Organisation: National Museums Scotland
Principal investigator: Matthew Knight
Project overview
The National Museums Scotland comprises of several museums, each holding extensive collections. Within the National Museum of Scotland, the archaeological human skeletal remains collection is one of the most intensively researched within the Scottish History and Archaeology Collections.
This collection is frequently featured in high impact osteoarchaeological and biomolecular studies, contributing to collaborative and innovative national and international narratives about the human past in Scotland. However, as research interests in this collection increase, the current facilities are insufficient to meet user demand.
Project purpose
The project aims to address these challenges by:
- increasing the storage capacity of the National Museums Collections Centre in Scotland by 70%
- incorporating new research equipment
- providing enhanced, dedicated areas for research and analysis
This new infrastructure will house the archaeological human skeletal remain collection and accommodate additional collections currently held in temporary storage by Historic Environment Scotland at various locations. Upon completion, this will be known as Scotland’s Archaeological Human Remains Collection (SAHRC).
Project impacts
The project will significantly enhance access to the SAHRC, meeting the growing demand from both national and international researchers. By providing state-of-the-art research equipment for recording and sampling, the project will increase the capability to share the research data from the SAHRC, promoting the impact of the findings further.
The project will strengthen leadership within the Scottish heritage sector by setting new standards on the ethical care, curation and research of archaeological human skeletal remains. This project will result in collaboration with national, regional and local partners fostering a cohesive approach to a meaningful research strategy.
