An Anthropology of the Material

World

In Ancient Mesopotamia

STORY

A Trip to The Cyprus Institute

From 22 to 27 September, the Science & Senses team packed our bags (and our glass!) and headed to Cyprus. Our destination was The Cyprus Institute in Nicosia, where we sat down with Professor Thilo Rehren to talk through the results of our glass reconstructions and interpretations.

Professor Thilo Rehren

Thilo, the A.G. Leventis Professor for Archaeological Sciences at the Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center (STARC), is one of the leading voices on the high-temperature technologies of the Late Bronze Age Near East. Discussing our work with him was wonderfully inspiring! He also gave us a tour of the Institute’s laboratories and research facilities, and conversations about ancient technologies and the archaeological sciences kept flowing long after the tour ended.

A Writing Retreat

Then it was time to get writing. A two-day writing retreat gave the team space to focus, as our publications and other outputs slowly began to take shape across the table. 

Visiting Cyprus's Deep Past

Of course, we couldn’t visit Cyprus without stepping into its deep past. We explored the Neolithic settlement of Choirokoitia near the southern coast, then wandered through the Hellenistic-Roman city of Kourion, near Limassol.


We came home inspired, full of new ideas and eager to put them to work. Stay tuned for our other stories!