Promised: Promoting Archaeological Science in the Eastern Mediterranean

This project is now completed. No further updates will be made

The Cyprus Institute teams up with the University of Cambridge and KU Leuven to advance Archaeological Science research in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME), supported by a 3-year grant from the H2020 Widening support action ‘Twinning’. The Promised project forms a three-node network of excellence in Bioarchaeology and Archaeological Materials Science within the Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center (STARC) at the Cyprus Institute and linking it with the internationally-leading advanced research centres in Archaeological Science at KU Leuven and the University of Cambridge.

Through joint activities specifically targeting the archaeology of the prehistoric and historical periods of Cyprus and the region, Promised will transform STARC and the Cyprus Institute into a regionally leading Centre of Excellence in Archaeological Science.

STARC’s aim is to work in close collaboration with the governmental institutions (Department of Antiquities, Cyprus Tourism Organisation), local universities (primarily the Archaeological Research Unit of the University of Cyprus, but also the Cyprus University of Technology), and the various foreign missions and research excavations active in Cyprus. Its research foci on the early production of metals, ceramics and glass, on the archaeology of important fruits such as olives and wine, and the osteobiography of the ancient human populations of the EMME allow the multifaceted exploration of past human lifeways in this key geopolitical region.

Strong synergies exist also with the recently launched A.G. Leventis Chair in Archaeological Sciences establishing the Cyprus Institute as the leading hub in this research field.

‘Promised: Promoting Archaeological Science in the eastern Mediterranean’ is a H2020 Twinning project (Grant No 811068) aimed at establishing a strong partnership between the Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center (STARC) of The Cyprus Institute and two of the international leaders in Archaeological Sciences, KU Leuven and the University of Cambridge.

For three years, training, research and dissemination actions will be used to upgrade the scientific performance of STARC in Archaeological Science, with an emphasis on Archaeological Materials Science and Bioarchaeology. In addition, ‘Promised’ will help develop the doctoral training programme at The Cyprus Institute, reversing the brain drain from the region and developing an internationally recognized doctoral school in Cyprus. These initiatives will transform STARC into a regional Centre of Excellence in Archaeological Science that will collaborate closely with national and regional authorities towards bringing the past of the region to light.