SLOW SUMER

06/29/2026

🪨 Grinding tools + ⛏️archaeology = 🌾grain processing🍞, right?

Well… not only!

Our new study on the grinding tools from Abu Tbeirah (southern Iraq, 2500–2000 BCE) shows that these objects had a much more complex life than expected: they were reused and repurposed over time, shifting from harder to greasier materials as their surfaces wore down.
Turns out the Sumerians were masters of circular economy! ♻️

De Angelis, A., & Romano, L. (2026). Reconstructing the daily activities of Sumerian communities: The use-wear analysis of grinding tools from Abu Tbeirah. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 74, 105916. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105916

📄 Read the paper, free access for a limited time:
👉 https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1nM4L,rVDBrC4u

02/14/2026

🔬 Investigating Ancient Craft Technologies through Digital Image Analysis

This research applies digital microscopy, image processing and machine learning to investigate the mesostructure of Sumerian bitumen-based composites from the site of Abu Tbeirah (southern Iraq).

The analytical approach allows the identification and quantification of internal features that are not visible to the naked eye, including:

• pore networks related to heating and re-melting processes
• vegetal fibres introduced to modify elasticity and workability
• mineral inclusions associated with mechanical performance, reuse and depositional context

These features function as technological markers, enabling the reconstruction of material recipes, production stages and functional uses, such as adhesives, waterproofing agents, coatings and recycled intermediate materials.

By focusing on internal structure rather than chemical composition alone, the study provides new insights into how materials were produced, transformed and reused in late third-millennium BCE Mesopotamia.

With Centro Ricerche Enrico Fermi Abu Tbeirah - Iraqi-Italian Mission in Sumer Istituto Italiano di Studi Orientali The University of Melbourne

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X26000428?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=9cdf71bd3c625ab0

11/02/2025

🔎Bitumen and Artificial Intelligence in 3rd Millennium BC Mesopotamia

In a new article published in the Journal of Composite Science, the Slow Sumer team applied machine learning (Support Vector Machine) to the spectroscopic analysis of bitumen artefacts from Abu Tbeirah (Iraq).

Through artificial intelligence, the study identified different “recipes” and uses of bitumen (from tool adhesives to ingots and drops ready for reuse) revealing a remarkable level of technical knowledge and material recycling in Sumerian society.

👉 This work shows how archaeology, materials science, and AI can come together to reconstruct daily practices and circular economies of the ancient world.

📖 Read the open access article:

https://www.mdpi.com/2504-477X/9/11/596



Centro Ricerche Enrico Fermi Istituto Italiano di Studi Orientali

In ancient civilisations, bitumen was widely used for its multifunctional applications in construction, sealing, and adhesion, evidencing early expertise in material engineering and resource optimisation. Here, Sumerian bitumen-based artefacts were studied through Fourier transform infrared spectros...

09/20/2025

✨ The full Slow Sumer Workshop – Repair, Reuse, Recycling and Mesopotamian Society is now online as a complete playlist!

Across three half-days, more than twenty speakers explored how ancient Mesopotamian societies repaired, reused, and recycled: from wool by-products and clay sherds to monumental architecture and funerary practices. Together, these papers reframe the past through the lens of today’s circular economy and sustainability debates. 🌍

Thanks to ARWA – The International Association for Archaeological Research in Western & Central Asia for hosting the videos and making them accessible worldwide.

📺 Watch the full playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY1etG1YRYNL724Qu9b3sGhh9R5bq1VHv

This playlist collects all sessions of the Slow Sumer Workshop (17–19 September 2025), hosted by Sapienza University of Rome and Museo Storico della Fisica e...

09/17/2025

🌍 Couldn’t join us for the first morning of the Slow Sumer Workshop – Repair, Reuse, Recycling and Mesopotamian Society?
Maybe you were in another time zone 🌏, or simply busy elsewhere ⏳ no problem!

Thanks to the support of ARWA – The International Association for Archaeological Research in Western & Central Asia, the full video is now online. This way, nobody has to miss out on the discussions about repair, reuse, and recycling in ancient Mesopotamia..

📺 Watch here: https://youtu.be/0nLlJ6fmNm4?si=IL5mzmfSr3VICLvc

A big thank you to ARWA for hosting the video, and to all speakers and participants for making this opening session such an inspiring start!

This video presents the first half-day of the Slow Sumer Workshop, an international conference hosted by Sapienza University of Rome and the Museo Storico de...

09/17/2025

Kicking off the Slow Sumer Workshop today 🌿 What an amazing first half-day, full of ideas and inspiring talks!

We’ll meet again tomorrow at 2:00 PM Rome time for the second session. Don’t miss our cozy coffee break on Topia ☕✨

09/16/2025

⏳ 1 day – 1 paper left! Tomorrow is the day! Register if you haven’t yet https://uniroma1.zoom.us/webinar/register/7817524922977/WN_5DLEGQVcQly17T9-MaxYtQ

09/15/2025

⏳ 2 days – 2 papers left! The countdown is nearly over. 👉https://uniroma1.zoom.us/webinar/register/7817524922977/WN_5DLEGQVcQly17T9-MaxYtQ

09/14/2025

⏳ 3 days – 3 papers left! Almost time—have you signed up? 👉https://uniroma1.zoom.us/webinar/register/7817524922977/WN_5DLEGQVcQly17T9-MaxYtQ

09/13/2025

4 days – 4 papers left! Don’t miss this conference on ancient circularity. 👉 https://uniroma1.zoom.us/webinar/register/7817524922977/WN_5DLEGQVcQly17T9-MaxYtQ