or tribal art), concepts...Voigt, Friederike
Iranian collection, Islamic art history, National Museum of Scotland, exhibiting objects, home and garden, and cultural context
-
Presentation
Provenance Research at National Museums Scotland: Priorities and Challenges, Technical Workshop
Experts en la traçabilitat d’objectes d’origen colonial d’Alemanya i Escòcia han aportat la seva experiència al programa (Tr)african(t)s, amb suport de l’Agència Catalana de Cooperació al Desenvolupament (ACCD).Kingdon, Zachary
African collections, National Museum of Scotland, colonial history, and provenance
-
Abstract
The Woven Archive. Material Characterization of Textile Collections in Archives and Libraries
Textiles are present in archival and library collections in multiple and sometimes surprising forms: enclosed in letters, in fabric swatch books and as samples in dyers´ notebooks; but also, as wrappings for wax seals, in embroidered bindings or as the substrate of early photographs known as pannotypes [1]. Such textiles...Lucía, Pereira Pardo ; Jasperse, Jitske ; Cabrera Lafuente, Ana ; Dryburgh, Paul ; Sandström, Edith …
preservation, materiality research, textiles archives , and library collections
-
Conference paper (unpublished)
Missing, and wishing, and hoping?: Sources for identifying printed books held by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 1780-1830
This paper will analyse the variety of sources available for reconstructing the contents and context of the library available to, frequented by and enhanced by key figures of the Scottish enlightenment. The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland was founded in 1780 “to investigate both antiquities and natural and civil history...Dye, Jill
investigation, dispersal, National Museums Scotland Library, archives and special collections, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland , and printed books
-
Journal article
Historical Textile Dye Analysis Using DESI-MS
Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) is an ambient mass spectrometry technique that shows great potential for the analysis of fragile heritage objects in situ. This article focuses on the application of a recently built DESI source to characterize natural dyestuffs in historical textiles and a presentation of initial imaging...Sandström, Edith ; Vettorazzo, Chiara ; Mackay, C Logan ; Troalen, Lore G ; Hulme, Alison N
mass spectrometry, mass spectrometry imaging, natural dyes, non-invasive analysis, and textile
-
Book chapter
Legislation and Persuasion; Portable Antiquities and the Limits of the Law: Some Scottish and British Perspectives
This chapter will continue the difficulties and challenges in translating heritage legislation from the bare facts of the law to a system that can operate successfully when set against the distinct challenges encountered when groups other than heritage professionals have an interest in accessing the archaeological record. In Scotland, as...Campbell, Stuart
Metal detecting , Scotland , Treasure trove , Antiquities market, and Portable antiquities
-
Book
Competing Values in Archaeological Heritage
Discusses the intersection of law and ethics, and the relationship between legal protection on paper and the realities of heritage management on the ground Draws together the connected themes of management, legislation, ethics, and public perceptions around archaeological heritage Will be? of interest to students at undergraduate and postgraduate level... -
Book
Little black dress: a radical fashion
The book of the exhibition, Beyond the Little Black Dress, 2 July-30 October 2022 at the National Museum of Scotland. At its inception, the ‘Little Black Dress’ was radically modern: a masculine-inspired, anti-traditionalist female attire. Yet it has remained a wardrobe staple for almost a century, each new silhouette redressing...Ripley, Georgina
radical fashion, exhibition, textiles, catalogue, and sustainability
-
Journal article
Conceptualizing ‘Science’ in the Photography Collections at the National Science and Media Museum
Focusing on the internationally significant photographic collections at the National Science and Media Museum (Bradford, UK), this article explores the central questions: What counts as ‘scientific’ in a museum dedicated to the history of photography (as well as film, television, and digital media)? And what is the place of photography...Geoffrey, Belknap
Photography, Visual Culture, History of Science, Collections, and Museums
-
Other
Library Special Collections: Papers of Margaret Swain
Margaret Helen Swain (1909-2002) was a historian of embroidery and textiles. The author of several books and numerous articles, she also lectured widely, and her papers reflect these activities. Her early publications were on Ayrshire needlework but she became an expert on embroidery in general and Scottish work in particular....National Museums Scotland
tapestries, Palace of Holyroodhouse, Margaret Helen Swain, 1909-2002, National Trust for Scotland, Archives, and embroidery and textiles
-
Book chapter
A landscape of deposition
The Mount's Bay area has long been associated in the archaeological literature with the exchange of copper and tin. St Michael's Mount, in particular, has often been suggested to be the site of Ictis recorded by Pytheas the Greek in the 4th century BC (Hencken 1932, 158-188; Herring 2000, 116-118;...Knight, Matthew G
metalwork deposition, Bronze Age hoards, Archaeology, and exchange
-
Lecture
David Ramsay, the King’s Chief Clockmaker
This lecture is presented by Dr Tacye Phillipson (National Museums Scotland) and Dr John C. Taylor OBE (horologist and inventor), and delivered in conjunction with the National Museums Scotland. Dr Phillipson provides an overview of the variety and development of clockwork during the 17th century. Dr Taylor uncovers the innovation...Phillipson, Tacye ; Taylor, John C
David Ramsay, c1585-1660, master, Worshipful Clockmakers Company, London , Chief Clockmaker, clockwork , Scottish watchmaker, and King James I and VI
-
Other
Library Special Collections: Jessie M. Sweet – Finding List
Papers of Jessie May Sweet (1901-79), mineralogist and historian of science. Jessie Sweet worked in the Department of Mineralogy of the British Museum (Natural History) from 1927 until her retirement in 1961, when she moved to Edinburgh. She then became an authority on the life of Robert Jameson (1774-1854), Professor...National Museum Scotland
history of science, Edinburgh University, Robert Jameson, 1774-1854, correspondence, Archives, natural history, mineralogy, British Museum, and Jessie May Sweet, 1901-1979
-
Other
Library Special Collections: Jenners Archives
Self-described as ‘the most fashionable shopping centre in Scotland’ and commonly known as the ‘Harrods of the North,’ the luxury retail store Jenners was founded as a drapery business in 1838. Its founders Charles Jenner and Charles Kennington became known as ‘Kennington & Jenner’. Kennington retired in 1861 and in...National Museums Scotland
Library, Jenners Archive, Retail, Edinburgh, Fashion, and Department stores
-
Technical documentation
William Jardine Papers
The Royal Scottish Museum holds a variety of manuscripts in the field of natural history. The largest collection belonged to J. A. Harvie-Brown and was deposited in this museum, with part of his library, after his death. Included in his collection were the William Jardine papers, and as a pilot...National Museums Scotland
naturalist, Index, Correspondence, John Alexander Harvie-Brown, exploration, Archives, Sir William Jardine, 1800-1874, Ornithology, and Salmon Fisheries Survey
-
Technical documentation
J A Harvie-Brown Papers
This is the third and last publication listing manuscript holdings in the Royal Scottish Museum, The project ran from January 1979 to March 1982 and Joy Pitman is to be congratulated for her work in making the three manuscript collections of William Jardine, W. S. Bruce and J. A. Harvie-Brown... -
Presentation
Egypt’s Dispersed Heritage
Join us to hear about the project ‘Egypt’s Dispersed Heritage: Views from Egypt’ from our visiting Egyptian collaborators, researcher Heba Abd el Gawad and webcomic artist Mohammed Nasser, in conversation with curator Margaret Maitland.Maitland, Margaret
museum, storytelling, Egyptian archaeology, Egyptian heritage, comics, and Decolonization
-
Podcast
Egypt, Past and Present in Dialogue
This is the recording of a panel discussion in which guests discuss the legacies of British archaeological practices in Egypt. The discussion was chaired by journalist, writer and broadcaster Samira Ahmed and featured curator Margaret Maitland and Egypt’s dispersed Heritage project researchers Heba Abd el Gawad and Alice Stevenson. This...National Museums Scotland
museum, Decolonization, Egyptian archaeology, Egyptian heritage, and comics
-
Other
Former Museum Staff: Finding List
Thomas Archer: Director of the Industrial Museum of Scotland and Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art from 1860-1885. A S Clarke: Keeper of the Royal Scottish Museum (RSM) (joined staff in 1954) Alexander Robert Hutchieson: Papers of Alexander Robert Hutchieson, Keeper of the Department of Technology, RSM, from 1934 to...National Museums Scotland
Library, Royals Scottish Museum, Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art, museum administration, Industrial Museum of Scotland , and Archives