When

The SEAMS project is funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Postdoctoral Fellowship (Grant agreement ID: 101105365), a highly competitive Grant promoted by the European Union under Horizon Europe programme (2021-2027). The objectives of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) are to foster excellence in research and innovation and support excellent researchers with new knowledge and skills, through mobility across borders and exposure to different sectors and disciplines.

Global Postdoctoral Fellowships promote the mobility of researchers outside Europe. The fellowship lasts three years, of which the first two years spent in a non-associated Third Country (outgoing phase), followed by a mandatory return phase of one year to an organization based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. During the action, short-term Secondments anywhere in the world may also be included. The SEAMS project started in November 2023.

  • November 2023

    The outgoing phase starts with a Secondment period at the Digital Heritage Innovation Lab (DHiLab)

    The DHiLab of the National Research Council (ISPC CNR) in Rome is a national and international reference point for digital survey, virtual museums, 3D simulated environments, conservation and promotion of Cultural Heritage. Here, a specific protocol for photogrammetry has been defined to create a detailed 3D model for each mummy included in the research, with the aim to retrieve geometric information on their wrapping patterns.

  • December 2023

    Arrive at the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology (CIoA) at UCLA

    The UCLA CIoA is the Host Institution of the SEAMS project. It is a premier research organization dedicated to the creation, dissemination, and conservation of archaeological knowledge and heritage through the promotion of interdisciplinary research and global collaborations. The CIoA is a worldwide leader in the Digital Humanities and home to both the Interdepartmental Archaeology Program and the UCLA/Getty Program in Archaeological and Ethnographic Conservation.

  • January 2024

    XRF Training At the Experimental and Archaeological Sciences Laboratory (EASL)

    The UCLA CIoA’s EASL is a collaborative research space dedicated to the study of ancient materials and technology through replication experiments and scientific analysis. After a training process, the portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometer held there has been used to understand whether the identification of inorganic elements could help to shed light on the chemical nature of some colorants used to dye the bandages wrapping votive animal mummies.

  • February 2024

    Visit at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLA)

    The Anthropology Department of the NHMLA host approximately 100,000 ancient objects, including some Egyptian artefacts. Several animal mummies kept here have been included in the SEAMS project and analyzed through the methodology  developed.

  • February 2024

    MSI and FORS Trainings at the UCLA/Getty Conservation Program

    At the UCLA/Getty Conservation Program, a multi-analytical protocol to highlight the nature and spatial distribution of the dyes present on the bandages has been set up. The non-invasive protocol proposed couples multispectral imaging (MSI) techniques to fibre optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) to ensure suitable identification of colouring matters used in the dyeing process, by avoiding micro-invasive techniques.

  • March 2024

    3DGIS Training at the Digital Archaeology Lab (DAL)

    The UCLA CIoA’s DAL supports the technological and data needs of the Cotsen faculty, students, and staff by providing facilities, advice, and training. Here, the 3DGIS of the SEAMS project has been implemented to store, visualise, monitor, and manage the gathered data and take into account the spatial distribution of the specimens included in the study.

  • March 2024

    Visit at the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA)

    The RAFFMA in San Bernardino, California hosts the largest display of ancient Egyptian antiquities in the western United States, including a hawk mummy. Its 3D model has been created and information on the textiles and the coloring matters used to dye the bandages has been collected.

  • March 2024

    Visit at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum (REM)

    With over 4,000 artifacts, REM in San José, California, houses the largest collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities on display in western North America. The REM was founded by the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC), which continues to support and expand the museum and its educational and scientific activities. The animal mummies kept at the REM became part of the SEAMS study.

  • April 2024

    Visit at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH)

    The CMNH in Pittsburgh features one of the finest paleontological collections in the world. It also houses a remarkable Egyptian collection, including different animal mummies. SEAMS gathered information on crocodiles, cats, ibises, and hawk mummies kept there.

  • April 2024

    The American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) annual meeting

    ARCE was established  in 1948. Its scope is to actively support scholarship, training and conservation efforts in Egypt through grants, fieldwork and field schools. SEAMS project has been formally presented for the very first time at the ARCE Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

  • April 2024

    Visit at the Brooklyn Museum

    The Brooklyn Museum houses one of the largest and finest collection on ancient Egyptian antiquities in the United States, which contains more than 12000 objects, including a unique collection of animal mummies. SEAMS has the occasion to work on several specimens, collecting a huge quantity of data, which greatly increased the research.

  • May 2024

    Visit at the Yale Peabody Museum (YPM)

    The YPM in New Haven houses over 14 million specimens and objects from 10 collections that tell the story of our Earth, its life, history, and cultures. SEAMS worked on some animal mummies from the Egyptian collection, which is the oldest and most extensive university collections of Egyptian materials in the United States.

  • July 2024

    Lecture at the ARCE Orange County Chapter (ARCE/OC)

    The ARCE/OC Chapter offers a wide range of events, classes, presentations, and outreach activities on Ancient Egyptian Civilization. A lecture on the SEAMS project has been delivered in this framework towards foster a wider cultural transmission of research results and offer new opportunities for citizen engagement.

  • July 2024

    Visit at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology (PAHMA)

    The PAHMA, located in the heart of the UC Berkeley campus, contains an estimated 3.8 million objects from California and around the world. It includes an extensive collection of Ancient Egyptian artifacts, most of which come from fieldworks throughout Egypt. The animal mummies kept there were mostly found in the Fayum Oasis. Their study in the SEAMS project framework have been led in collaboration with experts from the Center for the Tebtunis Papyri (CTR).

  • August 2024

    Visit at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston

    The MFA in Boston houses one of the most important Egyptian collection in the world, excelling in both depth and breadth. Much of its artefacts derive from excavations in Egypt and Sudan. SEAMS worked on various animal mummies, including dogs, cats, ibises, birds of prey, and crocodiles.

  • September 2024

    Visit at the Art Museum of the University of Memphis (AMUM) and Lecture at the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology (IEAA)

    AMUM’s collections contain over 3,000 works of art that span more than 2000 years of human history. More than 1,000 artifacts kept and maintained there by the IEAA belonged to the ancient Egyptian civilization. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the IEAA Director, SEAMS studied the entire collection of votive animal mummies housed at AMUM, including a false mummy, and held a conference on the topic.