Over the past century, working under the auspices of the British International Research Institutes (BIRI), leading UK researchers have generated diverse heritage science collections covering archaeological materials and reference collections of botanical and geological samples. These collections are contextualized by rich documentary archives. Together, these collections and archives are of international significance for addressing big-picture questions concerning the human past in the Mediterranean. These fundamental collections, however, remain inaccessible to most researchers.

Our collaborative project, funded by the UKRI RICHeS Programme, will build infrastructure to transform the potential of these unparalleled heritage science resources for international researchers and the public. We will create a standards-based heritage science infrastructure (spatially enabled, linked open data services, research and public education websites) to ensure collections are freely accessible to academic researchers and the public.