Project

Ghent Archaeological Science Centre

Acronym
GASC
Code
BOF/COR/2024/002
Duration
01 February 2024 → 31 January 2027
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund
Promotor-spokesperson
Research disciplines
  • Humanities
    • Bioarchaeology
Keywords
Archeologische wetenschappen Ecofact Archeologie Artefact
 
Project description

This core facility will provide state of the art analyses for artefacts and ecofacts from archaeological excavations. With the recognition of this facility, we will formalise the unique expertise of the department of archaeology for the study of stone, pottery, bone, and botanical remains from archaeological contexts with our well-established network of other labs and facilities at UGent. It will continue to offer existing services, such as lithic and pottery determinations, use wear and trace wear analyses, as well as provide the funding necessary to establish new analytical techniques. In the first 2 years, the requested match-funding will be primarily used to pay salaries to launch the ArcheOs laboratory where we will offer anthropological, biomolecular, and biochemical analyses for osteological material. Subsequent years will see the other laboratories fit into the GASC business model. The core facility in the beginning will offer in-house osteological analyses and takes on a coordinating role between existing CT imaging, biochemical and biomolecular facilities at UGent (UGCT, AM&S, ISOFYS, ProGentomics) to answer questions about archaeological human skeletal assemblages relevant for the stakeholders: owners, archaeological companies, government, museums, repositories, researchers and the general public. In future, GASC will grow by formalising the study of other artefact and ecofact analyses, such as residue analysis on lithic and ceramic finds, use wear analysis on lithic artefacts, and expand with new expertise such as the study of archaeobotanical remains. Unique to Belgium, GASC will be a facility focussed on the holistic, state-of-the-art scientific study of artefacts and ecofacts from archaeological assemblages.