An Anthropology of the Material

World

In Ancient Mesopotamia

The people behind
the material world

Anthropology of the
Material World

Shiyanthi Thavapalan

Principle Investigator, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Shiyanthi Thavapalan is Assistant Professor of Ancient Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at the VU Amsterdam and at the Amsterdam Centre for Ancient Studies and Archaeology.
Her research on ancient colour language and cognition, Akkadian technical recipes, and the history of crafts and technologies in Mesopotamia integrates methodologies in cultural anthropology with philology and material culture studies.

 

“Placeholder quote from Shiyanthi ”

— Shiyanthi Thavapalan

Between Science
and the Senses

Kate van Lookeren Campagne

University of Amsterdam – Experimental Archaeology & Glass Conservation

Translates theoretical interpretations of Mesopotamian glass texts into practical experimental procedures. Applies optical microscopy and SEM–EDS to analyse glass materials produced during experimental reconstructions. At the University of Amsterdam, she teaches and coordinates the MSc programme in Conservation and Restoration of Glass and Ceramics and conducts research on historical glass and glaze technologies.

Luc Megens

Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) 

Specialises in the chemistry of ancient glass and ceramics. Within the project, he investigates the chemical aspects of Mesopotamian glass recipes, identifies suitable artificial starting materials for experimental reconstructions, and analyses the resulting glass compositions.

Nikki Keuning

Amsterdam Centre for Ancient Studies and Archaeology – Student Intern

Organises and documents the experimental procedures, collects information on experimental archaeology and similar projects, and contributes to the creation of the science clips with the aim of making the project output accessible to a wider audience.

James de Buysscher

Ancient raw material sources research intern
Researches the provenance of ancient raw materials used in Mesopotamian glassmaking through archaeological references. Currently contributes to the project’s experimental glassmaking replication and the production of video materials documenting the process.

Aidan Houtkamp

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam – Student Assistant (Assyriology & Philological research)

Acting as a research-assistant and Assyriologist, primarily helping with the philological research on the terminology of (the materials of) glass-making.  

Andrei Dorobantu

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam – Student Assistant (Website & Digital Infrastructure)

Designs and develops the project website, ensuring a modern, accessible, and maintainable digital platform for the project. Assists with the planning and implementation of the project’s Heurist research database.

Hongrui Li

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam – PhD researcher (Assyriology)

Examines plants in Assyrio-Babylonian knowledge traditions from the second to the first millennium BCE. Studies how plants were classified, experienced, and used across cuneiform scholarship, craft, and healing, bringing textual evidence into dialogue with material culture and worldmaking.