The aim of the second year of the School of Archaeometry, which will take place in Fort Science on 2–3 February , is to connect the sciences and humanities. The interdisciplinary meeting of scientists is organised by the Departments of Analytical Chemistry and Geology, the Olomouc Archaeological Centre, the National Heritage Institute, and Fort Science.
“Nowadays, archaeologists, art historians and similarly oriented experts are discovering that cooperation with the natural sciences is quite beneficial and can take their knowledge a step further. On the other hand, representatives of the natural sciences are realising that having the opportunity to analyse various unique objects is also advantageous, whether for the development of new methods and/or for publication opportunities,” said Lukáš Kučera from the Department of Analytical Chemistry.
Over 80 registered participants can choose from four interesting sections on the first day of the School of Archaeometry: Technological Survey 1, Technological Survey 2, Anthropology, and Isotope Analysis. There are lectures focusing, for example, on the possibilities and limits of radiocarbon dating in archaeology, on modern methods for archeometric analysis, parasitology, enamel technology and its analysis, on the analysis of ancient slag materials, and new developments in molecular spectroscopy and microscopy.
“The Department of Geology is very happy to participate in the organisation of this event. The School is a prime example of a joint search for interesting research topics, methods and interpretations among chemists, geologists, and archaeologists. We share plenty of common ground. That includes, for example, the study of materials, the reconstruction of old production techniques, the storage of archaeological objects underground, and their search techniques. We try not to be idle in geology, so we invest in geophysical equipment, our students write on geoarchaeological topics for their final theses, we cooperate with companies, and direct projects: most recently, for example, the Czech Science Foundation project ‘Reconstruction of Upper Palaeolithic mobility through provenience study of radiolarite artefacts’ under the supervision of Martin Moník. There are certainly many reasons to look forward to this meeting,” said Ondřej Bábek, Head of the Department of Geology.
On the second day, the programme will include lectures on specific research directions in the field of archaeometry. “Experts will discuss, for example, light isotopes in skeletal material, the veracity of dated archaeological contexts in Moravia, and petrographic analysis of building stones and binding materials from the Church of St Moritz in Olomouc. At the end, visitors can take part in a stone splitting workshop,” added Kučera.