MODVS OPERANDI: Methodological approaches to the ancient sciences
The Synoikismos doctoral seminar aims to bring together young researchers working on Antiquity, whatever the period, geographical area or field considered. The aim is to encourage encounters and exchanges in an informal atmosphere.This edition, called "MODVS OPERANDI", will focus on the methods used in our disciplines, thanks to talks by doctoral students and established researchers from various French-speaking Belgian and foreign universities.
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Annual meeting of the archaeology and archaeometry module of the HISTAR doctoral school - History, Art and Archaeology - EDT 56
Program
10:00am: Welcome10:15am: Ian Johnson (University of Sydney), "Heurist, a solution to the data management needs of projects and researchers in the Humanities"10:55am: Break11:25am: Lola Tydgadt & Ronè Oberholzer (Uliège), "Stone Tools and Databases: A New Method to Put Function on The Map"11h55: Matthieu Delmeulle (UCLouvain), "Pondera :An Online Database of Ancient and Byzantine Weights"12h25: Lunch13h25: Elise Delaunois (AWaP), "La base de données des fouilles de Grognon (Namur, Belgique)"14h05: Tobias Heal (Uliege), "The Acies Ferri project and the Chips database"14h35 : Mostafa Alskaf (ULB), "Digital Archiving of Archaic Greek Plastic Vases: Opportunities and Obstacles"15:05: Break15:35: Fanny Martin (UNamur), "Celts, Germans and GIS: methods and questions for approaching Iron Age populations in northern Gaul"16:15: Final discussion.17:00: Closing
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Food or foe? Preparation, consumption, and sacralization of fish in Graeco-Roman and Byzantine Egypt
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
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The archives of the Middle Ages under the microscope of Jean-François Nieus
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.
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Forgotten manuscripts tell the story of Christianization in the Middle Ages
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.
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FNRS 2024 calls: Focus on the PaTHs Institute
Two researchers from the Institut Patrimoines, Transmissions, Héritages (PaTHs) have just been awarded funding from the F.R.S - FNRS following calls whose results were published in December 2024. The PaTHs institute is a federation of research centers and groups that have sprung up in and around the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters. The institute is distinguished by its emphasis on critical analysis of the "traces" of the past (written, material, monumental, landscape, visual, sound...), to the point of placing the "trace" itself at the heart of scientific questioning.
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Annual Research Day
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.
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New impetus for the humanities and social sciences at UNamur
A new platform dedicated to research in the humanities and social sciences (SHS) is being launched at UNamur. The aim? To offer SHS researchers methodological support tailored to their needs and strengthen SHS excellence at UNamur. This platform, SHS Impulse, will provide various services such as financial support for training, consultancy, access to resources, or co-financed software purchases.
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Discover PC², SIAM and the new RAMAN microscope (LOS)
The program
09:30 | Welcome speech and coffee10:00 | Presentation of the platforms11:00 | Group visit of the platforms12:00 | Lunch and networking
Pysico-Chemical Characterization (PC²)The PC² platform comprises a wide range of instruments, including: liquid and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, X-ray diffractometers for single crystals and powders, instruments for analyzing textural properties (nitrogen physisorption, mercury porosimetry, etc.), instruments for analyzing chemical composition (combustion chemical analysis, ICP-OES, etc.), as well as various separation techniques (chromatography, centrifugation, etc.).), instruments for analyzing chemical composition (combustion chemical analysis, ICP-OES, etc.), and various separation techniques (chromatography, centrifugation, etc.). The combination of these techniques with the presence of two research logisticians and a technician dedicated to sample analysis, as well as highly qualified researchers for the development of advanced applications, reflects the strategic intent of this platform. Among these characterization techniques, solid-state NMR and X-ray diffraction are the most advanced and unique characterization tools.Synthesis, Irradiation and Analysis of Materials (SIAM)The SIAM platform specializes in the advanced synthesis and characterization of materials and nanomaterials. It actively contributes to fundamental research in (bio)materials science, particularly in terms of characterizing surfaces, interfaces and ion/material interactions, in collaboration with international university laboratories. SIAM's analytical capabilities enable it to study a wide range of samples from fields as diverse as materials science, life sciences and heritage science. One of SIAM's key assets is its recognized expertise in spectroscopy (XPS and ToF-SIMS), which can be coupled with nuclear analysis (Ion Beam Analysis or IBA). Thanks to state-of-the-art equipment, all support is provided by a highly qualified team in a dynamic of continuous development and innovation. As part of the University of Namur, SIAM is a privileged partner both for academic research projects and for the provision of services to industrial and institutional players.Lasers, Optics and Spectroscopies (LOS)The LOS platform is developing its expertise around optical methods for the study of materials. LOS recently acquired a Raman scattering microscope for the analysis of liquids, powders, solids and thin films, both organic and inorganic. This technique can be used to identify a sample's chemical composition and structure, as well as certain properties of the medium. Raman spectroscopy can be used to characterize polymers, nanomaterials, pharmacological compounds, geological materials, precious stones, heritage objects and food products, to name but a few. In imaging mode, this technique can map the distribution of a compound in a heterogeneous sample, as well as detect traces.
Practical information
Registration required before November 4, 2025.
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Find out more about UNamur's technology platforms
Contact
Research Administration | Business Developer - Joël Marinozzi : joel.marinozzi@unamur.be
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Fighting disease with digital simulations
Lately, and thanks to LUMI, one of Europe's largest supercomputers, the limits of our knowledge of cell lipid membranes have been pushed back. A team of Namur researchers, including Professor Benoît Champagne and Drs. Pierre Beaujean and Charlotte Bouquiaux, has just published in the Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling. The results of this study pave the way for new approaches in the field of membrane lipid therapy.
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Guillaume Berionni Belgian representative at the European Chemical Society
One year after receiving funding from the European Research Council (ERC) for his B-Yond project, Prof Guillaume Berionni has just been named a Fellow of the prestigious European chemistry society Chemistry Europe. This distinction makes him the new representative for Belgium for a period of 2 years.
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Drawing inspiration from nature to innovate
Prof. Olivier Deparis and Dr Sébastien Mouchet (University of Namur, NISM Institute, Department of Physics) have published a book on the theme of physical optics and environmental biology. On the path of Jean-Pol Vigneron’s research, this “avant-garde” book according to Artech House, opens the door to bioinspired applications in the fields of optics, energy and the environment. Explanation.
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