OUR RESEARCHERS
LUIZA OSORIO G. DA SILVA
Chicago University
I am an Egyptian archaeologist and Egyptologist primarily interested in royal legitimacy and monumentality, topics that I have explored through different projects. My research questions have so far been mainly focused on how the use of distinct building materials and the staging of construction spectacles, among other practices, were mobilized for the effective expression of royal ideology.
More recently and inspired by current political trends, I have become increasingly intrigued by the impact (or lack thereof) that Egyptian kingship would have had on its subjects, as well as by the formulation of historical narratives and different (mis)readings of history. These are topics that I hope to explore in my future dissertation, which I will start planning in summer 2020.
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SARA QUAGGIO
University of Pisa
My research focuses on the commercial and economic relationships relating to copper, a raw material does not present in Mesopotamia. The study related to the production and distribution of copper could shed light on the contacts and commercial relationships that have intensified since the fourth millennium BC and during the third millennium BC in these three areas.
This study aims to identify possible connections and commercial routes, using the autoptic and archaeometric study of copper material. Copper objects, as well as other luxury objects, are essential for urban civilizations because the use of metal is another way in which a ruling elite can demonstrate its wealth as well as its mastery over natural resources. In this regard, metals were not a luxury, but an absolute necessity for a society in which social divisions were becoming increasingly evident.
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According to my research, I would like to insert as much data as possible into a GIS
platform to investigate the possible commercial routes. Moreover, the HAPS fund would hopefully
allow me to conduct XRF analyzes on copper material present at Penn Museum (Philadelphia).
Understanding the chemical percentages present in a copper object is extremely important because it highlights the production qualities and technical capabilities, also giving us info on social stratification or technological advancement.
The main idea that drives this research is to prove that many of these sites located mainly in Oman and Iran are not exclusively supply areas, but possible equal partners in social development, promoters of changes and cultural developments that can also involve the whole of Mesopotamia.