STARC - Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center

Look out for our next series of posts showcasing APAC Labs' active participation during the Digital Heritage Summit in Limassol, Cyprus.

APAC Labs researcher Prof. Sorin Hermon took part in the Digital Heritage Summit in Limassol, Cyprus joing the roundtable session on 3D reconstruction and knowledge.
Prof. Hermon contributed to the discussion, presenting the ECHOES Project activities, which aim to build the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH).
His contribution focused on data provenance, Digital Twins, and the interdisciplinary methodological approach for conservation. The UNESCO site of St. John Lampadistis Monastery in Cyprus was presented as a microstory and prototype for the ECHOES Heritage Digital Twin.

Stay tuned for our next post recaping another exciting project participation!

Our two MSCA post-doctoral fellows, Anzhelika Kolesnychenko and Angela Celauro, from the research team led by Prof. Thilo Rehren at the STARC - A. G. Leventis Archaeological Materials Science Laboratories, recently took part in the 45th International Symposium on Archaeometry (ISA2026), presenting exciting new research with posters on different archaeomaterials and ancient technologies.

Anzhelika explored Hellenistic glass compositional differences that may point to diverse trade networks in the Black Sea region (MSCA-PF project SOC-GLAS), while Angela showcased new insights into Ofengalmei and zinc production in late medieval and early modern Germany (MSCA-PF project DE-CADMEA).

Together, these contributions offer a glimpse into the advanced anaytical approach and the wide chronological and material range of our current archaeometric research: from ancient glass exchange to the knowledge behind pre-industrial brass production.

Enjoy the conference posters, which will soon be available to the public on the official ISA 2026 website: https://isa2026torino.it/

These projects have received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreements No. 101150345 (SOC-GLAS) and No. 101109703 (DE-CADMEA). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Introducing our new intern, Victor!

Victor is currently pursuing a postgraduate degree in Cultural Heritage with a specialisation in digital transformation at KU Leuven, following his studies in archaeology at Ghent University and developing an interest in the archaeology of the Eastern Mediterranean.

During his three-month internship at APAC Labs, Victor worked on the digitalisation of material from the Late Bronze Age site of Pyla-Kokkinokremos using GIS and photogrammetry. His work will contribute to ongoing research exploring the site’s social and architectural organisation, as well as artefact production processes.

We were delighted to welcome Victor to the team and look forward to his contributions to our ongoing research projects!

Last week, APAC Labs Director Prof. Nikolas Bakirtzis participated in the Europa Nostra European Heritage Summit 2026 as a panel respondent at the European Heritage Policy Agora. Prof. Bakirtzis emphasized the key role of local communities play as agents of continuity, resilience as well as change and adaptation in utilizing cultural heritage as a catalyst for the climate crisis and the related culture-based strategies. He also highlighted the role of organizations like APAC Labs in addressing climate change through the lens of sustainable heritage development.

Overall, the Agora explored how cultural heritage can drive sustainable development across the Mediterranean. By showcasing projects, including work done by APAC Labs, this event showed how initiatives linking cultural and natural heritage strengthen climate action, boost the resilience of the heritage ecosystem, and promote inclusive communities.

We are excited to announce that APAC Labs has been awarded a new project under the Research and Innovation Foundation's EXCELLENCE HUBS programme. The project is titled CHRONOS – Cultural Heritage Repository and Online Networked Open System.

CHRONOS aims to establish the first unified national digital infrastructure for cultural heritage in Cyprus. It will develop an open, interoperable, and intelligent digital ecosystem. This ecosystem will allow museums, archives, and cultural organisations to document, manage, preserve, and disseminate their collections through a shared online environment.

The project builds upon previous research that identified major challenges faced by small and medium-sized cultural heritage institutions in Cyprus. These include limited digital presence, lack of technical capacity, and restricted access to sustainable digital infrastructures. To address these gaps, CHRONOS combines a scalable cloud-based repository with semantic technologies, metadata interoperability, and AI-assisted tools.
The platform will follow linked open data approaches and international metadata standards. This will make Cypriot cultural heritage collections discoverable, reusable, and interoperable within European and international digital heritage ecosystems.

The project is coordinated by The Cyprus Institute, together with the Museology Research Laboratory of Ionian University, Corfu. It will be validated through pilot case studies in real cultural institutions.
Through CHRONOS, APAC Labs continues its work at the meeting point of cultural heritage and digital innovation in Cyprus.

🔈Hire alert!!

The Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Centre (STARC) at The Cyprus Institute is inviting applications for the position of Research Technical Scientist in Archaeobotany (Ref. no. STARC_RTS_26_05). The successful candidate will join a dynamic interdisciplinary research environment and contribute to archaeobotanical research projects in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, including laboratory analysis, fieldwork, and collaborative research activities.

The position is full-time (24-month initial appointment with possibility of renewal) and is ideal for candidates with experience in archaeobotany, plant remain identification, and archaeological science methodologies. Deadline for applications: 07 June 2026.

For further details and applications:
https://onlinerecruitment.exelsyslive.com/?c=6e7274a2-8eba-4bea-905b-06f790eeb566&v=2026/0401

📢 The One Archaeological Science Seminar Series on
Interdisciplinary Studies in Archaeological Science – Use of Isotopes successfully brought together researchers and scholars to explore new perspectives on mobility, exchange, metallurgy, and human–material interactions through cutting-edge archaeological science research.

📅 21 April 2026
Invisible Networks? Isotopic Perspectives on Exchange in Ancient Southwest Asia
was presented by Dr. Kristina A. Franke, Postdoctoral Researcher at Ruhr University Bochum and associate of the Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum and the University of New England, Australia.

📅 22 April 2026
Stable Isotope Fingerprinting: Tracing Mobility, Diet, and Human–Material Interactions in the Ancient World
was delivered by Dr. Dafni Kyropoulou, Research Associate at the Stable Isotope Unit, Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, NCSR Demokritos.

📅 23 April 2026
Communities of Practice in Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Metallurgy Across Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean
was presented by Dr. Vana Orfanou, Archaeological Scientist at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
A sincere thank you to our invited speakers for sharing their expertise and insightful research, and to everyone who participated both onsite and online for contributing to the success of the seminar series.

The OneArchSci project is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme (Grant Agreement No. 101186503).
🔗 Learn more about the project: https://1archsci.cyi.ac.cy/

Introducing APAC Labs' new intern, Sonia!

Sonia is an MSc student from the University of Bologna, currently specialising in conservation and restoration. She has joined APAC Labs for a five-month internship, where she is analysing artworks using advanced techniques such as FTIR and MA-XRF.

With a background in the conservation and restoration of archaeological artefacts, Sonia's general interest is in studying objects through non-destructive, non-sampling methods. Her primary objective focuses on understanding how these methods are planned and executed, as well as how the resulting data must be processed.

We’re very happy to have her as part of the team and to support this collaboration between APAC Labs and the SCoRe MSc program at the University of Bologna.

We are pleased to invite you to the second lecture in the One Archaeological Science Seminar Series. Interdisciplinary Studies in Archaeological Science: Use of Isotopes.

Stable Isotope Fingerprinting: Tracing Mobility, Diet, and Human–Material Interactions in the Ancient World
by Dr Dafni Kyropoulou (Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, NCSR “Demokritos”)
22 April 2026 | 14:00–15:00
Hybrid event – join in person or online

More information available here: https://www.cyi.ac.cy/index.php/component/k2/seminar-stable-isotope-fingerprinting-tracing-mobility-diet-and-human%E2%80%93material-interactions-in-the-ancient-world

OneArchSci is funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No 101186503.