Preludium grant for our researcher from the Institute of Archaeology
Dominika Tokarz combines her passion for sound and the past with practical knowledge of wind instruments. She has been awarded a research grant of PLN 187,019 in the Preludium competition by the National Science Centre (NCN). She is a doctoral student at the Doctoral School of the University of Wrocław, in the Doctoral College of Archaeology, Art, and Culture (discipline: archaeology). Her research is conducted at the Institute of Archaeology within the Faculty of Historical and Pedagogical Sciences, under the supervision of prof. Andrzej Wiśniewski.
− The title of my project is: Are they aerophones? Interdisciplinary research on bone tubes dated to the Neolithic and Bronze Age from Central Europe − says our PhD student. My research focuses on interpreting simple, tube-shaped artifacts found at archaeological sites associated with the Corded Ware and Mierzanowice cultures. I am investigating whether these discoveries could have served as musical instruments or sound-producing tools.
As part of her research, she plans to carry out both micro- and macroscopic analyses of the surfaces of these artifacts, which help assess how they were made and used. Through photogrammetry and micro-CT scanning, she will create 3D digital models of the ancient bone tubes. She will explore their sound-producing capabilities in two ways: through digital sound reconstructions and physical tests using printed replicas.
An important aspect of her research involves experimental archaeology- crafting aerophones using tools available in the Stone and Bronze Ages. Created replicas will undergo microscopic analysis of manufacturing traces (providing comparative material for traceological analysis of the original artifacts) as well as acoustic testing.
− Before beginning and completing undergraduate and master’s studies at the Institute of Archaeology at the UWr, I attended the General Music School I and II degree in Bytom, where I earned the professional title of instrumentalist-musician − she explains. In my research, I combine my interests in sound and the past with practical knowledge of playing wind instruments.
Preludium is a unique NCN competition designed to support researchers at a very early stage in their careers – even before earning a doctorate – by allowing them to gain experience in managing projects, which can last up to three years.
Congratulations and best of luck!
Find out who else from UWr received grants under Preludium and Opus [here].
Translated by Zuzanna Kazimierowicz (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
