REVERSEACTION Advisory Board Meeting 2023
From the 21st – 22nd September, REVERSEACTION had their 2023 Advisory Board Meeting at the Museo del Oro, Bogotá. The Team had the chance to present ongoing research to Advisory Board members, receiving stimulating feedback and questions, and subsequently explore the collections at the Museo del Oro. REVERSEACTION would like to say a huge thank you to all involved!
A brief round-up of the two days:
Day 1
In the afternoon, we heard about REVERSEACTION’s ongoing research into pre-Hispanic Colombian metallurgy, namely goldwork. The first presentation was given by Rosie Crawford, who further introduced Muisca votive and ornamental goldwork, following María Alicia Uribe Villegas’s earlier presentation. Rosie also shared preliminary findings of regional spatial analyses, and ongoing 3D and microscopic analyses of stone matrices employed to make beads. Next, Agnese Benzonelli presented research she is currently undertaking into metalwork, emeralds, and lithics from the two archaeological sites of Nueva Esperanza and Divino Niño, including preliminary results of spatial distribution and trace element analyses. Finally, Jasmine Vieri presented the results of compositional modelling on Muisca metalwork, discussing the materiality of imported gold and arguing for the symbolic importance of intra-regional movements of the raw material.
Following the talks, meeting attendees were given a guided tour of the Museo del Oro by Museum Director, María Alicia Uribe Villegas, and Head of Collections, Juanita Sáenz Samper. Juanita gave us a particularly interesting update of her work in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
Day 2
First up on the second day, Anne Kwaspen, shared the preliminary results of her ongoing work on Muisca and Guane textiles. Anne discussed potential methods of textile production and decoration, demonstrating the high level of labour investment necessary for the creation of such items. We then heard from Kate Klesner, who presented preliminary results of chemical and morphometric analyses of Nariño ceramics. Kate also introduced REVERSEACTION’s new Sketchfab site, where we will soon begin sharing 3D scans completed by the Project. Stay tuned for more information! The final talk of the day was given by curator and archaeologist at the Museo del Oro, Lina María Campos-Quintero. Lina shared her recent work on Zenú and Malibú metallurgy, where she is undertaking chemical and microstructural analyses of iron and gold-copper alloy objects from the lower-Magdalena and San Jacinto regions of northern Colombia.
After these wonderful talks, the Museo del Oro organised an object handling session for meeting participants, where we were able to see, first-hand, some of the artefacts discussed by our speakers. Finally, to close our 2023 Advisory Board Meeting, everyone came together for a group discussion about our ongoing research, progress of the project, and areas to focus on moving forward. We would like to thank all Advisory Board Members for joining us in Colombia, and for their invaluable feedback and contributions.
