Objective
Modern museum collections shape our view of the ancient world, yet their representativeness is uncertain: what has survived, what was lost, and what has been distorted by modern collecting practices? Unseen Artefacts: Estimating Diversity in Ancient Near Eastern Material Culture (UNSEEN) tackles this problem by applying statistical tools from ecology, in particular Unseen Species Modelling (USM), to quantify hidden biases in ancient evidence. The project pursues two case studies. 1) It examines Babylonian divination texts, a cuneiform corpus spanning 1,500 years, to measure how diversity changed over time and estimate the number of lost compositions. 2) It analyses “Luristan bronzes,” many of which entered museums via the antiquities market, to distinguish genuine ancient diversity from patterns shaped by modern taste and forgery. By building a database of c.4,000 manuscripts and analysing a major museum collection of bronzes, UNSEEN will reveal survivorship biases that structure current understandings of ancient culture. Although historians have long acknowledged the fragmentary nature of their sources, quantitative methods for assessing loss have not yet been applied in Ancient Near Eastern Studies. UNSEEN breaks new ground by integrating qualitative expertise with statistical modelling, advancing the state of the art and offering a transferable methodology for other cultural domains. The fellowship includes an 8-month secondment at the University of Antwerp, where I will train in Python and computational statistics with Prof. Kestemont, a pioneer of USM in cultural history. This interdisciplinary training, together with collaboration at Leiden University and the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities, will enhance my digital, management, and communication skills. By its conclusion, I will be positioned to lead future research at the intersection of history, data science, and cultural heritage, while broadening career opportunities in academia and the GLAM sector.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences data science
- natural sciences computer and information sciences databases
- humanities history and archaeology history ancient history
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
2311 EZ Leiden
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.