Thursday 31 October 2013

Oxford and University of Newcastle Professors Recreate Ancient Greek Music

Dr.s Armand D'Angour and Martin West of Oxford University and Dr. David Creese of the University of Newcastle have reproduced ancient Greek music from documents dating from 450 B.C.E containing vocal notations above lyrics.  These vocal notations have allowed researchers to reproduce melodies from Euripides, Homer, and a few other less well known poets.

See the following link for the full article, complete with audio file of a sample of ancient music.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24611454

Friday 25 October 2013

Participate in Public Conservation! Solve the Pictish Puzzle!

Are you interested in archaeology and/or conservation?  Do you like solving puzzles?  If you have answered yes to any of these questions, the next time you find yourself sitting in front of a computer use your puzzle solving skills to help out archaeologists at the National Museums Scotland!

Recent excavations at the original site of the Hilton of Cadboll Stone have resulted in the discovery of 3,000 miscellaneous fragments from the bottom of the stone.  The completed upper portion is currently on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburg, and has a Pictish carving on one side, dating to around 800 AD, and a 17th century memorial to a man and his three wives carved into the other side.  In an excellent example of public outsourcing for conservation efforts, archaeologists are asking the public to help them reconstruct the bottom portion of the stone out of the 3000 fragments.  Each fragment has been 3D scanned to create a digital image that can then be manipulated and compared on participants' computers.

The site goes live TODAY, 25 October!  Visit http://www.pictishpuzzle.co.uk/, and get involved in an excellent program of public conservation.

For more information, see:  http://www.chauvetdreams.co.uk/archaeologists-want-you-to-solve-this-1200-year-old-pictish-puzzle/

or visit:  http://www.nms.ac.uk/collections__research/glenmorangie_research_project/pictish_puzzle.aspx

Tuesday 22 October 2013

Zibby Garnett Travelling Fellowship (2014) - Overseas Conservation Placements


Thinking of doing a placement abroad? Fieldwork? Then you should know that the Zibby Garnett Travelling Fellowship will once again be offering grants to students to fund overseas conservation placements in 2014. 

Full information, including an application form, and Rules of Eligibility can be found here

Deadline: 28 Feb 2014 
Interviews in March 2014

Study subjects include:

  • Historic buildings 
  • Artefacts
  • Historic man-made landscapes and gardens
  • Allied trades, techniques, skills and crafts

Sunday 20 October 2013

Archaeological Conservation Summer Internships @ Agora Excavations, American School of Classical Studies @ Athens (ASCSA)

The ASCSA Agora Excavations are offering 2 Archaeological Conservation Internships for the 2014 summer excavations.

Application deadline: Monday 16 December 2013

The internships will give students an opportunity to treat freshly excavated archaeological finds and to participate in an active on-site conservation laboratory. An introduction to the re-treatment, preventive and long-term care of archaeological collections will also be provided. For more information about the excavations please visit

More details here & here

Applicants must currently be enrolled in a graduate or equivalent conservation program. Successful candidates enrolled in North American programs and American citizens enrolled in foreign programs may be eligible for funding from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

Interns who do not qualify for or do not receive a Kress award are required to provide their own funding. All successful candidates are responsible for arranging their own accommodation and are required to obtain their own medical insurance for the duration of their internship.

Applications must include: a signed letter of interest, a
*curriculum vitae*, and two letters of reference. Internships may vary in length from 6-8 weeks and are undertaken from early June 2014 - early August, 2014.

Applicants should indicate in their letter their approximate preferred dates within this time frame.

Referees are requested to write letters of recommendation on letterhead and give a signed copy in a sealed envelope to the applicant. All application materials should be sent as hard copies, *together in a single envelope*, to the address below. Received applications will be acknowledged by email.

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