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The results of research obtained using archaeobotanical, archaeozoological, nutritional biochemical and microbiological methods are supplemented by information drawn from papyrological evidence and hieroglyphic sources. The project brings together researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Brussels, the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, the University of Liège, the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, the University of Michigan and the University of Namur. The latter is home to the Egyptological part of the project, conducted as a postdoctoral research by Arnaud Delhove and Alexa Rickert under the direction of René Preys. One of the questions to be addressed is to what extent the food offering to the gods in the temple is related to the diet of the priests, since scholarship traditionally assumes the distribution of the offerings to the clergy after the ritual. The investigation on what kinds of food were present in the temple and how they were prepared also raises the question why certain dishes, including fish, are largely absent from the offering scenes and descriptions. Discussions on the avoidance of fish in the temple gave rise to the idea of organising this workshop. Program 23/04/202414.15-14.45 Arrival of the participants, coffee 14.45-15.00 Welcome, introduction to the workshopPart one: Fish in profane contextsSession one, chair: Gert Baetens15.00-15.30 Daan Smets, Lisa Vanoppré (KU Leuven): Salty Business - Consuming and processing fish in Ptolemaic Egypt15.30-16.00 Sandra Gubler (University of Basel), Johanna Sigl (Commission for Archaeology of non-Euro- pean Cultures KAAK): Ancient Aswan's fisheries16.00-16.30 Coffee breakSession two, chair: Daan Smets16.30-17.00 Nicolas Morand (National Museum of Natural history, AASPE - MNHN): Fish consumption in Alexandria and its hinterland during the Graeco- Roman and Byzantine periods: first archaeo- zoological insights and perspectives17.00-17.30 Mauro Rizzetto (Ca' Foscari University of Venice): Fish exploitation at Ptolemaic and Roman Al-Qārah al-Ḥamrā, Egypt17.30-18.00 Korshi Dosoo (University of Würzburg): Fish in Graeco-Egyptian and Christian Magic18.00-18.30 Katelijn Vandorpe (KU Leuven): Response and discussion part one19.00 Speakers' dinner (L'Huile sur le Feu, Rue de Marchovelette 19) 24/04/2024Part two: Fish in religious contextsSession one, chair: Alexa Rickert09.30-09.40 Welcome address by Carine Michiels (University of Namur, vice-rector in charge of research and libraries)09.40-10.10 Arnaud Delhove (University of Namur/ULB): Thou shalt not eat fish, for it is an abomination! On the bw.t on fish consumption in Graeco- Roman Egypt10.10-10.40 Wim Van Neer (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences): A Late Period votive deposit of fish at Oxyrhynchus (Al Bahnasa, Egypt)10.40-11.10 Daniel von Recklinghausen (University of Tübingen): Why was Esna called "The City of the Nile perches" (Lato(n)polis) in Greek?11.10-11.40 Françoise Labrique (University of Cologne/ ULB): Kom Ombo : graphies et théologie12.00-13.30 Lunch (Brasserie François, Place Saint-Aubain 3)14.00-15.30 Informal part of the event: guided tour of NamurSession two, chair: Arnaud Delhove16.00-16.30 Alexa Rickert (University of Namur): The catcher in the dark: fish in the economic processions of the Graeco-Roman temples of Egypt16.30-17.00 Christian Cannuyer (Lille Catholic University/ S.R.B.É.O.): The fish as a symbol of Christ: its possible Egyptian origin and its treatment in Coptic iconography17.00-18.00 René Preys (University of Namur): Response and discussion part two, general discussion, closing of the event Download the book of abstract

Our keynote speakers for 2026 are Professor Roosmarijn Vandenbroucke (Ghent University) and Professor Nelly Litvak (Eindhoven University of Technology). More information on the "Women in Science" website

Jean-François Nieus, F.R.S-FNRS research fellow at UNamur for nearly 20 years, readily describes himself as a "document hunter." Fascinated by the mysteries of the Middle Ages, he explores a period still marked by gray areas and clichés. His main field of study? The documentary practices of the aristocracy of northern France and the former southern Netherlands, which shed light on the political, social, and cultural mechanisms at work between the 11th and 13th centuries.

Matthieu Pignot, researcher in the History Department and member of the PraME research center, has just been awarded the title of FNRS Qualified Researcher for his work on the transmission of religious knowledge between Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The originality of his research lies in the study of writings little or unknown to historians in the context of the Christianization of Europe.

The IBAF Meetings have been organized since 2003, every two years since 2008, by the Ion Beams Division of the French Vacuum Society (SFV), the oldest national vacuum society in the world, which celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2025.As in previous editions, IBAF 2026 will offer a rich and varied program with guest lectures, oral and poster presentations, and technical sessions. All this will be complemented by an industrial presence to promote exchanges between research and innovation. The conference will cover a wide range of topics, from ion beam instruments and techniques to the physics of ion-matter interactions, including the analysis and modification of materials, applications in the life sciences, earth and environmental sciences, and heritage sciences. More information on the IBAF2026 website

The program 2:00 pm | Keynote lecture on the use of AI in research - Hugues BERSINI, Professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles: "Can science be just data driven?" 3:00 pm | Presentations by UNamur researchers3:00 pm | Catherine Guirkinger: Use of AI in an economic history project3:15 pm | Nicolas Roy (PI: Alexandre Mayer): AI at the service of innovation in photonics and optics: revealing the secrets of scrolls through the classification of animal species15:25 | Nemanja Antonic (PI: Elio Tuci): An in silico representation of C. elegans collective behaviour<15h35 | Nicolas Franco : The benefits and dangers of "predicting the future" with covid-like machine learning models 15h45 | Michel Ajzen : Managerial and human implications of AI in organizations <15h55 | Robin Ghyselinck (PI : Bruno Dumas) : Deep Learning for endoscopy: towards next generation computer-aided diagnosis4:05 pm | Auguste Debroise (PI : Guilhem Cassan) : LLMs to measure the importance of stereotypes within gender representations in Hollywood films16h15 | Gabriel Dias De Carvalho : Learning practices in physics using generative AI16h25 | Sébastien Dujardin (PI : Catherine Linard) : Where Geography meets AI: A case study on mapping online flood conversations16h35 | Jeremy Dodeigne : LLMs in SHS: revolutionary tools in a Wild West Territory? Reflections on costs, transparency and open science16h45 | Antoinette Rouvroy : Governing AI in Democracy17h00 | Keynote lecture on ethics and guidelines to consider when using AI in research projects and writing research articles - Bettina BERENDT, Professor at KU Leuven18h00 | Benoît Frenay and Michaël Lobet : Creation of an IA scientific committee at UNamur18:10 | DrinkA certificate of attendance, worth 0.5 cross-disciplinary doctoral training credits, will be issued on request. Contact: secretariat.adre@unamur.beThis event is free of charge, but registration is required. I want to register

Professor Elio Tuci has just been awarded Research Credit funding from the FNRS. The naXys institute specializes in the analysis of complex systems, whether in astronomy and dynamic cosmology, mathematical biology, optimization in optics, economic complexity or the study of the stability and robustness of these systems. The institute is structured around 6 research axes: Space, Bio, Optics, Eco, Robust and Robotics.

Maxime Lucas is an FNRS Research Fellow in the Department of Mathematics and a member of the naXys Institute. He works on complex systems within the "Network Dynamics" cluster headed by Professor Timoteo Carletti. He is co-author of two papers on complex systems, recently published in prestigious journals Nature Physics and Physical Reviews Letters.

Professor Timoteo Carletti of the University of Namur has just published in the prestigious journal Nature Physics in collaboration with Professor Ginestra Bianconi of Queen Mary University of London and eight other international researchers. This groundbreaking study could lead to the development of new AI algorithms, new ways of studying brain function, or breakthroughs in disciplines such as physics, climate science, finance and many others.

Statistics usually focus on anticipating events that fall within the norm. But what about rare events? They are dealt with by a branch of mathematics called extreme value theory, in which Anna Kiriliouk, lecturer in statistics at UNamur, is a specialist. Applied to the climate, this theory enables us to better predict extreme climatic events, at a time when these are multiplying due to climate change.

An astrophysics expert, Professor André Fűzfa (Faculté des sciences, Institut Naxys) also harnesses his scientific knowledge to take everyone on a journey into the world of the imagination, through literature. Finding Ganymede is his new novel, co-created with illustrator Fabrice Rasir, an alumnus of the Mathematics Department. A book that incorporates images generated by artificial intelligence (AI). The novel is thus a skilful blend of graphic AI, physics and fiction that helps stimulate the imagination while providing an instructive dimension.

Space has become a major economic and strategic issue. As a member of the European UNIVERSEH Alliance, UNamur explores this space theme in its various departments, from physics to geology, via mathematics, computer science or philosophy. Without forgetting to address the general public, who still dream of the stars...