Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

Upcoming events linked to V-KEMS activity are listed below with (where available) the links to the external webpages.

17th - 19th September 20205 - Virtual Study Group – Mathematics in Archaeology and the study of Museum Collections  

When: 17th - 19th September 2025, 09:30 – 16:30 GMT.

Where: Online.

Overview

This event aims to explore the use of mathematics in cultural heritage applications. V-KEMS is working with the Fitzwilliam Museum (University of Cambridge) and other partners on problems relating to the analysis and conservation of historic artefacts. 

Background

With the ever increasing amount of data that modern scientific methods can collect from historic artefacts, the role of mathematics and statistics in analysing this data, developing models that describe its generation, and testing hypotheses about the artefacts (such as their age) becomes ever more important. This virtual study group will explore the use of cutting-edge quantitative methods in current problems faced by archaeologists, conservators, museum curators, and other cultural heritage professionals. 

About the Partners

The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge houses a world-renowned collection of over half a million works of art and historical artefacts from antiquity to the present day. Its Conservation and Collections Care department has studios for the conservation of antiquities, applied arts, manuscripts and printed books, and works of art on paper, and a science laboratory to carry out analysis on the collection.

Aims and Objectives

To bring together researchers in mathematics with those working in the heritage sector, such as archaeologists and conservation scientists, and to explore the potential for using mathematical and statistical techniques in solving pressing problems in the study and preservation of cultural heritage.

Details of the challenges will be available in due course and are likely to include themes such as imaging of historic artefacts (such as Ancient Egyptian papyri), in particular in the context of multi-model imaging and image registration, chronological modelling of relative and absolute dating evidence using a Bayesian approach. 

Event details can be read here

Register here: https://forms.office.com/e/Ec3ER34Bq7

For further information, please contact imi@bath.ac.uk 

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