As a result of recent work on ancient metal artefacts undertaken as part an ongoing collaboration between State Historical Museum in Moscow and the European Research Council funded FLAME (Flow of Ancient Metals across Eurasia) project in the School of Archaeology (University of Oxford), Dr Peter Hommel has been invited by the Russian Ministry of Culture to travel to Moscow next week to present a joint paper at the prestigious 21st International Festival of Museums “we will be presenting our recent study of the metal artefacts of the Borodino Hoard, a complex collection of late Bronze Age polished stone, silver, copper and gold alloy artefacts and one of the highlights of the State Historical Museum’s collections. Our study, which builds on more than a century of academic research, uses new analytical-interpretive methods to test our existing knowledge and to reveal hidden details about the biography of this extraordinary assemblage.”
Speaking further of their collaboration, Dr Natalia Shishlina, Head of the Department of Archaeology at the SHM, describes how their joint research also highlights the benefits of connectivity:
“In prehistory, people were moving a lot, communicating and learning from each other. Working together with colleagues across Eurasia as part of the FLAME project, we are following this example. We have already learnt a lot from each other and we hope that these productive collaborations will continue.”
The study of the Borodino Hoard is just one of a series of exciting projects currently underway beneath the banner of the FLAME project, which aims to add new dimensions to our understanding of the rich metallurgical history of the Eurasian Bronze Age. For more information about the project, visit flame.arch.ox.ac.uk
Photos copyright—State Historical Museum (Moscow)
Permission received from N. Shishlina, head of the Archaeology Department
The 'Flow of Ancient Metals across Eurasia' Blog 