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| The visiting experts and Prof Rehren are seen in front of the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha |
The eight delegates from the UK, the US, Germany, China and Japan were welcomed by the University College London Qatar (UCL Qatar) and the Museum of Islamic Art for a two-day meeting.
The Museum of Islamic Art director Aisha al-Khater welcomed the delegates and arranged for a special guided tour through the unique collections on show.
“The museum tour illustrated the phenomenal breadth and diversity of a major culture expressing itself in many different forms across different periods and geographical areas,” UCL Qatar director Professor Thilo Rehren said.
Prior to the discovery of iron, many societies went through a period where bronze was the main material used to make tools, weapons and ornamental objects, he explained.
There were marked differences in the way in which the Bronze Age developed in each society. Whereas China was well-known for richly decorated and complex cast ritual vessels, in Europe bronze was used primarily for daggers, tools and other more practical implements.
A major question remains as to where bronze was first invented and widely used, and Gulf countries are known to be amongst the pioneers, with the oldest known copper objects from Iran dating back more than 7,000 years.
Prof Rehren, who is the lead organiser of the upcoming conference, will be working closely with colleagues from UCL in London and Peking University in Beijing, China, where these and other exciting issues related to Bronze Age archaeology will be discussed.
“Qatar is ideally situated for scholars interested in archaeology and related fields, forming the natural centre of a region richly endowed with cultural heritage, and with an ambitious museum landscape being developed to showcase the achievements of humankind to Qataris and visitors alike,” Prof Rehren observed.
Jointly sponsored by Qatar Foundation and the Museum of Islamic Art, UCL is the first British university to open a campus in Qatar, developing an innovative teaching and research programme focusing on Archaeology, Conservation and Museum Studies.
Founded in 1826, UCL is consistently ranked amongst the top institutions globally, and was ranked 4th in the world in the QS World University rankings (2010).
UCL has long offered world renowned expertise in archaeology, through its Institute of Archaeology and the Department for Museums and Collections.
Earlier this year UCL Qatar ran the first series of professional training courses for Qatar Museums Authority staff.
“UCL Qatar expects to enrol the first Masters students onto its degree programmes in August 2012 at its new facilities in the Georgetown University Building in Education City,” Prof Rehren added.