Bridging Natural Sciences and Cultural Heritage in the Middle East

Europe/Berlin
Various (SESAME and Jordan Museum, Amman)

Various

SESAME and Jordan Museum, Amman

Frank Lehner (DESY)
Description

Bridging Natural Sciences, German Institutions and Cultural Heritage in the Middle East

The workshop aimed to connect natural sciences and cultural heritage by highlighting the applications of advanced synchrotron radiation research at SESAME for studying archaeological and historical artifacts. Organized from a “German perspective,” it focused on fostering collaboration between German research institutions and Middle Eastern organizations while promoting regional heritage studies.

Hosted by DESY, HZDR, and SESAME, the event gathered 40 participants, including scientists and cultural heritage officials from Germany and the Middle East. The first day featured sessions and a tour of SESAME’s beamlines and experimental stations, while the second day was held at the Jordan Museum.

 

  • Tuesday 3 December
    • 08:30 09:30
      Transfer to SESAME Lightsource 1h Theater Room, SESAME Guesthouse (SESAME)

      Theater Room, SESAME Guesthouse

      SESAME

    • 09:30 10:00
      Registration 30m Theater Room, SESAME Guesthouse (SESAME)

      Theater Room, SESAME Guesthouse

      SESAME

    • 10:00 10:20
      Opening: Welcome Various

      Various

      SESAME and Jordan Museum, Amman

      Convener: Andrea Lausi (SESAME)
      • 10:00
        Welcome by the SESAME Director-General and the President of the Council 10m
        Speakers: Khaled Toukan, Rolf-Dieter Heuer
      • 10:10
        Goals of the Meeting 10m
        Speaker: Frank Lehner (DESY)
    • 10:20 11:00
      SESAME and Synchrotron Radiation in Cultural Heritage Research Theater Room, SESAME Guesthouse (SESAME)

      Theater Room, SESAME Guesthouse

      SESAME

      Convener: Rolf-Dieter Heuer
      • 10:20
        Overview of the SESAME and opportunities in cultural heritage 20m
        Speaker: Andrea Lausi (SESAME)
      • 10:40
        The importance of synchrotron radiation in archaeology and cultural heritage studies of Southwest Asia: Why now? 20m
        Speaker: Gonca Dardeniz (Uni Istanbul)
    • 11:00 11:30
      Coffee Break 30m Theater Room, SESAME Guesthouse (SESAME)

      Theater Room, SESAME Guesthouse

      SESAME

    • 11:30 13:00
      Ideas, Projects, and Analytical Needs: Written Artefacts I Theater Room, SESAME Guesthouse (SESAME)

      Theater Room, SESAME Guesthouse

      SESAME

      • 11:30
        Accessing hidden text on papyri - Elephantine and beyond 40m
        Speakers: Eid Mertah (Egyptian Museum , Cairo), Heinz-Eberhard Mahnke (Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection and HZB/FU Berlin), Verena Lepper (Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection, Berlin)
      • 12:10
        Early Islamic dipinti from archaeological contexts 25m
        Speaker: Hagit Nol (Uni Frankfurt)
      • 12:35
        Digging up History: Archaeological Investigations at the Caves of the Dead Sea Scrolls by DAJ - EBAF - PAM - ASOR (1949 - 1956) 25m
        Speaker: Marcello Fidanzio (Swiss Italian Uni)
    • 13:00 14:00
      Lunch 1h Theater Room, SESAME Guesthouse (SESAME)

      Theater Room, SESAME Guesthouse

      SESAME

    • 14:00 15:00
      Ideas, Projects, and Analytical Needs: Written Artefacts II Theater Room, SESAME Guesthouse (SESAME)

      Theater Room, SESAME Guesthouse

      SESAME

      Convener: Wolfgang Drube (DESY)
      • 14:00
        Understanding Written Artefacts with the CSMC Mobile Lab – Projects, Possibilities and Perspectives 20m
        Speakers: Claudia Colini (Center for the Study of Manuscript Cultures CSMC, U Hamburg), Sebastian Bosch (Center for the Study of Manuscript Cultures CSMC, U Hamburg), Shervin Farridnejad (Center for the Study of Manuscript Cultures CSMC, U Hamburg)
      • 14:20
        Study of enclosed cuneiform tablets with mobile x-ray tomography 20m
        Speaker: Katrin Zerbe (Deutsches Elektron-Synchrotron, DESY)
      • 14:40
        Discussions 20m
    • 15:00 15:15
      Coffee Break 15m Various

      Various

      SESAME and Jordan Museum, Amman

    • 15:15 17:15
      Ceramics/Pottery and Paintings Theater Room, SESAME Guesthouse (SESAME)

      Theater Room, SESAME Guesthouse

      SESAME

      Convener: Andrea Lausi (SESAME)
      • 15:15
        Petrography and XRD in pottery analysis 20m
        Speaker: Hussein M. Al-Sababha (Jordanian Heritage Museum, Yarmouk Uni)
      • 15:35
        Natural sciences and cultural heritage: some applications on ancient pottery 20m
        Speaker: Eman Khalifa (Uni Cairo)
      • 15:55
        Tall Zira'a and (unresolved) archaeometric questions 20m
        Speaker: Patrick Leiverkus (Biblical-Archaelogical Institute, Uni Wuppertal)
      • 16:15
        Hellenistic-Roman wall painting in Jordan: Questions from archaeology on material analysis 20m
        Speaker: Britta Jansen (German Protestant Institute of Archaeology/GPIA Amman)
      • 16:35
        The use of synchrotron radiation for the characterization of Roman Wall paintings from Bayt Ras tomb 20m
        Speaker: Sahar al Khasawneh (Department of Conservation and Management of Cultural Resources, Yarmouth University)
    • 17:15 18:30
      SESAME Tour 1h 15m Facility Tour (SESAME)

      Facility Tour

      SESAME

    • 18:30 18:45
      Transfer to working dinner 15m SESAME

      SESAME

    • 18:45 21:00
      Working dinner. 2h 15m Restaurant Tilal Jalad, As-Salt

      Restaurant Tilal Jalad, As-Salt

    • 21:00 21:20
      Transfer back to Guesthouse or Hotel 20m SESAME

      SESAME

  • Wednesday 4 December
    • 09:30 10:00
      Transfer from Marriott to Jordan Museum 30m Jordan Museum

      Jordan Museum

    • 10:00 10:50
      Opening Various

      Various

      SESAME and Jordan Museum, Amman

      Convener: Frank Lehner (DESY)
      • 10:00
        Welcome by the Director of the Jordan Museum 30m
        Speaker: Ihab Amarin (Jordan Museum)
      • 10:30
        Opening by the SESAME Council Chair and SESAME Scientific Director 20m
        Speakers: Dr Andrea Lausi (SESAME), Rolf-Dieter Heuer
    • 10:50 12:15
      Ideas, Projects, and Analytical Needs: Ancient Metals and Fossils, human remain Jordan Museum, Amman

      Jordan Museum, Amman

      Convener: Andrea Lausi (SESAME)
      • 10:50
        Ancient Metals: Searching for the origins of iron technology 33m
        Speakers: Ernst Pernicka (Curt Engelhorn Center for Archaeometrz), Ivan Stepanov (Curt Engelhorn Center for Archaeometry), Michael Brauns (Curt Engelhorn Center for Archaeometry)
      • 11:23
        Fossils, human remains: Studying human evolution using synchrotron radiation and microCT 23m
        Speaker: Alexander Stoessel (University of Jena and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology)
      • 11:46
        Fossils, human remains: Key Questions in Human Bioarchaeology addressed as SR at SESAME 25m
        Speaker: Kirsi Lorentz (The Cyprus Institute)
    • 12:15 12:40
      Coffee Break 25m Various

      Various

      SESAME and Jordan Museum, Amman

    • 12:40 13:40
      Ideas, Projects and Analytical Needs: Ideas Excavation sites Jordan Museum, Amman

      Jordan Museum, Amman

      • 12:40
        Exploring Tulul adh-DhahabÖ Excavations, Discoveries and Analytical Needs 30m
        Speaker: Asuman Lätzer-Lasar (Uni Marburg)
      • 13:10
        Preservation of cultural heritage at the excavation site of Quebec el-Hawa, Aswan- Egypt 30m
        Speaker: Martin Bommas (Qubbet al-Hawa Research Project, QHRP)
    • 13:40 14:10
      Lunch 30m Jordan Museam

      Jordan Museam

    • 14:10 15:15
      Museum Tour 1h 5m Jordan Museum

      Jordan Museum

    • 15:15 16:30
      Forging Cooperation Jordan Museum, Amman

      Jordan Museum, Amman

    • 16:30 17:00
      Wrap-Up and Conclusions 30m Jordan Museum

      Jordan Museum

    • 17:00 17:10
      Transfer to Dinner 10m Jordan Museum

      Jordan Museum

    • 17:10 19:10
      Working Dinner, Reem Al Bawadi Resturant 2h Reem Al Bawadi Resturant

      Reem Al Bawadi Resturant