On Tuesday, June 23, the state visit began with an official banquet at the Château de Laeken. Among the approximately 150 guests was Alexandre Mauroy, a professor in the Department of Mathematics at the Faculty of Sciences of UNamur. Invited at the request of the Vice-Rector for International Relations and Cooperation, he represented the University of Namur due to his scientific collaborations with Japanese researchers, particularly in connection with a future Erasmus+ project with Kyoto University. “It was a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness of UNamur,” he explains.

At the Castle of Laeken, Alexandre Mauroy encountered a highly formalized protocol and an evening attended by numerous prominent figures. “At the cocktail reception, Prime Minister Bart De Wever was right next to me. At the end of the evening, the King was having his coffee just a few meters away. The next morning, I almost felt like I’d been dreaming.”

The next day, the imperial procession stopped at the Castle of Namur for a visit focused on water management. On this occasion, Isabelle Parmentier, a professor in the Department of History at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters and a specialist in environmental history, was invited by the Governor of the Province of Namur to present a scholarly lecture on the province’s hydrological history. This topic was chosen because of Emperor Naruhito’s interest in issues related to water and the environment.

“It’s a truly special experience,” she explains. “I never would have imagined going through this a few years ago. I was very happy to be able to present my area of expertise to the monarchs.” After the presentations, she shared lunch at the table of the Emperor of Japan and King Philippe. “Protocol dictated that we not speak to them spontaneously, but the Emperor showed great interest in my presentation and asked me several questions.” 

Although their experiences were very different, Alexandre Mauroy and Isabelle Parmentier both share the same feeling: pride in having represented the University of Namur at an event that highlights the strength of relations between Belgium and Japan, as well as the international reach of the research conducted at UNamur. 

Six researchers have been awarded doctoral fellowships to begin their doctoral dissertations: Rachel LAURON from the Faculty of Sciences; Océane WATELET, Vera NOVAK, Camille LAMBIET, Alionka WÉRENNE, and Théodore HARDY (who received his grant from ULB under a joint supervision arrangement with UNamur) from the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters. 

Researchers from Namur also achieved great success in securing research fellow grants. Seven of them received this postdoctoral funding. They are Eleonor CELORA, Nataliya PUCHENKINA, Jérémy ARTRU and Bernardino PITOCCHELLI from the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters; Romain MERTENS from the Faculty of Law; and David TALUKDER and François WOITRIN from the Faculty of Economics, Management, and Communication at SciencesPo (EMCP). 

In addition, two permanent F.R.S.-FNRS researchers at UNamur have been promoted to Senior Researcher: Francesca CECCHET and Yves CAUDANO, both members of the Department of Physics and the NISM Institute. 

The Télévie call for proposals also enabled Marc HENNEQUART to secure funding to begin research aimed at identifying the metabolic determinants of the response to arginine deprivation in pancreatic and colorectal cancers. 

Congratulations to them!

Heritage sciences are experiencing a resurgence at UNamur. This field of research—which involves applying techniques and expertise from the exact sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) to study ancient heritage objects—is reinventing itself thanks to the PHOENIX project, led by seven researchers from the Faculties of Science (Department of Physics) and Philosophy and Letters (Departments of History and Classical Languages and Literatures). 

“PHOENIX emerged from the collaboration of several researchers from different backgrounds, yet all driven by the same desire to study the materiality of heritage objects. One notable figure is Julien Colaux, whose predecessor had led the first heritage science projects at UNamur’s Laboratory of Analysis by Nuclear Reactions (LARN). It’s a sort of return to our roots,” recalls Nicolas Ruffini-Ronzani, a researcher in the Department of History, president of the PaTHs Institute, and one of the project’s leaders. 

With PHOENIX, researchers aim to “make” two types of objects speak: ancient coins and medieval parchments (see box). More specifically, their research is guided by three objectives:

• To understand the composition of the artifacts being studied. For the parchments, to identify the animal species (sheep, goat, or calf); and for the coins, to characterize the metal alloy.
• Gain a better understanding of the production and processing workflow. For example, determine which parts of the animal were used in the production of a parchment.
• To propose the most precise dating possible. 

It is in this last objective that the main challenge lies. “We won’t be able to date these objects to within a year,” warns Olivier Deparis, a professor in the Department of Physics and a member of the NISM research institute. “The idea is to provide a time frame that is as precise, if not more so, than that already provided by paleography (the study of ancient scripts) or textual analysis. If we can narrow it down to a quarter-century, that will already be a significant step forward.”

To achieve this, the PHOENIX team uses various non-invasive techniques, in particular infrared and Raman spectroscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), and ion beam analysis (IBA). These approaches—which utilize UNamur’s state-of-the-art tools such as the ALTAÏS particle accelerator (see Omalius #36)—provide detailed information on the physicochemical composition of materials, such as the animal origin and ink formulations for parchments or the type of metal alloy for coins. “The use of the exact sciences will enrich our studies and thus allow us to better understand how these objects were produced in the past,” explains Nicolas Ruffini-Ronzani. “Contrary to what one might think, collaboration between the humanities and the exact sciences has a long history, dating back to the 19^th century, and even much earlier in the case of coins.”

These tools will make it possible to examine parchments and coins down to the finest detail, at the pixel level. These in-depth analyses therefore generate a colossal volume of raw data to process. This is where artificial intelligence comes into play to speed up the processing and reveal the information “hidden” in the data, identifying major trends invisible to the naked eye. 

Above all, it will provide a boost in meeting the challenge of dating the objects under study. Dated documents, such as charters, will thus be used as references to test the model’s robustness by comparing the results obtained with already known dates. “If the results are convincing, the technique could be applied to undated documents,” says Nicolas Ruffini-Ronzani. This would represent a significant breakthrough in historical research.

“The use of machine learning methods is not a panacea,” Olivier Deparis qualifies, however. “We wanted to explore it as an open-ended question to assess its benefits.”

PHOENIX could thus herald a new era for heritage sciences, where artificial intelligence—much like the phoenix after which the project is named—opens up new ways to analyze and understand materials from the past.

• Francesca Cecchet (Department of Physics – NISM and NARILIS Institutes)
• Lucas Baseil (Department of Physics – NISM Institute)
• Julien Colaux (Department of Physics – NISM and PaTHs Institutes)
• Olivier Deparis (Department of Physics – NISM, naXys, and PaTHs Institutes)
• Christophe Flament (Department of Classical Languages and Literatures – PaTHs Institute)
• Louise Fauchier (Department of Classical Languages and Literature – PaTHs Institute)
• Laurent Houssiau (Department of Physics – NISM Institute)
• Alexandre Mayer (Department of Physics – NISM and naXys Institutes)
• Giulia Morabito (Department of Physics – NISM and PaTHs Institutes)
• Nicolas Ruffini-Ronzani (Department of History – PaTHs Institute)
• Nicolas Gros (Department of Physics – NISM and PaTHs Institutes)
• Manon Bart (Department of Physics – NISM and naXys Institutes)

The PHOENIX project is funded by the Concerted Research Action (ARC) program from September 2024 to August 2029. It is a continuation of the interdisciplinary Pergamenum21 project, launched in 2014 by the Moretus Plantin University Library (BUMP) under the leadership of Professor Olivier Deparis and dedicated to the scientific study of parchment with a view to improving conservation practices.

Young people from Rochefort showcased the PHOENIX project at the international First Lego League competition, a robotics contest open to students aged 10 to 16. To align with the annual theme focused on new technologies in the field of archaeology, this team from the Rochefort Youth and Culture Center drew inspiration from IBA technology to develop a research game designed to identify the origin of Ancient Greek coins modeled using a 3D printer. Their project caught the jury’s eye and earned them a spot in the national finals, which took place last March. Beyond the competition, this original game will be presented during Family Day at the Malagne Archaeological Park (Rochefort). 

With a beekeeping tradition dating back several centuries, Wallonia boasts a unique network of beekeepers, educational apiaries, and local chapters that preserve a true living heritage. It is largely thanks to this strong connection between the product and its terroir that Walloon honey has joined the prestigious list of Walloon products bearing the PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) label. 

“Starting in the early 20th century, the sector became more professional and dynamic, largely thanks to improvements in apiary management and honey quality,” explains Natacha Aucuit, a food history researcher who contributed to this recognition of Walloon honey.

This method, now widely used in Wallonia, produces a spreadable, creamy, uniform honey that retains its natural properties.

“What struck me as I traced the history of this product was its deeply human aspect: knowledge is passed down within beekeeping communities, from master beekeepers to apprentices, embodying the strength of a regional tradition,” notes Natacha Aucuit.

This white sausage has deep roots in the city of Liège, but it is produced throughout the province. It is at the heart of Liège’s folk traditions: “This product is usually eaten cold, sliced. It is sometimes included in the drèssêye, a typical Liège assortment of cold cuts,” explains Natacha Aucuit. 

In addition to Walloon Honey PGI and Liège White Sausage PGI, other Walloon products are the focus of the Agrilabel unit, which is responsible for the recognition process. Currently, two applications are in progress: 

• The revision of the specifications for Ardennes Ham PGI
• The Wépion Strawberry

• Florenville IGP Sausage
• Ardennes Sausage IGP
• Ardenne Collier IGP
• Ardennes Pipe IGP
• Chimay Escavèche PGI
• Gaume Sausage PGI

Founded in 2011 at the initiative of the Wallonia Public Service and supported by the Office of the Walloon Minister of Agriculture, AgriLabel assists producers in obtaining European quality labels (PDO, PGI, and TSG) or regional labels (Label Qualité Plus). This work is based on a partnership between the University of Liège – Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech and UNamur.

In this context, the University of Liège-Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech focuses primarily on product characterization and producers’ expertise, as well as the delineation of the geographical production area. For its part, UNamur is responsible for demonstrating the socio-historical link between the product and its terroir, the designation’s historical recognition, and its reputation—essential elements for the recognition of a designation as a PDO or PGI.

Natacha Aucuit, a researcher specializing in food history at UNamur and a member of ILEE and Transitions, makes a key contribution to the AgriLabel unit under the supervision of Professor Isabelle Parmentier. Since 2013, she has been working on drafting applications for the registration of designations or modifications for products such as the Wépion Strawberry or the Ardennes Ham PGI. Her role consists primarily of establishing a documented historical link between the product and its terroir, based on rigorous research and a scientific approach.