Past Projects

Clélia Abadie, Charlotte Aghina, Emma Capon and Néïs Demellier (UP1PS)

Completed in 2025, this project resulted in the creation of an archaeological map in collaboration with Camille Noureddine, an illustrator and former fine arts student at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University. The map illustrates the peoples and regions of the American continent that were subject to European colonization between the 17th and 19th centuries.

Designed as an educational tool, this resource allows users to explore a selection of archaeological sites, from Alaska to Chile, while highlighting the diverse histories of the peoples involved. The map is available for free online, but has also been printed using a traditional silkscreen printing technique on recycled paper and sent to various universities to be displayed. A QR code embedded in the map provides access to a website where the history of the selected sites and the map-making process are documented.

Download the map online for free

Visit the project's website

Lila Casamirra, Chiara Mengasci, Elisa Perotti (UNIBO), Ambra Famiglietti, Iris Imbert and Antoine Leviel (UP1PS)

“Art Tactilis: Exploring the Past Through Touch, Reuse, and Ceramic Techniques” was an exhibition held in Trento, Italy, from December 15 to 19, 2025, in collaboration with the Abilnova Association and the Caritro Foundation. This exhibition centred on the role and reutilisation of ceramic objects from the past. The exhibition, which was set entirely in darkness, enabled visitors to experience archaeology through the lens of touch, thereby ensuring accessibility was prioritised.

Following the conduction of preliminary bibliographic research, the group assembled replicas of archaeological ceramic objects and collaborated with one visually impaired guide, Giorgia Pizzini, to lead the exhibition. The exhibition was divided into two sections: in the first one, visitors had the opportunity to explore, through touch, several ceramic objects serving various purposes, from a simple handmade bowl to a lamp, passing through a cooking pot and two ostraka (piece of pottery used to vote at Athens). The second part of the exhibition comprised a practical workshop in which participants were able to make a small clay vessel, allowing them to become familiar with working with plastic clay and ancient ceramic techniques. Finally, an exhibition catalogue, also available in audio format, was distributed to each participant at the end of the exhibition. 

The results of the project were presented at a workshop held by the CAI-RN network working group “Archéométrie des sens”. Part of the exhibition was also presented in Paris as part of the 2025 and 2026 European Archaeology Days.

Download the print version of the exhibition catalogue (PDF, 1,04Mo)

Download the exhibition's flyer (PDF, FR, 7,58Mo)

Shana Dehédin, Lina Guelouza, Gwladys Jolivet and Gauvain Smagghe (UP1PS)

The REAL project, which concluded in 2025, explored the possibilities offered by 3D modelling and virtual reality in raising awareness of changes in the environments surrounding coastal archaeological sites. The objective was to create a reconstruction of an ancient coastal environment based on paleoenvironmental data, in order to illustrate how these areas have changed over time. The project therefore demonstrated the effects of global warming and rising sea levels on these fragile areas.

The project focused on the archaeological site of Beg ar Loued, located on the island of Molène off the coast of Finistère, where excavations revealed the foundations of a Bronze Age Bell Beaker house. The house had previously been modelled in 3D by the European Center for Virtual Reality (CERV). The team integrated this initial reconstruction into its original natural environment, making it possible to visualize how the coastline and landscape have changed from the Bronze Age to the present day. The model was successfully optimised for a virtual reality experience, through the addition of informative panels on environmental and island archaeology.

The REAL project enabled the visualisation of complex paleoenvironmental data, serving as a potential tool for outreach and raising awareness about current changes in coastal areas. An exhibition presenting the project was held at the Institute of Art and Archaeology's library from 1st to 30th April 2026.

Visit the project's website

Download the REAL Project's poster (PDF, 8,3Mo)

Belén Hernáez Martín, Betina Menegati Girardello (UCM), Anne Claire Leleu (UP1PS) and Hester Vegter (UNIBO)

The concept of "object biographies", popularised by Arjun Appadurai in 1986, encourages scholars in archaeology and the social sciences to study the history of objects in order to better understand the sociocultural issues associated with them.

The project's objective was to design a program of activities dedicated to the life cycles of archaeological objects, including their creation, use, discovery during excavations, restoration, conservation, and display. The goal was to enlighten the frequently disregarded or imperceptible facets of their journey, along with the communities with which they are associated. The exhibition also emphasised science outreach through the development of a participatory approach.

The event took place at the Museo Arqueológico Nacional in Madrid (MAN) from June 12 to 14, 2024, as part of European Archaeology Days. The exhibition featured demonstrations of techniques used in flint knapping and pottery wheel throwing. In addition, several practical workshops were organised, focusing on fabric production and the use of photogrammetry. Finally, the museum hosted a conference on the life cycles of Iron Age metal objects, as well as a series of scientific posters on the biographies of archaeological artefacts.

Download the conference's program (PDF, 119Ko)

Download the scientific posters program (PDF, 295Ko)

Images Gallery (PDF, 2,37Mo)

Marie-Estelle Ölz (UNIBO), Éléonore Desbazeille, Elisa Dieudonné (UP1PS) and Andrea Gómez Felipe (UCM)

The Committed Archaeology Podcast (CAP) aims to address contemporary issues in the field of archaeology, by focusing on the 4 challenges defined by the EUR ArChal: Environment and Climate Change, Power and Inequality, Conflict, Mobility, and Migration, and Technology and Innovation.

The podcast will explore a range of topics related to these four themes, including, for example, gender archaeology, the impact of geopolitical conflicts on fieldwork, or the use of artificial intelligence in research. Each episode, recorded in French, English or Spanish, focuses on a specific topic through an interview with a researcher. With the assistance of sound engineer Maxence De Monteynard, the group successfully recorded an introduction and the first two episodes. The introduction presents the project members and their respective backgrounds. The first episode takes the form of an interview with Martin Sauvage, an archaeologist specialising in the Near and Middle East, focusing on the challenges of archaeology in conflict contexts. The second episode features a discussion on the relevance of the concepts of power and inequality in pre-Hispanic Andean societies, with the participation of Romuald Hauss, a researcher at the French Institute for Andean Studies. 

Ultimately, the team aims to produce eight episodes that address current challenges faced by archaeologists today. 

Tiffany Aires Da Cruz, Evanthia-Stefania Kourti and Cloé Vibert (UP1PS)

The objective of this project was to reconstruct a Minoan (Cretan Bronze Age) recipe and replace it in its archaeological context.

Firstly, the team created experimental replicas of cooking pots in collaboration with a professional potter. The objective was to use vessels similar to those employed by Minoan people. The selected recipe, reconstructed using ethnographic and archaeobotanical data, was made with trachanas (a paste made from wheat, bulgur, or flour), lamb, mutton, and legumes. In order to reconstruct the spices used, the group relied on tablets inscribed in Linear B (syllabic script used by the Mycenaean civilisation), which were discovered at Bronze Age sites in Crete.

To complement this work, and in order to explore the spatial organisation of culinary practices, a 3D model of the "West House", at the archaeological site of Akrotiri on the island of Santorini, was created.

Laura Léger (UP1PS/INALCO), Mathis Merlet, Elise Pinard and Salomé Tudoce (UP1PS)

The project entailed the publication of a recreational activity booklet for children aged 9 to 12, modelled on summer vacation workbooks. Focusing on Challenge 3, "Conflicts, Mobility, and Migration", the booklet features Amara and her friend Élie, who discover a secret in the home of Amara's late grandfather. The learning booklet combines comic strips, archaeological facts and puzzles in order to raise young readers' awareness of the links between archaeology and colonization. The subjects of the restitution of cultural property and the looting of archaeological sites are addressed through games and sidebars containing "keys to understanding".

Following a preliminary bibliographic research on key concepts related to archaeology and colonization, the team developed the storyboards and scripts for the comic book and designed the activities. After completing the first draft, the team surveyed elementary school teachers to assess the suitability of the content for its very young target audience.

The project is currently awaiting publication, while other booklets dedicated to the 3 other EUR ArChal challenges are in development.

Find out more about The Secret of Seydou (PDF, FR, 194Ko)

Morgane Bertrand, Vincent Cadenel, Nour Dautrey, Lucie Sanchez (UP1PS), Gaspard Mouge (UP1PS/INALCO) and Carlos Morato-Marqués (UCM)

The Adventures of Jara is an illustrated book intended for young readers. It has been conceived by its authors as a journey to discover past societies and their agricultural techniques. With the assistance of illustrator Alice Larchet, the team has produced a children's book that encourages readers to rethink their current lifestyles and agricultural practices in a world transformed by climate change.

The book tells the story of a young adolescent named Jara. Touched by the sight of her parents' fields losing their vitality, she sets out to find ways to bring colour back to the world around her, and discovers an archaeologist's old grimoire tucked away in a bookcase. The grimoire transports her to different archaeological periods, allowing her to encounter a variety of ancient civilisations.

Find out more about about The Adventures of Jara (PDF, FR, 1,70Mo)

Yunus Kavruk, Sarah Tailliez (UP1PS), Vinca Michaelis (FUB) and Kai Chun Lennox Yeung (UNIBO)

The objective of this project was to develop a card game focused on the recycling practices of the past. Participants are invited to select a card from the designated period – either the Paleolithic or Antiquity – and then undertake various actions related to resource management and recycling. In each round, players have a set number of action points, which they can use to acquire resources, recycle and repurpose them, or build tools or structures designed to improve the prosperity of their territory and thereby accumulate points. The game concludes when a player attains the maximum number of points. The team is also developing an Egyptian expansion for the game, based on similar rules.