British Academy International Fellowship for Dr Viva Sacco

Viva Sacco will join the UCL Institute of Archaeology as a Research Fellow for 3 years to undertake her research on the Islamic Glaze Revolution: artisans and consumers in the medieval central Mediterranean. 

In the early Middle Ages, Sicily and Ifrīqiya underwent a technological pottery revolution: new glazed and lustre technologies, forms and decorations were introduced by local artisans and consumed by local inhabitants. 

Viva's project aims to compare for the first time systematically the consumption and production of glazed pottery of these two regions, through a chaîne opératoire approach and the use of high-resolution scientific analysis. The goal is to verify similarities and differences and, consequently, to identify artisans’ choices and the consumption habits of the population.

Viva will benefit from complementary research being undertaken at the Institute of Archaeology, led by her sponsor Corisande Fenwick, including her ERC starting grant EVERYDAYIslam, the ERC Synergy project MEDGREENREV and the AHRC-DFG project ISLAMAFR, which focus on related themes such as everyday life change after the Islamic conquests in North Africa. 

The Institute of Archaeology also hosts the Islamic Archaeology Research Network, co-ordinated by Corisande, which takes a multi-pronged historical, archaeological and scientific approach to the Islamic world.

The British Academy International Fellowships Programme provides support for outstanding early career researchers to make a first step towards developing an independent research career through gaining experience across international borders. 

Congratulations Viva!

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• British Academy award announcement