DiWA – Dialogues between ancient Western Asia and us. Untold stories from Italian collections and archives

DiWA (“Dialogues between ancient Western Asia and us. Untold stories from Italian collections and archives”) is a PRIN project launched in 2023 by the National Research Council – Institute of Cultural Heritage Sciences (CNR – ISPC) in collaboration with the Universities of Milan, Turin and Florence. The objectives of the project are to study, enhance and communicate the collections of Western Asian archaeological finds and related archives of two major museums in Italy: the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Florence (MAF) and the Museo di Antichità – Musei Reali in Turin (MAT). 

The research team is characterized by its interdisciplinary nature, including archaeologists, philologists and restorers, as well as museum communication experts, digital professionals and artists. 

The scientific coordination of the project is entrusted to Dr. Silvia Alaura of CNR – ISPC and Prof. Elena De Vecchi of the University of Turin, joined by Prof. Luca Peyronel of the University of Milan and Prof. Amalia Catagnoti of the University of Florence. 

Mesopotamic Hall of the Musei Reali of Turin.

The numerous activities of the DiWA project can be exposed in three lines of action. A first phase concerns the study the history of the object (from its production to museum acquisition), through scientific analysis concerning the materiality of the find and archival surveys. A second phase deals with the communication on the artifact and its history, aimed at different types of audiences (general public, school audiences, migrant communities living in Turin and Florence) and in different ways. A third final phase of monitoring and evaluation of communication activities, in order to identify effective strategies and replicable models for future similar projects.

Egyptian Hall of the National Archaeological Museum of Florence.