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Search Results
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Conference paper (unpublished)
Sealing Royal Stewart Power
Groundwater, Anna
Seals, sealing , Renaissance Scotland, House of Stuart, material culture, and Monarchy
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Conference paper (unpublished)
Sealing Practices in 16-17c Scotland
Paul, Ella
Renaissance Scotland, sealing practices, matrices, and Seals
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Conference paper (unpublished)
Sealing practices in medieval Scotland
Blackwell, Alice
Seals, medieval , sealing practices, Scotland, and recent research
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Lecture
Public History Roundtable contribution
The Renaissance and Early Modern Research Alliance (REMRA) promotes co-operation and cross-disciplinary research across the various centres and institutes of the University of the Highlands and Islands. The group is convened by Dr Kathrin Zickermann (UHI Centre for History) and consists of c.20 members of staff (including visiting professors and...Groundwater, Anna
Renaissance and Early Modern , Research Alliance, collaboration, and material culture
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Lecture
Materialising the Scottish Renaissance at National Museums Scotland
Dr Groundwater will talk about the material objects relating to the Renaissance.Groundwater, Anna
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Journal article
Palaeogenomic Evidence for the Long-Term Reproductive Isolation Between Wild and Domestic Cats
Domestic cats were derived from the Near Eastern wildcat (Felis lybica), after which they dispersed with people into Europe. As they did so, it is possible that they interbred with the indigenous population of European wildcats (Felis silvestris). Gene flow between incoming domestic animals and closely related indigenous wild species...Jamieson, Alexandra ; Carmagnini, Alberto ; Howard-McCombe, Jo ; Doherty, Sean ; Hirons, Alexandra …
domestication, palaeogenomics, and cats
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Hunter, Fraser
armour, arm guard , bronze, Roman Scotland, amellar , and Newstead
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Lecture
XRF Analysis, Alva cobalt, West Pans and Longton Hall Porcelain
Research conducted in 1993 by Middleton & Cowell at the British Museum suggests that cobalt used to decorate porcelain from William Littler’s venture at Longton Hall (1749-60) was chemically distinct from that used by him while at West Pans (1764-77). They considered that at least some West Pans cobalt was...Haggarty, George R ; Jones , Richard
Longton Hall , XRF analysis, Scottish ceramic collections, cobalt porcelain decoration, William Littler, West Pans, and Alva silver mines
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Book chapter
Building a dual dataset of text- and image-grounded conversations and summarisation in Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic)
Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic; gd) is spoken by about 57k people in Scotland,1 but remains an under-resourced language with respect to natural language processing in general and natural language generation (NLG) in particular. To address this gap, we developed the first datasets for Scottish Gaelic NLG, collecting both conversational and summarisation... -
Journal article
'Early, Middle and Late Bronze Age metalwork' In: Jones, A.M. and Quinnell, H. Revisiting Battlegore: a Bronze Age barrow and its landscape context
Six copper-alloy artefacts were found in the 1860s during draining works on land to the west of the barrow cemetery, one specifically from a plot named Lake’s Meadow. Gray (1908a; 1931) documents their finding and provides illustrations. They are all described and illustrated by Pearce (1983, 540, pl. 94) and...Knight, Matthew G
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Journal article
Not so hidden messages
The written word is a powerful and persuasive tool that can inspire and revolt in equal measure. Equally, jewellery has the power to spread messages and has been used for generations to declare an individual’s position of allegiance or defiance. By incorporating a message, slogan or symbol, a jewel becomes...Rothwell, Sarah
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Abstract
Tools of Knowledge: tracking scientific instruments and their makers over time and space
In the work of tracking instruments in physical collections and textual sources, and through time and space, digital tools are becoming increasingly important. This paper will present some of the outcomes of the Tools of Knowledge project, funded by the UK Arts & Humanities Research Council. The major part of...Higgitt, Rebekah ; Middle, Sarah ; Butterworth, Alex ; Hay, Duncan
data, scientific instruments, accessibility, linked open data repositories , semantic database , and Digital Humanities
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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... -
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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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.... -
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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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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Journal article
The Scottish transport and industry collections knowledge network (STICK)
The Scottish Transport and Industry Collections Knowledge Network (STICK) brings together a range of organisations and individuals who share a common interest in transport and industrial collections and promoting their care and enjoyment. While a multi-disciplinary steering group drives it forward, STICK is its members and their passion and knowledge....Swinbank, Ellie ; National Museums Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF, United Kingdom
Industry, Transport, Training, Network, and Collections
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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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Presentation
Ni’isjoohl memorial pole repatriation – an international panel discussion
The Nisga’a delegation, alongside staff from National Museums Scotland will participate in the first public panel discussion on the Ni’isjoohl Memorial Pole re-p/matriation. The discussion will be moderated by Barbara Fillion, Programme Officer for Culture with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. Among the topics addressed, the panel will discuss the...Giblin, John ; St Clair Inglis, Chante
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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)
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