Title Promoter Affiliations Abstract "Modelling Space-Time Uncertainty in Archaeological Excavation Information: From Relational Databases to Semantically Rich Graphs." "Piraye Hacigüzeller" "Antwerp Cultural Heritage Sciences (ARCHES)" "When archaeologists dig, they encounter questions tied to materials, events, and people, among others. Understanding where and when things took place is paramount to answering these questions, but this process is often riddled with uncertainties. These uncertainties, which this project terms ""Uncertainty across Space and Time Encountered during Archaeological Excavations"" (USTEAE), can sometimes be misrecorded or overlooked in archaeological databases. To address this, this project is exploring the potential of ""semantically rich property graphs"" to better capture and depict these uncertainties. By incorporating these graphs into heritage databases, the aim is to enhance the representation of USTEAE. Another objective is to refine existing heritage data modelling standards, such as the CIDOC-CRM, to more accurately express these uncertainties. The ultimate goal is to improve the management of archaeological and heritage sites and offer more nuanced data analysis, especially in the face of challenges like climate change, which introduce additional layers of uncertainty to archaeological and heritage fieldwork." "Archaeological Exploration of the Bronze Age Site of Sissi (Crete): towards a Study of Minoan social Organisation." "Ilse Schoep" "Archaeology, Leuven" "Despite more than a century of investigation, our understanding of Bronze Age (Minoan; c.3100/3000-1300 BC) society on Crete, traditionally considered Europe's first urban civilisation, is still limited, partly because of a failure to question a dominant model of social and political organisation inherited from the early twentieth century pioneers of Minoan archaeology, partly because of enduring gaps and biases in the data and partly because of a failure fully to incorporate advances in archaeological theory and methodology. The proposed project will address thes issues by contributing to a major interdisciplinary study of social, economic and political organisation at the site of Sissi on Crete (SARPedon), where ongoing excavations (since 2007), co-directed by the project leader and under the auspices of the Belgian School of Archaeology in Greece, have revealed a settlement and its associated cemetery. The proposed project will focus specifically on three main areas of study: the structure, temporality and use of space across the site; the production, exchange and consumption of pottery; and diet, health and funerary practice. These three elements represent separate lines of approach to the question of social, economic and political organisation and have been designed not just to be innovative and ground-breaking studies in their own right, but also to be mutually comparable and to link with other current and planned research within the SARPedon framework." "The genetic and archaeological synthesis of a Merovingian burial ground on the Flemish Coast." "Toomas Kivisild" "Department of Human Genetics" "After the report of a coincidence find in Koksijde, a late Merovingian settlement and burial ground were excavated at the beginning of 2017. This Koksijdse site proved to be particularly valuable due to the presence of building structures, cultural artifacts and ecological find material. Moreover, it was intriguing to find that the settlement phase was followed shortly afterwards by a burial field. The excavated buried remains consist of fifty-three individuals who have already been scientifically investigated. Still, many crucial research questions remain unanswered, which complicates the archaeological synthesis of this site. For example, there is no information about the kinship relationships between the individuals within the site, about their origin and link with other West European populations in that period and today. A state-of-the-art genetic research on the skeletal material can provide answers to these questions." "Tracking regionality in Ancient Egypt: comparative analysis of archaeological remains from the 6th and 15th nomes of Upper Egypt between the Old and Middle Kingdoms (working title)" "Yann Tristant" "Archaeology, Leuven" "Within the framework of the C1 project entitled “Social dynamism as evidenced in archaeological remains from the sixth and fifteenth nomes of Upper Egypt between the Old and Middle Kingdoms (c. 2686-1650 BCE)” the PhD project will explore the question of regionality by means of a comparative investigation into the archaeological sites of Dendara and Dayr al-Barsha respectively. These two sites have both hosted important nomarchal metropoleis in the period under consideration. The research will look for regional markers in the archaeological record both on the macro and the micro levels. On the macroscopic level, the project will involve the construction of ‘site histories’ for each of both sites through the creation of ‘time slices’ that map diachronic changes in territorial occupation, distinguishing shifting zones for residential, funerary and ritual use as well as the pathways connecting them. This investigation will integrate extant and new archaeological terrain data alike. On the microscopic level, the research will develop a number of comparative case studies of material remains originating from both sites. More specifically, a selection of tombs will be analysed in regard to their location, architecture and associated elements such as pottery vessels, offering tables, stelae and other inscribed material. This part of the investigation will be nourished by artefacts in museum collections, archival material from past excavators, and the results of recent and forthcoming field campaigns. The insights from the different above analyses will be integrated into a synthesis that will provide a framework for understanding how regionality expressed itself in Upper Egypt in the period between the Old and Middle Kingdoms." "Archaeological Synthesis Research 2019 - Conflict Archeology of the Second World War in Flanders" "There has been tremendous progress in the field since the early 21st century of the conflict archeology of the First World War (Van Hollebeeke, Stichelbaut et al. 2014) various initiatives of the Flemish Government (de Meyer and Demeyere 2006, Dewilde 2006, Dewilde, de Meyer et al. 2007, Dewilde, Verboven et al. 2016), a growing academic interest in universities (Note, Saey et al. 2019, Stichelbaut, Note et al. 2019, Van den Berghe, Gheyle et al. 2019) and the transfer of this interest and expertise to the commercial sector (Stichelbaut, Verdegem et al. 2018, Verdegem, Dewilde et al. 2018, Verdegem, Dewilde et al. 2018). This was reinforced by the century commemoration, popular media (Onder Vlaamse Velden, 'he Big Dig' other documentaries), crowdfunding campaigns (Dig 'ill 80' and the exhibition ""Traces of war"" in the In Flanders Fields Museum (Stichelbaut 2018). Flanders thus plays a prominent role in the international strong increasing research field of interdisciplinary conflict archeology (Saunders 2002, Dewilde, de Meyer et al. 2007, Saunders 2007, Desfossés, Jacques et al. 2008). There are both in the field of non-invasive archaeological prospecting (Stichelbaut, Gheyle et al. 2017, Stichelbaut, Note et al. 2017, Gheyle, Stichelbaut et al. 2018), excavations of material remains of the war on positions (Verdegem, Dewilde et al. 2018), the recovery of war victims (Verdegem, Dewilde et al. 2018) and the analysis of material culture has made huge strides forward (Bracke, Gheyle et al. 2018, Bracke, Gheyle et al. 2018). We can say that the archeology of WW1 is now an integral part of mainstream archaeological research and that the concept of 'landscape as Last Witness ""(Chielens 2006, Chielens, Dendooven et al. 2006) - for the first introduced 88 years after the end of the conflict - becomes general accepted and adopted by both the archaeological field and the policy (Verboven 2012, Himpe 2014). In summary, there is a huge foundation laid for high-quality research into conflict archeology in Flanders. There not only have numerous excavations been carried out, various scientific ones studies have been carried out, but support has also been created for the wider sector public, one can imagine the archeology of the recent periods. In addition, the annual study day ""conflict in Contact"" provides a distribution of the results within the archaeological field. In 2020 it will be 80 years ago that World War II started in Belgium. On May 10, 1940, German troops invaded Belgium, followed by a four-year-long one period of occupation followed. The current state of play regarding the WW2 archeology in Flanders is in very sharp contract with the expertise which was built up in relation to WW1 and the picture that became above outlined. In the meantime, the landscape also applies to this second global conflict and the archaeological soil archive as the very last witnesses to this conflict remain. In neighboring neighboring countries there has been since the beginning of this century attention to the material remains of WW2. It took the lead taken in Britain, where universities even engage in conflict archeology have included their curriculum1 (Saunders 2012) and received early attention was for modern conflicts (Dobinson, Lake et al. 1997). In the Netherlands, the logically from the beginning more emphasis on WW2 than on WW1 (Brouwers 2011, Van Der Schriek 2015). The first investigations are also in France meanwhile started 2, where there are not only studies on the battlefields in Normandy but also extensive attention to it archaeological research on prisoners of war and internment camps (Myers 2008). In Normandy, geophysical prospects were previously conducted on the battlefields on the landing beaches and immediate hinterland (Gaffney, Gater et al. 2004) and an exhaustive inventory of WW2 is being worked on heritage. In Flanders it has only been sporadic since the last decade research is carried out into archaeological remains of WW2. In the early period it mainly concerned accidental finds at excavations of more traditional archaeological sites (De Clercq, Deschieter et al. 2001, Stichelbaut and Hoorne 2008, De Logi and Schynkel 2010). Meanwhile, are dozens of archaeological site investigations conducted on conflict sites 1940‐45, and the sites from WW2 on the coast (Atlantic Wall) also form regularly the subject of desktop studies and archeology note "". If there is already targeted research, it is usually by foreign researchers research teams, for example about the Battle of the Bulge or The Battle of the Bulge (Passmore and Harrison 2008), it is very site-oriented and limited to a small area. That can also be said of the investigation into crash sites, a specific discipline that is becoming increasingly professional (Reyns, Ceulaers et al. 2013, De Decker 2017). Also off the Belgian coast are sporadic archaeological finds have been made. For example, recently five plane wrecks found by VLIZ3 and is the work of maritime archaeologists Sven Haelst and Thomas Termote. Given the specific needs and methodologies of this maritime archaeological research in the North Sea we will engage in this project limit to the beaches, where regular beach barriers from WW2 found during sandworks (verbal information curator Mathieu Demeyer). The Agency's Research Balance of Archeology Heritage Heritage gave ample attention to WW1 and earlier battlefields, but WW2 was almost not mentioned at all (a passage on architecture and commemoration not taken into account). This project will provide interesting information provide a completely different picture of the status of the research to WW2. At first glance, there are many similarities between the archeology of both World Wars. In both cases it concerns archaeological sites that have to do with military defenses and infrastructure in the hinterland, fleeting traces related to the war, military occupation, daily life (waste contexts) etc. Both disciplines are highly interdisciplinary and can often be more than is the case for others disciplines count on a multitude of historical, cartographic and photographic sources. They are, however, very different conflicts, with various material remains. Where WW1 is a 4-year battle, that WW2 was especially the culmination of the war on positions in the Westhoek simplified to split into three major phases in which we may have heritage expect: the run-up to the conflict and the raid, the occupation with expansion of military infrastructure and logistics, and the liberation offensives. Also the scale and nature of the conflict was different: a more mobile war of which it is less clear which remains can be preserved. And on the other hand there are the great material relics such as enormous coastal batteries, bunker complexes, numerous plane wrecks and dozens of sprawling airports. What exactly are the archaeological remains of World War II, what can we expect? What do the excavations say in recent years Found WW2 archeology about that material culture? And what are the specific challenges of this modern conflict archeology? These are some of the main questions we want to answer by examining to link the ""rising literature"" to non-invasive research methods (historical aerial photography & lidar analyzes). The project will play a pioneering role play, and the results will help chart a course we are on want to and be able to go with this discipline in the near future." "Ghent Archaeological Science Centre" "Wim De Clercq, Koen Deforce, Philippe Crombé, Mathieu Boudin, Isabelle De Groote" "Department of Archaeology" "This core facility will provide state of the art analyses for artefacts and ecofacts from archaeological excavations. With the recognition of this facility, we will formalise the unique expertise of the department of archaeology for the study of stone, pottery, bone, and botanical remains from archaeological contexts with our well-established network of other labs and facilities at UGent. It will continue to offer existing services, such as lithic and pottery determinations, use wear and trace wear analyses, as well as provide the funding necessary to establish new analytical techniques. In the first 2 years, the requested match-funding will be primarily used to pay salaries to launch the ArcheOs laboratory where we will offer anthropological, biomolecular, and biochemical analyses for osteological material. Subsequent years will see the other laboratories fit into the GASC business model. The core facility in the beginning will offer in-house osteological analyses and takes on a coordinating role between existing CT imaging, biochemical and biomolecular facilities at UGent (UGCT, AM&S, ISOFYS, ProGentomics) to answer questions about archaeological human skeletal assemblages relevant for the stakeholders: owners, archaeological companies, government, museums, repositories, researchers and the general public. In future, GASC will grow by formalising the study of other artefact and ecofact analyses, such as residue analysis on lithic and ceramic finds, use wear analysis on lithic artefacts, and expand with new expertise such as the study of archaeobotanical remains. Unique to Belgium, GASC will be a facility focussed on the holistic, state-of-the-art scientific study of artefacts and ecofacts from archaeological assemblages." "Centre for Archaeological Sciences 2 - New methods for research in demognd interregional exchange" "Patrick Degryse" "Faculty of Arts, Geology, Archaeology, Leuven, Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation, Ancient History, Leuven, Geography and Tourism" "The Centre for Archaeological Sciences (CAS) acts as a hub for the development of exact scientific approaches to be applied to archaeological research questions. Advanced interdisciplinary research serving archaeology, but developed in the biomedical, engineering or science labs of KU Leuven is stimulated, and made available to international archaeologists in the field or in museums worldwide." "An archaeological approach on early interactions between hunter-gatherers and sedentary food-producers in Western Central Africa." "Philippe Crombé" "Department of Languages and Cultures, Department of Archaeology" "The question of prehistoric contact between indigenous hunter-gatherers and the first sedentary communities in Western Central Africa has so far mainly been addressed by linguists, geneticists and historians in relation to the Bantu Expansion, which is the initial migration of Bantu-speaking communities across sub-Saharan Africa. Unlike in other parts of the continent and the world, archaeologists have never systematically studied the subject in the equatorial rainforest. However, archaeological evidence for this region does exist, which can be revisited through the lens of knowledge from other disciplines and other parts of the world. This is exactly what we will do in the current project, which targets the period between 4000 and 2000 years ago and whose study area comprises countries such as Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. Our multifaceted approach will combine (1) a literature study to develop a new theory of contact archaeology, (2) an innovative contact-oriented reanalysis of existing archaeological collections including stone artefacts and the earliest ceramics of the region and (3) new surveys and excavations in order to obtain supplementary archaeological evidence for early contact between hunter-gatherers and sedentary food producers in Western Central Africa." "All aboard! An archaeological approach to Belgian diaspora communities in the United States of America" "Wim De Clercq" "Department of Archaeology" "Over the course of the 19th and early 20th century, over 30 million Europeans would settle in Canada or the USA. The port of Antwerp functioned as one of the major hubs from which those people departed. Indeed, between 1843 and 1913 over 2.7 million people embarked on boats leaving for the New World. The Belgians amongst these migrants are cautiously estimated at 200.000. Many of them originated from the region to the north of Ghent and eventually settled in the Midwest, in the area surrounding the Great Lakes. I intend to make that very same journey. I will be leaving Ghent for research in the US. The research question that is central to this project pertains to the way in which these immigrants expressed group identities in their material, everyday lives, and how this expression of identity changed over time. These issues are evaluated on three different scales, that of material culture, architecture and landscape. In doing so, this project contributes to the broader discussion on hybridized and retained cultural practices using archaeological remains, pioneers in the historical archaeology of Continental Europe and gives an incentive to preserve this rich, but ill-known 'Belgian' heritage. Communication to the wider public finally livens the awareness of a Flemish or Walloon background in younger generations in the US and of the migratory nature of their ancestors with Belgian youth." "Social dynamism as evidenced in archaeological remains from the sixth and fifteenth nomes of Upper Egypt between the Old and Middle Kingdoms (2686-1650 BCE)" "Yann Tristant" "Archaeology, Leuven" "This project aims to study two Egyptian archaeological sites explored by KUL (Dendera and Deir el-Bersha) to address the research question of regionality in ancient Egypt. The objective is to identify in the archaeological assemblages what could characterize the regional patterns of two pharaonic communities. This will be addressed through study of the material culture and funerary practices of these two sites, which functioned during the Old Kingdom, First Intermediate Period, early Middle Kingdom in two different regions of the Nile Valley. A very important source will be unpublished archival data of the early excavations. This will be integrated with the results of the excavations of KULeuven at the sites. For the interpretation, an innovative combination of GIS analysis, material network analysis, and radiocarbon dating (exceptional in Egypt) will be deployed. A long-term aim is to establish a research consortium developing this approach across the Nile Valley in the framework of an ERC project."