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On 26-28 September 2022, MEROS: Mutual Engagement
in aRchaeOlogical heritage and Science: 1st
online workshop dedicated to Interaction
in the field of archaeological heritage and science was organized and held in
Samarkand.
The topic of the workshop: Post-excavation
Works and Laboratory Setting for Archaeological Remains
Organizers
of the event:
The Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan
Nara National Research Institute for
Cultural Properties
International
Institute for Central Asian Studies
Ya. Gulyamov Archaeology Institute, city of Samarkand
The word meros translates from the Uzbek language
as "heritage". It is by no means a coincidence that the chosen name is
a symbol poetically describing the main purpose of the workshop, being the
transfer of knowledge for the study of archaeological sites, historical and
cultural heritage properties.
The workshop was attended by
young scholars from the Ya. Gulyamov Archaeology Institute, who have learned and mastered
the scientific methods of soil sampling, which Japanese experts have presented
to them; the young researchers mastered methods of soil classification by color
coding using state-of-the-art equipment, they have acquired skills in flotation
analysis, learned to use the system of documentation and storage of organic
materials. The theory, which encompassed the latest achievements and prospects
of the modern-day scientific trends in "biomolecular archaeology", was
interspersed not only with learning by doing, or practical application, but
also with field trips to the famous archaeological site of Kafir Kala and the
unique medieval archaeological complex of Suleiman Tepa in Urgut.
The presentation by the
Japanese experts of samples of the various tools and equipment, serving to
considerably facilitate research both in the field, and in the lab, was also extremely
engaging and salient for the workshop participants.
The knowledge acquired by
the young scholars was not only consolidated by practice, but also distributed
as the wonderful pocket-sized handout brochures titled "Archaeology of the
Environment in the course of the fieldwork", printed on water-stable paper,
- a quality which will come in extremely handy in moist field work conditions.
This workshop is yet another important session in the series of capacity
building training events financed by The Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan, aimed at enhancing the research competence in young archaeologists.
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