Ricerca
Risultati della ricerca
-
Book chapter
The Matter of Slavery at National Museums Scotland
In the ‘Industry and Empire’ gallery of the National Museum of Scotland (NMS) in Edinburgh sits a gleaming cup of white porcelain, resting on its saucer. Text rendered in black lettering around the body of the cup reads: ‘and so it was that those long sea/journeys became yonder awa awa’....Laurenson, Sarah
Colonial Histories and Legacies, Slavery, Scotland, and Industry and Empire
-
Book chapter
Lithics
Evidence for earlier prehistoric activity in the vicinity of Iron Age settlements is common in the north-east region, and the sites of Morley Hill and Lower Callerton are no exceptions. Pre-Iron Age activity tends to be scattered and smaller in scale, often appearing as a series of discrete pits, only...Anderson-Whymark, Hugo
Lithics, Mesolithic , Lower Callerton, Morley Hill , Bronze Age, Neolithic, and earlier prehistory
-
Book chapter
Stone tools
The excavations at Lower Callerton revealed a multiphase Iron Age settlement consisting of 53 structures, multiple enclosures and linear boundaries which extended beyond the excavated area (Fig. 4.1). The activity was concentrated within Area 2, which measured c. 4.6 ha, with the removal of the topsoil revealing a settlement extending...Hunter, Fraser
Lower Callerton, excavations, settlement, Iron Age , and Stone tools
-
Book chapter
From Ultima Thule: fragmentation in the Bronze Age metalwork of Scotland
While ancient Thule was probably located beyond modern Scotland (Breeze & Wilkins 2018), the title of this contribution seems appropriate since Scotland was on the margin of the Bronze Age world depicted by Patrice Brun (1991: fig. 8, insert). After a brief period when copper and gold were used, bronze...O'Connor, Brendan ; Cowie, Trevor
Scottish metalwork, bronze axes, hoards, Bronze Age, gold, Scottish Archaeological Research Framework, Thule, and copper
-
Book chapter
Coral in northern climates: an exotic coral bead from Iron Age Scotland and its implications
This paper is offered to Eugène in the spirit of his own wide-ranging research and his ability to extract good stories from finds. The first author met Eugène at an Edinburgh conference on 'Scotland in later prehistoric Europe', where he offered a masterly overview of the southern Low Countries over...Hunter, Fraser ; Fürst, Sebastian
rich finds assemblage, Scotland and Europe, Eugène Warmenbol, Broxmouth, Iron Age, and Bead of Mediterranean coral
-
Book chapter
Practices of metal deposition in Late Bronze Age Scotland
One of Eugène Warmenbol's many contributions has been to provide cross-contextual and nuanced perspectives on Bronze Age metalwork deposition in Europe. It is in this spirit that this contribution approaches metalwork from Late Bronze Age Scotland (1100-800BC), with focus on single finds, hoards and settlements. The ways in which objects...Knight, Matthew G
Scotland , settlements, hoards, Late Bronze Age , Eugène Warmenbol, finds, and metalwork deposition
-
Book chapter
Lithics
A total of seven flaked lithic artefacts and a flaked and ground stone axehead were recovered during the excavations at Morley Hill (Table 2.1).Anderson-Whymark, Hugo
-
Book chapter
Southern art on the northern frontier: a remarkable Iron Age harness fitting from Doune Roman fort
In 2010 excavations within the Flavian fort of Doune (Stirling) uncovered a remarkable bronze strap junction with red glass inlay, decorated in styles of Celtic art typical of southern Britain rather than its immediate environs (Figure 1). Unfortunately, post excavation funding for this phase of the work was not forthcoming...Hunter, Fraser
-
Book chapter
The Viking-Age Silver and Gold of Scotland
The Viking Age in Scotland reviews two decades of research that have taken place since the last archaeological survey of the Vikings in Scotland, published in 1998. Advances in scientific analysis have greatly improved our understanding of Scandinavian daily life between the late eighth and fifteenth centuries, and new discoveries...Goldberg, Martin
Archaeology, Scotland, Migration , Economy , Viking, Burial, Settlement, and Norse
-
Book chapter
Grande-Bretagne et Irlande
Knight, Matthew G
-
Book chapter
‘Found in store’: Working with source communities and difficult objects at Durham University’s Oriental Museum
Rachel Barclay Lauren Barnes Gillian Ramsay Craig Barclay Helen Armstrong Durham University’s Oriental Museum is often described as a ‘hidden gem’. Opened in 1960, today it is home to world-class collections of more than 35,000 objects from across North Africa and Asia. Originally envisioned as a teaching and research resource...Barclay, Rachel ; Barnes, Lauren ; Ramsay, Gillian ; Barclay, Craig ; Armstrong, Helen
Colonialism, Asia, Durham University , Africa , Oriental Museum, and collections
-
Book chapter
AA: Vessel fragments not allocated to types
Among the material not catalogued by Curl was a box of 'scrap' (see Chapter 31). It is presented here in the following categories: decorated elements; other unusual elements; feature sherds (rims, base); fragments with lathe grooves; body sherds and non-diagnostic material.Hunter, Fraser
-
Book chapter
Other hoards with Roman Hacksilber
This appendix offers background and analysis of all Hacksilber hoards, defined here as hoards with cut, folded or crushed Roman plate.Hunter, Fraser
-
Book chapter
Technical case studies of particular vessel types
The objects in the Traprain Law hoard have been grouped according to their shape and function. The characteristics and construction of each major group are discussed below, with examples. Radio-graphs referenced here can be found in the Catalogue section.Lang, Janet ; Troalen, Lore
-
Book chapter
Compositional data from the Traprain Treasure
Analysis of the Traprain Law Treasure was under-taken in the science laboratory of National Museums Scotland between 2008 and 2018. Ninety-three fragments of the silver were investigated by X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) and particle-induced X-ray emission analysis (uPIXE)Troalen, Lore ; Tate, Jim
-
Book chapter
The Treasure of Traprain: conclusions and questions
Tackling the Hacksilber hoard from Traprain Law is an imposing project. Not only in the primary publication by Alexander Curle a masterly analysis that has survived the test of time, but the sheer scale of the material is daunting. Our work suggests that the surviving 23kg consisted of 327 individual...Hunter, Fraser ; Kaufmann-Heinimann, Annemarie ; Painter, Kenneth
-
Book chapter
After the Traprain Treasure: Hacksilber hoarding in 5th/6th-century Scotland
After the supply of late Roman silver was cut off in the 5th century, this precious metal became a finite resource in northern Britain until new supplies were introduced during the Viking Age. In between these two periods of abundant supply, the chronology of silver use and recycling in early...Goldberg, Martin ; Blackwell, Alice
-
Book chapter
A context for the Treasure: Traprain Law and Rome's northern frontier
The discovery of the Traprain Treasure was the most dramatic moment in a spectacular and long-running excavation. While nothing else quite matched the excitement of this find, the results of work at Traprain Law redefined perspectives on the Scottish Iron Age and relations with the Roman world. This chapter will...Hunter, Fraser
-
Book chapter
Hacksilber in the Roman period and beyond
Although Alexander Curle was able to call on the Ballinrees (Coleraine) hoard from Northern Ireland as a parallel for the hacking of Traprain, it was not until Wilhelm Grunhagen's 1954 study of the Großbodungen hoard (Thüringen/Germany) [Illus 41.1] that Hacksilber saw serious study as a concept in the Roman period....Hunter, Fraser
-
Book chapter
Hacking the Traprain Treasure
The Traprain Law Treasure1 has traditionally been viewed as a group of late Roman silver that met an unfortunate fate. Most vessels had been completely distorted, often by multiple hacking phases, with fittings removed, rims severed, footrings pushed out of position and sometimes even split lengthwise. Many had been crushed...Hunter, Fraser
-
Book chapter
The technology of the Traprain Treasure
When the hoard was first found, according to Alexander Curle, the metal was greyish-brown and 'appeared to be embedded in a purple paste'.Troalen, Lore ; Lang, Janet
-
Book chapter
Insights from unidentified fragments
Alexander Curle's published catalogue consists of 152 entries, which correlate directly with National Museums Scotland catalogue nos GVA 1-152. His entry 144 is for a 'collection of irregularly-shaped fragments of undecorated, thin pieces of plate which has probably broken off platters or other flat dishes.Hunter, Fraser
-
Book chapter
'I have had a great day': A O Curle and the discovery of the Traprain Treasure
The recovery of the Traprain Treasure was by far the greatest moment in Alexander Ormiston Curle's antiquarian career [Illus 1.1]. It is safe to assume that at the outset of the work in East Lothian on behalf of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, he had no expectation of such...Clarke, David
-
Book chapter
Introduction
On 12 May 1919, a workman was digging on the Iron Age hillfort of Traprain Law in East Lothian, some 30km east of Edinburgh in south-east Scotland [p1]. The work had only restarted for a fortnight: excavations had been in abeyance for three years in the turmoil of the Great...Hunter, Fraser ; Kaufmann-Heinimann, Annemarie ; Painter, Kenneth
-
Book chapter
Foreword
The late Roman silver hoard from Traprain Law is one of the treasures of National Museums Scotland and has excited international attention since its discovery a century ago.Breward, Christopher
-
Book chapter
Struck lithics
The extensive excavations at Bar Pasture recovered only a modest lithic assemblage of just 327 struck flints (Table 11). A sizeable quantity of burnt unworked flint (that is not discussed in detail here) was also recovered. The greater part of the assemblage dates from the Chalcolithic (Beaker) and Early Bronze...Anderson-Whymark, Hugo
-
Book chapter
Gas (CO2 ) laser, made in the Cambridge Department of Engineering, English, 1971 Wh.4560; Wh.4571
In 1971, lasers were novel and full of exciting potential. The first working lasers had been made in 1960, and carbon dioxide gas lasers, with their infrared beams invisible to the eye, were a particularly exciting development. They were the most powerful continuously operating lasers and could burn a hole...Phillipson, Tacye
-
Book chapter
Medals illustrating various scientific subjects, by E. Thomason, English, mid-19th century Wh.4511
This set of sixteen Scientific and Philosophical Medals, each three inches in diameter, were sold with a magnifying glass in a book-shaped leather and velvet case. They were first advertised in 1829 by the Birmingham manufacturer, Edward Thomason. The son of a buckle manufacturer, Thomason had been apprenticed to Boulton...Higgitt, Rebekah
-
Book chapter
Following the Threads of 19th-Century Edinburgh Science
Starting work at National Museums Scotland in 2020, while access to collections and archives was limited, prompted me to see what I could learn of 19th-century Edinburgh’s scientific circles from the life of a “genial and kindly” Scottish participant in the 1874 transit of Venus expeditions. I first encountered him...Higgitt, Rebekah
-
Book chapter
13-inch lunar globe, by Räth, East German, c. 1961 Wh.6098 13.5-inch lunar globe, by Lipsky, Russian, 1967 Wh.6683
The forty-year global conflict known as the Cold War had many fronts. Some of them, like proxy wars in Asia and Africa, were hot; others, like the Berlin Wall or the northern North Sea, were indeed cold; but colder still were the battle lines drawn up in space. Famously, the...Alberti, S J M M
-
Book chapter
Harnessing the power of natural science collections: a blueprint for the UK
Between September 2021 and March 2022, a consortium across the twelve major regions of the UK, led by the Natural History Museum, London (NHM), participated in a study to develop the business case and plan to support a national programme of natural science collections digitisation. This work, funded by the... -
Book chapter
Introduction
The period c.1745-1845 was a revolutionary chapter in the history of Highland dress. With the advent of the European Romantic movement, this once regional costume was revived and reinvented to reflect the changing times and preoccupations of its wearers. Associated with the warrior culture of Gaelic society, by the close...Waine, Rosie
-
Book chapter
Foreword
The period c.1745-1845 was a revolutionary chapter in the history of Highland dress. With the advent of the European Romantic movement, this once regional costume was revived and reinvented to reflect the changing times and preoccupations of its wearers. Associated with the warrior culture of Gaelic society, by the close...Breward, Christopher
-
Book chapter
The hoard of gaming pieces from Lewis, Scotland: The context and meaning
The Lewis hoard of gaming pieces is possibly the most iconic find of medieval material culture discovered in the British Isles. They are more plentiful, more elaborate (combing both figurative and abstract pieces) and more opaque in their find circumstances than the pieces from Sandomierz, but like them appear to...Caldwell, David ; Hall, Mark A
-
Book chapter
The Wroot Neolithic jadeitite axehead
Sheridan, J A
-
Book chapter
The burial of the “Qurna Queen”
The personal adornments and objects from the burial of Queen Ahhotep belong to one of the most spectacular finds from Ancient Egypt. The history of their discovery is still a mystery. Even the identity of the queen is not fully solved. The twelve essays in this volume tackle different problems...Maitland, Margaret ; Potter, Daniel M ; Troalen, Lore
-
Book chapter
A re-discovered early Roman-era mummy shroud from the Rhind tomb at Thebes
The first Science for Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technologies conference was held under the auspices of His Excellency Pr. Khaled el-Enany at the Manial Palace Museum in Cairo, from 4 to 6 November 2017. Its aim was to provide a venue at which specialists in the application of physical and...Maitland, Margaret ; Ross, Jennifer ; Troalen, Lore
-
Book chapter
The goldworking of Riqqa, Egypt: Analysis and comparison between the 12th and 18th dynasties, in Quiles
The first Science for Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technologies conference was held under the auspices of His Excellency Pr. Khaled el-Enany at the Manial Palace Museum in Cairo, from 4 to 6 November 2017. Its aim was to provide a venue at which specialists in the application of physical and...Troalen, Lore ; Guerra, Maria Filomena ; Maitland, Margaret ; Ponting, Matthew ; Price, Campbell
-
Book chapter
From colour to nanolayers: corrosion in Egyptian goldwork
The first Science for Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technologies conference was held under the auspices of His Excellency Pr. Khaled el-Enany at the Manial Palace Museum in Cairo, from 4 to 6 November 2017. Its aim was to provide a venue at which specialists in the application of physical and...Tissot, Isabel ; Troalen, Lore ; Guerra, Maria Filomena
-
Book chapter
'Artefacts' In: Campbell, E. and Driscoll, S. T. (2020). Royal Forteviot. York: Council for British Archaeology
Only two certain early medieval artefacts are known from the Forteviot cropmark complexes: one from the SERF excavations (Bead 1), and one from fieldwalking by the Dunning Historical Society (Bead 2). Perhaps coincidentally, both came from the northern part of the Dronachy Field. A further bead (Bead 3) was discovered...Blackwell, Alice
-
Book chapter
Copper alloy objects suspected of bronze disease: The Burrell bronzes
Sixty-four copper alloy objects from within the Burrell Collection at Glasgow Museums were separated from the rest of the collection in 2000, due to suspected active ‘bronze disease’ – copper trihydroxychloride corrosion. Analysis of the corrosion products on these objects had indicated that only 20 of the 64 had copper...Bryan, Bethan N
-
Book chapter
Brooches from the Antonine Wall
The discovery of a number of brooches in the course of the excavations in the Falkirk district has prompted a review of the brooches known from the Antonine WallHunter, Fraser
-
Book chapter
The Importance of Place
The fourth edition of European Glass Context presents 62 glass artists from 31 European countries whose works of art are craft masterpieces, site-specific or politically charged. This exhibition catalogue is a hybrid where print on paper and augmented reality converge: the artists are presented through images, texts and films about...Rothwell, Sarah
-
Book chapter
Excellent judgement: bark painting in National Museums Scotland
Museums across Great Britain and Ireland hold Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (collectively referred to as ‘Indigenous’) cultural heritage of exceptional value which is largely unknown, rarely seen and poorly understood. Gifted, sold, exchanged and bartered by Indigenous people, and accepted, bought, collected and taken by travellers, colonists, explorers, missionaries,...Morphy, Howard ; Denner, Antje ; Blakeman, Bree
-
Book chapter
Collecting European antiquities as part of the Scottish antiquarian tradition
"Amid this medley, it was no easy matter to find one's way to a chair, without stumbling over a prostrate folio, or the still more awkward mischance of overturning some piece of Roman or ancient British pottery. And, when the chair was attained, it had to be disencumbered, with a...Sheridan, J A
-
Book chapter
Museum Egg Collections
Birds' eggs are true wonders of the natural world: they are strong enough to protect the embryo as it develops, yet sufficiently fragile to allow the chick to hatch. Little wonder that the enormous diversity of avian eggs – the amazing range of shapes, sizes, colours and patterns – has...McGowan, Robert Y
-
Book chapter
Forward titled: The National Trust's Tapestry Collection
From the Middle Ages, tapestries with figurative or other ornament were used by royalty and aristocrats to furnish their palaces and houses. While often observed as two dimensional art, they are three dimensional structures requiring specialist skill to maintain and conserve them. Since the vast majority of tapestries are on...Wyld, Helen
-
Book chapter
Proud symbols of the prospering rural seamen: Scottish Church ship models and the Shipmaster’s Societies of North East Scotland in the late 17th century'
Britain's emergence as one of Europe's major maritime powers has all too frequently been subsumed by nationalistic narratives that focus on operations and technology. This volume, by contrast, offers a daring new take on Britain's maritime past. It brings together scholars from a range of disciplines to explore the manifold...Greiling, Meredith
-
Book chapter
Orientalist collecting of Indian sculpture
Roger Jeffery in this book has brought together 10 original, well-researched and well-written essays which bring to life the presence of India in the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh. On the surface Edinburgh is a purely Scottish city: its `India' past is not easily visible. Yet, from the late 17th...Voigt, Friederike
-
Book chapter
The drama of the soul': time, eternity and evolution in the designs of Phoebe Anna Traquair
Design, History and Time reflects on the nature of time in relation to design, in both past and contemporary contexts. In contrast to a traditional design historical approach which emphasises schools and movements, this volume addresses time as a continuum and considers the importance of temporality for design practice and...Huxtable, Sally-Anne
-
Book chapter
Collaboration. In: Y. Pailler, M. Errera, J. Rolet 'L’outillage poli et les objets de parure'
The polished material discovered during the excavations of the site is limited to twenty-two objects. Their petrographic and spectroradiometric allows us to define exploited rocks and in some cases to provide the source of raw materials. Polished stone axes are highly fragmented and exclusively made of fibrolites. Two continental sources...Troalen, Lore
megaliths, Molène Archipelago, households, domestic architecture, Bronze Age, Brittany, prehistoric subsistence, multidisciplinary research, Bretagne, and Neolithic archaeology
-
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
-
Book chapter
Understanding glass deterioration in museum collections: a multi-disciplinary approach
Raman spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry were used to investigate chemical and structural changes in soda and soda-lime glass exposed to organic pollutants under ambient and accelerated ageing conditions. Raman spectroscopy reveals modification of the glass structure non-destructively, in situ, and as a function of depth. The pollutants caused...Robinet, L ; Fearn, Sarah ; Eremin, Katherine
Raman spectroscopy, deteriorated glass, soda silicate glass, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and organic pollutants
-
Book chapter
Conservation and analysis of deteriorating nineteenth and twentieth-century British glass in the National Museums of Scotland
The National Museums of Scotland collections includes about 2000 19th and 20th-century British glass artefacts. An initial conservation survey in 1996 identified 153 artefacts as actively deteriorating (Cobo del Arco 1999). Examinations of additional artefacts is ongoing and 212, c.20% of those surveyed to date, are deteriorating. The visible signs...Eremin, Katherine ; Cobo del Arco, B ; Robinet, L ; Gibson, L T
-
Book chapter
Technical study' In: “Hatshepsut, from Queen to Pharaoh”
Cleopatra may be the most famous woman of ancient Egypt, but far more significant was Hatshepsut, a female pharaoh who reigned for nearly twenty years in the fifteenth century B.C., during the early period of the New Kingdom. After acting as regent for her young nephew-stepson Thutmose III, Hatshepsut assumed...Goring, Elizabeth ; Tate, Jim ; Eremin, Katherine ; Quye, Anita
-
Book chapter
FTIR microanalysis of residue on vessel 4
The early medieval crannog in Loch Glashan was excavated in 1960 by Jack Scott, in advance of dam construction. Originally interpreted as a domestic settlement, the crannog produced a rich organic assemblage of wood and leather objects, as well as exotic items such as Continental imported pottery and a brooch...Quye, Anita
-
Book chapter
Evidence for wax on pottery from the Pithos House'. In: Diane Bolger, Edgar Peltenburg, Anita Quye, Sarah Ritson and F. M. K. Stephen 'Pottery archive report'
An interesting mid-third millennium BC structure, the Pithos House, was uncovered during excavations at Kissonerga-Mosphilia. Circular (c. 10 m Diam) with a central hearth like others at this site, it was somewhat unusual in respect of the extraordinary amount of ceramic debris covering the floor. Although the building had been...Quye, Anita ; Ritson, S
-
Book chapter
The analytical characterisation of the main component found in logwood dyed textile samples after hydrochloric acid extraction
The triennial meetings of the ICOM Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC) are widely regarded as the most significant global events in the heritage conservation calendar. At each Congress, the membership of the ICOM-CC are brought together to report and to review current research. The meetings offer the conservation professional a unique...Hulme, Alison N ; McNab, Hamish ; Peggie, David A ; Quye, Anita ; Vanden Berghe, I …
-
Book chapter
The application of liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and accelerated light ageing for the analytical identification of yellow flavonoid dyes in historical tapestries
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...Hulme, Alison N ; McNab, Hamish ; Quye, Anita ; Peggie, David A
-
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
-
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 …
-
Book chapter
Hugh Miller’s Palace of Printing
The writer, self-taught geologist and stonemason Hugh Miller (1802-1856) was one of Scotland’s finest nature writers. Born in Cromarty, his works made him a household name, and to this day his lyrical style transports readers to stand beside him at the rock-face. Celebrating his legacy, this anthology brings together prose...Taylor, Michael A
-
Book chapter
Fossils of the Mind
The writer, self-taught geologist and stonemason Hugh Miller (1802-1856) was one of Scotland’s finest nature writers. Born in Cromarty, his works made him a household name, and to this day his lyrical style transports readers to stand beside him at the rock-face. Celebrating his legacy, this anthology brings together prose...Panciroli, Elsa
-
Book chapter
The analytical characterisation of flavonoid photodegradation products: a novel approach to identifying natural yellow dyes in ancient textiles
In a previous study new compounds were detected from light aged natural yellow (flavonoid) dyes on alum mordanted wool. We have now developed a novel technique - negative ion electrospray ionisation quadrupole ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (ESI QIT MS) - for futher study and identification of characteristic flavonoid photodegradation... -
Book chapter
A preliminary study of light-ageing effects on the analysis of natural flavonoid-dyed wools by PDA HPLC and by DTMS
Initial results from high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) analysis of accelerated fluorescent tube- and mercury-incandescent lamp-aged mordanted wools dyed with old fustic, weld, quercitron bark, quercetin, dyer's greenweed and onion skins indicate that additional chromophoric and non-chromophoric compounds are generated upon photodegredation. Greater amounts of these componenets were generated after... -
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
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
-
Book chapter
Investigation of a potentiostatic reduction treatment for leaded copper alloys
The corrosion and conversion of highly leaded copper alloys is a problem for many collections. This was investigated using the Covesea coins as a case study. These coins were actively corroding, producing a white, powdery corrosion product. Some coins were completely disintegrated. Potentiostatic reduction was investigated as a possible technique...Spencer, Helen
conservation, leaded copper alloys, potentiostatic reduction, and Covesea coins
-
Book chapter
Developing a modern diorama: changing habitats in Scotland since the end of the last Ice Age
Dioramas were once a commonly used tool for communicating the natural world to museum visitors, but in the second half of the twentieth century they fell out of fashion despite their effectiveness in interpretation. This decline was probably caused by lack of funding and space, a decline in numbers of...Kitchener, Andrew C.
-
-
Book chapter
Scottish Neolithic pottery in 2016: the big picture and some details of the narrative
This contribution summarises our present state of knowledge about Scottish Neolithic pottery, emphasising its dual origins in the Continental Middle Neolithic ceramic traditions of Brittany and the northernmost part of France, and tracing the subsequent expansion in its use within Scotland and some of the complexities of its developmental trajectories....Sheridan, J A
Scotland, ceramic traditions, Grooved Ware, pottery terminology, Castellic, Carinated Bowl, Impressed Wares, Neolithic, and pottery
-
Book chapter
The colour purple: lithomarge artefacts in northern Britain
This paper revisits an artefact type, lithomarge beads, last studied 40 years ago by Stevenson and Collins (1976). The rare purple colour produced by the naturally occurring mixture of haematite and kaolinite is the key characteristic and made this material desirable. Lithomarge beads are widely distributed across Northern Britain, but...Goldberg, D Martin
colour, lithomarge, purple, Iron Age, jewellery, Early Medieval, and Roman
-
Book chapter
Mary Boyle (1881-1974): the Abbé Breuil’s faithful fellow-worker
This paper looks at the life and work of Mary Elizabeth Boyle, a Scotswoman and poet who by chance found her way into archaeology, firstly through meeting and working with Miles Burkitt and then, most importantly, by her encounter in 1920 with the Abbé Henri Breuil, the famous French prehistorian,...Saville, Alan
Henri Breuil, history of archaeology, Miles Burkitt, Scottish poetry, prehistoric art, and Mary Boyle
-
Book chapter
‘Coal money’ from Portpatrick (south-west Scotland): reconstructing an Early Medieval craft centre from antiquarian finds
Late 19th and 20th-century finds of debris from shale bangle manufacture at Portpatrick in south-west Scotland occasioned considerable interest at the time. The early discoveries were found in grave-digging, giving rise to folk traditions of the material as ‘coal money’ placed with the departed, but these were soon dismissed by...Hunter, Fraser
bangles, antiquarian study, Early Medieval, Irish connections, Oil shale, and craft processes
-
Book chapter
Gleaming eyes and the elaboration of Anglo-Saxon sculpture
This paper presents the results of the analysis of an Anglo-Saxon cross-shaft fragment from Aberlady, East Lothian that confirm the long-suspected belief that the drilled eye sockets found among Northumbrian and Mercian sculpture originally contained separate eye insets. A tin lining was positively identified in one of the drilled eye...Blackwell, Alice
polychromy, colour, iconography, Early Medieval, sculpture, Anglo-Saxon, and Insular
-
Book chapter
‘Thanks to you the best has been made of a bad job’: Vere Gordon Childe and the Bronze Age cairn at Ri Cruin, Kilmartin, Argyll & Bute
Ri Cruin is one of the series of Early Bronze Age cairns that make up the well-known linear cemetery in Kilmartin Glen, Argyll. The aim of this short paper is to make more fully accessible and account of the work undertaken by Gordon Childe in the summer of 1936 when...Cowie, Trevor
Kilmartin Glen, cairn, Vere Gordon Childe, Bronze Age, Argyll, and Ri Cruin
-
Book chapter
Leedsichthys problematicus: Arthur Smith Woodward's ‘most embarrassing enigma’
The link between the renowned palaeoichthyologist Arthur Smith Woodward and the similarly lauded marine reptile collector Alfred Nicholson Leeds may seem an unlikely one, but they formed a close family friendship during their professional acquaintance. Amongst the many fish specimens described by Smith Woodward from Leeds’ Oxford Clay collection, the...Liston, Jeff
-
Book chapter
Collecting nature within nature – animal inclusings in Amber in Early Modern Collections, or “Miniture marvels of nature”
When the French diplomat Charles Ogier saw frogs and lizards embedded in amber for sale during his visit to Danzig in November 1635 he called them “miniature miracles of nature.” With rare exceptions, few of these objects—copiously documented in inventories of the time—have actually survived. Instead, we must depend on...King, Rachel