New Research on Old Collections in Southwest Asian Archaeology

Proceedings of the Workshop Held at the British Museum, London, 31 July – 2 August, 2023

Edited by Mette Bangsborg Thuesen Edited by Giulia Russo

Book cover: New Research on Old Collections in Southwest Asian Archaeology

Extent: 132 pages

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing

Subjects: Ancient Near East

Series: Archaeopress Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(July 2026)

ISBN: 9781805832812

6.85 x 9.69 inches

Price: $42.00

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Synopsis
Contents
Authors/Editors
Contributing Authors

This volume compiles studies by early‑career scholars on reinterpreting legacy collections from Southwest Asia. Focusing on object biographies, provenance and archival research, it highlights the value of overlooked materials and promotes their use as a sustainable approach in archaeology.

New Research on Old Collections in Southwest Asian Archaeology presents a compilation of papers by early career researchers exploring the potential and challenges of working with legacy collections which often remain overlooked in museum and archival stores. These papers stem from a workshop held at the British Museum over three consecutive days in July and August 2023 and offer different approaches to object biographies, provenance research, and the reinterpretation of well-known sites and archival material. By (re-)engaging with these overlooked materials, the volume positions research on legacy collections as a meaningful, sustainable research practice in archaeology of ancient Southwest Asia.

List of Figures

List of Tables

Preface – St John Simpson

Chapter 1: Introduction – Mette Bangsborg Thuesen & Giulia Russo

SECTION I: UNDERSTANDING THE PRODUCTION AND USE-LIFE OF OBJECTS IN MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

Chapter 2: Writing the biography of artefacts retired in museums. A methodological approach to the study of Mesopotamian statuary – Imane Achouche

Chapter 3: A multidisciplinary approach to the study of zoomorphic figurines from Ur – Enrica Inversi

Chapter 4: Gaining clarity from old glass: Some surprising results from heritage collections at the British Museum – Charlotte Nash-Pye

SECTION II: RE-ASSESSING OLD DOCUMENTATION AND PERSPECTIVES ON ARCHIVAL AND COLLECTION PRACTICES

Chapter 5: Plain yet significant: The making of a new typology of unglazed pottery from Takht-e Suleiman – Mette Bangsborg Thuesen

Chapter 6: New approaches to old stratigraphy: The Sequence-of-Events analysis – Georg Cyrus

Chapter 7: ‘Basements with insatiable appetites’ - Archaeological collections, museum storerooms, and sustainability – Giulia Russo

Mette Bangsborg Thuesen is a project curator in the Middle East Department at the British Museum. She earned her PhD from Freie Universität Berlin, focusing on pottery traditions and daily life in Late Antiquity. She has contributed to various archival and digitisation projects and carried out archaeological fieldwork across West Asia.

Giulia Russo holds a PhD in the Archaeology of Southwest Asia from the Freie Universität Berlin. She specializes in pottery-making practices in Mesopotamia during the Chalcolithic period. Her fieldwork experience spans Asia, Africa, and Europe. From 2022 to 2023, she worked as a curatorial assistant at Berlin’s Vorderasiatisches Museum.

Edited by Mette Bangsborg Thuesen
Edited by Giulia Russo

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