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Search Results
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Poster (unpublished)
Hazards in the Science Collections
Phillipson, Tacye
hazards, museum , science collections, and hazardous material
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Abstract
How to collect a crisis: Displaying and collecting COVID-19
COVID-19 is not the first, nor will it be the last, global pandemic or health crisis. The Influenza pandemic of 1918 killed an estimate 50 million people worldwide and had far reaching impact and consequences. However, in the National Museums Scotland collection, made up of 12 million objects, only two...Goggins, Sophie
personal stories, scientific and medical objects , global pandemic , COVID-19, museum collections, and material culture
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Conference paper (unpublished)
Scottish Aviation Museums Group
Brown, Ian
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Abstract
Identifying community requirements for Linked Humanities Data infrastructures
It is likely that the application of LOD approaches to the Humanities will result in large, rich, heterogeneous datasets with huge research potential, but in turn raise a considerable challenge: how can these datasets be managed and published in forms that are flexible, scalable, interoperable and, critically, usable and sustainable?...Middle, Sarah ; Hay, Duncan ; Butterworth, Alex
research project, Pelagios community, data, and Digital Humanities
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Abstract
From There to Posterity: Modelling Diverse Itineraries of Scientific Instruments
It is reasonable to claim that there are few types of historical artefact more complex or consequent than the scientific instruments of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In them are encoded generations of craft knowledge, while individually and in combination they enabled new vistas of knowledge production, real and figurative,...Middle, Sarah ; Butterworth, Alex ; Higgitt, Rebekah
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Presentation
Tools of Knowledge: Modelling the Scientific Instrument Trade, 1550–1914, January 2021 - December 2023 & How Did We Get Here? Transitioning the Communities & Crowds Project to Zooniverse (Digital Intersections Around Science Collections – online conference sessions)
The first part, drawing on the Tools of Knowledge project, will explore how digital methods and tools can capture, model and visualise the ‘lives’, or itineraries, of scientific instruments. It will introduce Voyages in Time, a volunteer transcription project on Zooniverse.org created with Royal Museums Greenwich, which provides data on... -
Lecture
Buying Power: British Archaeology and the Antiquities Market in Egypt and Sudan 1880–1939
Where did the ancient Egyptian collections in National Museums Scotland come from? How did they get here? Join Dr Dan Potter to discover the untold stories behind these enduringly popular collections. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries museums and individuals competed to collect the ‘best’ ancient Egyptian objects.... -
Journal article
Dr Allen David Cumming Simpson, 13 December 1947-3 December 2022
Allen Simpson was born in Edinburgh, went to school there, attended the University of Edinburgh, worked there, married and raised a family, and finally died there. He worked at what eventually became National Museums Scotland between 1970 to 1998, as an Assistant Keeper, and subsequently, Curator and Principal Curator in...Morrison-Low, Alison
curatorial research, Scottish weights and measures, Science & Technology, obituary, National Museums Scotland, Department of Technology, and Royal Museum of Scotland
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Book chapter
Towards an Ontology of Pre-20th Century Scientific Instrument Types
This paper introduces the project Tools of Knowledge: Modelling the Scientific Instrument Trade, 1550–1914, and focuses on our ongoing development of an ontology to represent knowledge about scientific instrument types produced during this period. After a brief introduction, we discuss the background to the project and a summary of previous...Middle, Sarah ; Butterworth, Alex
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Poster (unpublished)
The Fezouata brachiopod fauna: an Early Ordovician diversification at high latitudes
Brachiopods are a neglected part of the Fezouata fauna. Brachiopods occur in two distinct horizons: firstly in the lower part of the Fezouata Shale (upper Tremadocian); secondly in the upper part of the Fezouata Shale (lower Floian). The fauna is dominated by a mixture of lingulides, siphonotretides and orthides. The...Candela, Yves ; Harper, David T ; Mergl, Michal
Ordovician outcrops , Fezouata fauna, Brachiopods, and Morocco
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Abstract
Piecing together Baltic amber fungus gnats: a comprehensive review and material assessment
Fungus gnats (Diptera, Sciaroidea) represent the largest group in the fossil record and are among the most diverse groups of living flies. The Mycetophilidae family alone comprises approximately 400 described fossil species (surpassed only by Limoniidae) in 126 genera. The majority of these species were described from Baltic amber by...Blagoderov, Vladimir ; Evenhuis, Neal L
Baltic amber, Eocene, fungus gnats, and Sciaroidea
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Abstract
Brachiopods from the Ordovician of southern Belgium (Avalonia): the end of a terra incognita
Contrary to the well-exposed Devonian–Carboniferous rock sequence, the thick siliciclastic Cambrian–Silurian succession of Belgium is poor in macrofossils and, more especially, in brachiopods. These rocks mostly crop out in the Brabant and the Stavelot–Venn massifs, and in the Condroz Inlier. Occurrences of Ordovician brachiopods have been reported since the second...Mottequin, Bernard ; Candela, Yves
Avalonia, brachiopods, Belgium, and Ordovician
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Journal article
Early Eocene fossils elucidate the evolutionary history of the Charadriiformes (shorebirds and allies)
We report charadriiform and charadriiform-like birds from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK). A partial skeleton of a small modern-type charadriiform is described as a new species, n. gen. n. sp., and most closely resembles taxa of the Charadrii (plovers, stilts, oystercatchers, and other “wader-like” shorebirds). Affinities...Mayr, Gerald ; Kitchener, Andrew C
charadriiform bird, Walton-on-the-Naze, fossil record, early Paleogene , and Eocene London Clay
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Lecture
Moray's Contribution to Pangaea and Triassic Park
Join Dr Nick Fraser as he explored Moray's Contribution to Pangaea and Triassic Park. The Triassic was a critical time for the evolution of life on Earth. This period witnessed the first appearance of some of the most successful animals that ever lived, including lizards, dinosaurs, turtles and crocodilians, the...Fraser, Nicholas C
fossils, Elgin reptiles, palaeontology, Triassic period, and evolution
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Lecture
Scottish agate collecting through the lens of the National Museums Scotland collection
Agates have fascinated people for thousands of years and have particular cultural relevance for Scotland through their use creating pebble jewellery. This talk will cover agate formation, why Scotland is so prolific for agate hunting and show some of the best agate collecting locations through the lens of the significant...Brown, Emily
Scottish agates, mineral collections, and National Museum of Scotland
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Presentation
Voice for the Ocean workshop
Join the Marine Conservation Society and National Museums Scotland for a day of networking, learning about our ocean and making new friends! This event is dedicated to you - our amazing young people - and will provide you with the opportunity to hear more about the Marine Conservation Society's work...Ware, Fiona
Marine Conservation Society, Youth Engagement, and Marine Invertebrates collection
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Magazine article
Bringing Hugh Miller's The Old Red Sandstone to a new generation of readers
The 2023 edition of The Old Red Sandstone is the first truly new one for a century. It is in two main parts: a facsimile reprint of Miller’s original first edition of 1841, with explanatory notes added, and a book-length ‘Critical Study’ of Miller’s work by the authors Ralph O’Connor...Taylor, Michael A
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Journal article
Can modern technology uncover the secrets of evolution?
A mysterious group of fossils called the Elgin Reptiles has been puzzling scientists for centuries. Existing only as cavities hidden within rocks, these fossils could help scientists unravel the mysteries of evolution. Thanks to modern technologies, Dr Davide Foffa, a research associate at National Museums Scotland, and his colleagues have...Foffa, Davide
Palaeoecology, lagerpetids, Vertebrate Palaeontology, μCT scanning , Elgin Reptiles, Scleromochlus , and Palaeobiology
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Book
Preliminary investigation into the threat of Bronze Birch Borer (BBB - Agrilus anxius) to Scotland
This report details findings and recommendations from a year-long project investigating the threat that bronze birch borer (BBB, Agrilus anxius) poses to Scotland. The project concentrated on three areas: the current and potential distribution of Agrilus species in Scotland, potential BBB entry pathways, and BBB surveillance methods.Dainton, Katrina ; Pollard, Chris ; Trotter, Felix ; Paterson, Alaina ; Dunn, Michael …
bronze birch borer, Agrilus species , invasive species, and Scotland
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Journal article
Assessing the identity of rare historical museum specimens of the extinct blue antelope (Hippotragus leucophaeus) using an ancient DNA approach
The blue antelope or bluebuck ( ) is an extinct species of antelope that lived in South Africa until ca. 1799–1800. Disappearing only 34 years after it was described, it was the first large African mammal species to have become extinct in recent times. Therefore, current scientific knowledge of the... -
Journal article
On the “screamer-like” birds from the British London Clay: An archaic anseriform-galliform mosaic and a non-galloanserine “barb-necked” species of Perplexicervix
We revisit recently described putative anseriform birds from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK). Phylogenetically relevant skeletal elements of Danielsavis nazensis Houde et al., 2023 are reported that were omitted from the original description, including the pterygoids and palatines. We detail that anseriform affinities of D. nazensis...Mayr, Gerald ; Carrió, Vicen ; Kitchener, Andrew C
Aves, new family, Walton-on-the-Naze, new species, and fossil birds
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Journal article
Stable isotope ecology and interspecific dietary overlap among dolphins in the Northeast Atlantic
Dolphins are mobile apex marine predators. Over the past three decades, warm-water adapted dolphin species (short-beaked common and striped) have expanded their ranges northward and become increasingly abundant in British waters. Meanwhile, cold-water adapted dolphins (white-beaked and Atlantic white-sided) abundance trends are decreasing, with evidence of the distribution of white-beaked...Plint, Tessa ; ten Doeschate, Mariel T I ; Brownlow, Andrew C ; Davison, Nicholas J ; Hantke, Georg …
stable isotope, Northeast Atlantic, Scotland, dolphin, dietary overlap, and niche
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Journal article
Emergence and ecological transition of the Mesozoic marine reptiles: Evidence from the Early Triassic Chaohu and the Middle Triassic Xingyi Faunas
Two major evolutionary events in the early history of Mesozoic marine reptiles have been recorded in the Triassic of China. The first event evidenced by the Early Triassic Chaohu Fauna was the emergence of new marine communities and their subsequent radiation in the Spathian Subage of the late Olenekian (Early...Jiang, Da-yong ; Zhou, Min ; Motani, Ryosuke ; Tintori, Andrea ; Fraser, Nicholas C …
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Journal article
Middle and Upper Ordovician linguliformean and craniiformean brachiopods from the Brabant Massif, Belgium: Infaunal giants, encrusting forms and durophagy
Linguliformean and craniiformean brachiopods from the Middle and Upper Ordovician of the Brabant Massif (Belgium) are described for the first time and their palaeoecological and palaeobiogeographical implications are discussed. The restricted and generally poorly preserved material was collected from the Abbaye de Villers (Dapingian–Darriwilian) Formation and from the Katian Huet...Candela, Yves ; Mottequin, Bernard
Linguliformean and craniiformean brachiopods , palaeobiogeographical , Middle and Upper Ordovician, Brabant Massif , and palaeoecological
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Lecture
Decolonial futures for ancestral remains in Scotland Forum
In Edinburgh University’s Anatomical Museum, there are nearly 1700 ancestral remains displaced from over 55 countries across the world. Often former students stole these people from burial grounds and battlefields and sent them to anatomy professors in Scotland. Taken illicitly, their descendants are often unaware that their ancestors still reside...Alberti, S J M M
Edinburgh, anatomy , repatriation, museum collections, Aberdeen, colonial legacies, and provenance
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Conference paper (unpublished)
South Asia in a former Second City of Empire: Reimagining the South Asian Collection at Edinburgh’s National Museum of Scotland
In this paper, we analyse fifteen years of curatorial work with the South Asian collection at the NMoS. From 1854, the museum reflected Edinburgh’s position as a second city of Empire. For many decades, visitors entered the museum building through a copy of the eastern gate of the Great Stupa... -
Lecture
The Power of Glass
The conference will examine the artistic movements prevailing during that period and frame modern and contemporary glass art as a global phenomenon.Kelly, Jessamy ; Rothwell, Sarah
glass art, modern, and contemporary
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Conference paper (unpublished)
Buying Power: British Archaeology and the Antiquities Market 1880 – 1939
This project is the first to focus on how archaeologists involved in British-led excavations in Egypt and Sudan were entangled with the antiquities market and how this impacts what we see today in museums across the world. It will examine how and why archaeologists bought and sold objects, how they...Potter, Daniel M
colonial collecting practices, Archaeologists , Egypt and Sudan, British-led excavations, antiques market, and colonial histories and legacies
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Conference paper (unpublished)
Re-discovered early Roman-era shrouds from the Rhind Tomb at Thebes
Maitland, Margaret
hieroglyphic inscriptions, linen shroud , Roman-era burial, sealed tomb, and ownership
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Newspaper article
Maths Week Scotland means there's plenty of educational fun to be had during school strikes
Maths is involved in a range of areas from navigation and forensic science to ceilidh dancing and football.Brien, Ailsa
Maths Week Scotland, National Museum of Scotland, and educational activities
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Journal article
Give ancient Egyptians the respect they deserve
‘Mummies’ should stay in the realms of fiction, says Margaret MaitlandMaitland, Margaret
terminology, Colonial histories of Egyptology, "noble ones", mummifield people, and comment
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Book chapter
Fashionable Masculinities in England and Beyond
The design, production, selling, and wearing of men’s clothing through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries has had a significant impact on the visual culture and social experience of the modern world. It has also determined many of the underlying influences that have contributed to the development and expansion of...Breward, Christopher
visual culture, social experience, masculine consumption, and male clothing
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Book chapter
Global History in the History of Fashion
Over the twentieth century, multi-disciplinary academic studies addressed dress practice and bodily adornment from a variety of perspectives, assessing the question of fashion, though few communities outside the West were awarded this term until the past generation. Anthropologists took an ethnographic stance, with works that from the late 1980s became...Breward, Christopher ; Lemire, Beverly ; Riello, Giorgio
costume, bodily adornment, fashion history, and dress practice
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Presentation
Analysis and Imaging in Heritage Science (Chaired session)
This session is focusing on innovative applications of micro-analysis and imaging technologies to study objects from cultural heritage. We would welcome contributions on the use of SEM, µCT, confocal microscopy but also X-ray based techniques to study museums and archaeological objects. The session could include technical challenges of combining diverse...Ball, Alex ; Troalen, Lore G
imaging, microscopy, data treatment , Heritage Science, and material analysis
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Conference paper (unpublished)
Impact of the Library & Archive of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland on Scotland’s national collections
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Presentation
Retreatment of archaeological leather from the Roman Fort at Trimontium
Lydia Messerschmidt addressed the impact of previous conservation treatments on archaeological leather. Whilst negative impacts were identified, Lydia presented a successful re-treatment which greatly improved the condition and readability of the objects.Messerschmidt, Lydia
Roman Fort, Trimontium excavations, Roman Scotland, conservation treatments, and archaeological leather
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Book chapter
Middle Kingdom jewellery
The outstanding Middle Kingdom jewellery, entirely or partially made in cloisonné work, and often containing colourful beads of different materials to produce amazing polychrome effects and surface textures, also includes the earliest examples in Egypt of granulation. Many of these techniques are illustrated through the study of gold objects excavated...Guerra, Maria F ; Troalen, Lore G ; Maitland, Margaret ; Ponting, Matthew ; Price, Campbell …
excavations, granulation, gold , Middle Kingdom jewellery, and cloisonné work
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Book chapter
Second Intermediate Period jewellery
This chapter presents the technological study of the jewellery excavated at Qurna, together with a few additional examples of gold pieces that are either well contextualized, or that can be attributed to the Second Intermediate Period and early 18th Dynasty based on their inscriptions. These parallels include objects that are...Guerra, Maria F ; Troalen, Lore G ; Tate, James ; La Niece, Susan ; Miniaci, Gianluca …
Second Intermediate Period, technological study, 18th Dynasty, jewellery, and Qurna excavations
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Book chapter
New Kingdom jewellery
The technological study of a small number of objects produced mainly in the 18th Dynasty provides new data that can be related, typologically or geographically, to earlier studied objects. The analysis of the jewellery assemblage from tomb 296 at Riqqa, and of earrings from different sites, provides information on the...Guerra, Maria F ; Troalen, Lore G ; La Niece, Susan ; Meeks, Nigel ; Quirke, Stephen …
jewellery assemblage analysis, Qurna burial, 18th Dynasty, material culture, and tomb 296 at Riqqa
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Journal article
Black gold in Roscommon
Exploring the significance of a terminal plate of an Early Bronze Age jet spacer-plate necklace from Gortnacrannagh.Ó Maoldúin, Ros ; Sheridan, J A ; Campbell, Eve ; Troalen, Lore G
networks, jet spacer-plate necklace, vocabulary of esteem, and Early Bronze Age Ireland
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Lecture
The Galloway Hoard
As part of Glasgow’s Doors Open Festival, organised by Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, Dr Martin Goldberg will be coming to talk to us about the Galloway Hoard! Martin is Senior Curator, Early Medieval and Viking Collections at National Museums Scotland and a long-time supporter of the Govan Stones Project.Goldberg, Martin
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Journal article
Towards a functional understanding of the cyclorrhaphan larval head (Diptera, Cyclorrhapha)
The larval stage is thought to play a significant role in radiations of Diptera (Insecta), but for the Cyclorrhapha (Diptera), a well-supported and diversified clade, evaluating larval roles is hindered by low taxon sampling, unresolved morphology and presumed similarity. This paper reviews investigations of the cyclorrhaphan larval head based on...Rotheray, Graham E
Mandible , Pseudocephalon, Biomechanics , Feeding , and Head skeleton
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Book
Revisiting Grooved Ware: Understanding Ceramic Trajectories in Britain and Ireland, 3200–2400 cal BC
Following its appearance, arguably in Orkney in the 32nd century cal BC, Grooved Ware soon became widespread across Britain and Ireland, seemingly replacing earlier pottery styles and being deposited in contexts as varied as simple pits, passage tombs, ceremonial timber circles and henge monuments. As a result, Grooved Ware lies...Sheridan, J A
Grooved Ware pottery, British and Irish Neolithic, and Orkney
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Book
High Pasture Cave: ritual, memory and identity in the Iron Age of Skye
High Pasture Cave, located on the island of Skye, Scotland, occupies a liminal location on the very edge of a settlement, and appears to have been a focus for specific and special activities. Its extended period of use is indicated by ephemeral signs of Neolithic Activity, limited Bronze Age usage,...Birch, Steven A ; Cruickshanks, Gemma ; Mackenzie, Jo T
High Pasture Cave, archaeological excavations, Iron Age Scotland, and Isle of Skye
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Abstract
Encounters and transformations beyond Roman borders: an-integrated paleoenvironmental, archaeological and historical approach which will explore the unconquered societies living beyond the northern most Roman frontier and their encounters with Rome
It is well known that the Roman Empire expanded as far north as the Highlands of Scotland between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD before retreating to a series of frontiers in modern day central Scotland and northern England. Major changes to the everyday activities of locals and to the... -
Abstract
Twisted reflections of life: creating communities of death through Iron Age Italic funerary dress
The early Iron Age communities of Italy are known mainly through their funerary records. This paper is a reflection on my PhD research analysing Iron Age Italic communities through their funerary dress, applying material and sensory analyses to the evidence for published funerary dress assemblages from the cemeteries of Bazzano,...Prew, George