CULTURE

Jewel control as Benaki Museum participates in European project

The Benaki Museum has officially unveiled its participation in an ambitious and significant joint European project promoting the history and preservation of jewelry-making in the Mediterranean region. During a one-day conference last week, the museum announced that it was taking part in JewelMed, a project financed by the European Union. JewelMed is one of the projects coordinated by EJTN (European Jewelry Technology Network) and EEIG (European Economic Interest Group) and its aim is to identify, analyze, preserve and disseminate the manufacturing techniques of gold and silver smithery from the seventh to the first century BC in the Mediterranean region. Once the information is gathered, it will be used in a variety of ways and purposes, including in educational activities, training for restoration activities or even in the restoration of archaeological objects. Besides the Benaki Museum, other JewelMed partners include the University of Ancona in Italy, of Bayanet in Egypt, the Hashemite University of Jordan, the Higher Technical Institute of Cyprus, the National Museum of Archaeology of Malta and the University of Ioannina. Last week’s conference went much further than simply introducing the JewelMed project to the Greek public. Part of the day was given over to a comparative analysis of manufacturing techniques in gold and silver smithery from the seventh to the first century BC in the Mediterranean area; a look at ancient jewelry from Jordan; a presentation of the information system for filing and analyzing ancient Mediterranean jewelry manufacturing techniques; a glance at reconstruction and reproduction in archaeology as well as a presentation of the JewelMed DataBase and of its multimedia application. At the same time, the conference’s host, the Benaki Museum, outlined its participation in the program, for instance through examining the manufacture and decoration of jewelry from its own collections. Dupain is also a diverse band, combining the influences of Samuel Karpienia’s love for flamenco and punk-ragga music (though he is of Polish extraction), Pierre Laurent Bertolino’s skills on the hurdy gurdy, Sam De Agostini’s aggressive drumming, and their mutual attraction to the dialect and culture of the southern French Languedoc region.

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