Cultural Artifacts Research Articles

The Rajah Tradition: Cultural Identity and Spiritual Practices within an Islamic Context

This study aims to explore the rajah tradition in Kebon Panjang Village, examining its role as both a cultural artefact and a spiritual medium, and understanding how it reflects the intersection between local customs and Islamic values. A qualitative approach with a phenomenological framework was employed, allowing an in-depth exploration of the rajah tradition through interviews, participant observation, and literature review. Data were gathered from both primary sources, such as community leaders and practitioners, and secondary sources, including academic articles and books on amulets and traditional practices. The findings reveal that rajah serves multiple purposes, including protection, blessing, healing, and authority enhancement. It acts as a cultural bridge between traditional beliefs and Islamic spirituality, illustrating how local customs adapt to fit modern religious frameworks. The study also identifies the dual perception of rajah within the community—some view it as a form of Islamic devotion, while others approach it with caution, concerned about potential contradictions with orthodox Islamic teachings. This study provides insights into the sociocultural dynamics of spiritual practices, highlighting the community’s pragmatic approach to religious and cultural identity. The findings suggest that rajah contributes to social cohesion, emotional support, and cultural preservation, offering a model for similar cultural practices in other regions to adapt in the face of religious and modern influences. This research contributes to the literature on amulets and spiritual artefacts by examining rajah within the unique socio-religious context of an Indonesian village, offering a nuanced understanding of how traditional practices coexist and evolve alongside mainstream religious beliefs. The study underscores the significance of rajah as both a symbol of cultural resilience and a tool for spiritual assurance.

The Faculty of Sociology in the Russian sociological education system: 35 years of leadership.

This article reflects the achievements of the Sociology Faculty of Moscow State University, which has been a recognized leader in the Russian sociological education system for over 35 years and trains professional sociologists who are in great demand in the modern labor market. Over the past 5 years, 1,287 Russian students (816 bachelors and 471 masters), as well as 368 foreign students, whose influx is constantly growing, have received a start in professional life. The author notes that the feature of learning is a harmonious combination of fundamental and applied knowledge, theoretical and empirical skills, which is typical for classical university education. In its educational and scientific activities, the Faculty of Sociology of Moscow State University relies on a combination of fundamental scientific knowledge and empirical skills that allow students to be not only practitioners capable of processing and analyzing data, but also theorists who understand deep social processes. The education system of the Faculty of Sociology is constantly being modernized to meet the challenges and requirements of modernity. In this regard, special attention is paid at the Faculty of Sociology to the introduction of new educational technologies, including the network form of educational programs, project-based learning, distance learning technologies, and e-learning. The article presents in a systematic form the achievements of the departments of the Faculty of Sociology, as well as the results of the scientific activities of the entire faculty, which are reflected in numerous monographic publications, publications of articles, as well as in reports at international and all-Russian conferences. Many monographs published by faculty members have become bestsellers. Among them: a monograph by N.G. Osipova and S.O. Elishev “Revolutions and coups d’etat: theory, history and practice”, a monograph by N.G. Osipova and S.O. Elishev “Historical Russia: territories and prospects”, monographs by S.O. Elisheva “Sociology of Religion in Imperial Russia” and “Imperial Statehood — the fate and mission of Russia”, a collective monograph by the staff of the Department of Modern Sociology “Social inequality in the modern world: new forms and features of their manifestation in Russia”, collective monographs of the Department of Economic Sociology and Management “The older generation in post-industrial realities” and “Artifacts of organizational culture”. The Faculty of Sociology of Lomonosov Moscow State University takes an active part in the joint development of the Innovative Scientific and Technological Center of Moscow State University “Vorobyovy Gory”, contributed to the launch of negotiations between the INTC of Moscow State University and major representatives of the real sector of the economy. He pays great attention to the preservation of the cultural and historical heritage of Russia, the popularization of traditional values for the Russian mentality. A landmark platform for the implementation of this direction was the Vvedensky Stavropol Monastery “Optina Pustyn”, in the spiritual and educational center of which professors of the faculty N.G. Osipova and S.O. Elishev gave public lectures. The author highlights in detail the directions of international cooperation of the Faculty of Sociology and activities that help attract applicants.

National History, Resistance, and Cultural Enclosure in Iceland’s Bell

Iceland offers a combination of spectacular natural beauty and Viking history that has made it a popular destination for tourists. The island, which has a population of under 350,000, was visited by almost 700,000 tourists in 2021, according to the Icelandic Tourist Board, and tourism accounts for nearly 50 per cent of the country’s total export revenue (OECD). The island’s Viking heritage, recorded in the medieval sagas and eddas, is central to Icelandic cultural and national identity and has played an important role in attracting tourists. However, the history of the saga manuscripts as material cultural artefacts is also tied to Iceland’s history as a Danish colony. They were originally collected and stored in Copenhagen in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and only partly returned to Iceland in 1971, almost two decades after Iceland gained independence from Denmark. The history of the saga texts is the subject of Halldór Laxness’s novel Iceland’s Bell, published in three volumes from 1943 to 1946 at the height of the Icelandic independence movement. Through a discussion of the novel, this essay will show that the Icelandic sagas, both as tangible and intangible cultural artefacts, are central to Laxness’s articulation of a cultural nationalism that is resistant to Danish colonial domination. It will suggest that not only is Iceland’s Bell a novel concerned with the material history of the sagas, but that this history is intricately linked with the island’s seven centuries of colonial domination by the Kingdom of Denmark. It is thus a consciously anti-colonial novel that portrays the violence, in both cultural and material terms, of Danish rule in Iceland and aligns cultural enclosure with colonial domination.

Conceptualising a data analytics framework to support targeted teacher professional development

ABSTRACT This paper proposes a conceptual framework enabling the development and adoption of descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and recommendatory data analytics in teacher professional learning by harnessing some of the affordances of digital technologies to convert data into actionable insights. The paper argues for a technology-enhanced approach that uses data to support teachers in selecting appropriate professional development (PD) options to improve their professional practice. The ultimate goal is to lay the foundations for a robust and adaptable data analytics framework that could offer tailored PD recommendations based on the developmental trajectories of individual teachers. The paper analyses data-supported personalised professional learning as meaning-making and the appropriation of cultural artefacts within the ‘mobile complex’ - consisting of structures, agency, and the dynamic interplay between cultural and technological tools and practices. This study undertakes a comprehensive literature review to identify key concepts, gaps, and theoretical insights, informing the development of a data analytics framework. The resultant framework integrates personalisation, teacher agency and autonomy, contextual relevance, and ethical safeguards into PD process, aiming to foster a responsive, collaborative, and context-aware data-supported PD.

Segmentation and visualization of the Shampula dragonfly eye glass bead CT images using a deep learning method

Micro-computed tomography (CT) of ancient Chinese glass dragonfly eye beads has enabled detailed exploration of their internal structures, contributing to our understanding of their manufacture. Segmentation of these CT images is essential but challenging due to variation in grayscale values and the presence of bubbles. This study introduces a U-Net-based model called EBV-SegNet, which enables efficient and accurate segmentation and visualization of these beads. We developed, trained, and tested the model using a dataset comprising four typical Shampula dragonfly eye beads, and the results demonstrated high-precision segmentation and precise delineation of the beads’ complex structures. These segmented data were further analyzed using the Visualization Toolkit for advanced volume rendering and reconstruction. Our application of EBV-SegNet to Shampula beads suggests the likelihood of two distinct manufacturing techniques, underscoring the potential of the model for enhancing the analysis of cultural artifacts using three-dimensional visualization and deep learning.

Entre el hospital y la escuela: percepciones de niños, niñas, cuidadoras y docentes sobre la fase piloto de un aula hospitalaria en Colombia

The document is the product of a systematization of experiences that recovered the voices of the participants using interviews, focus groups and image associations. It was found that emergency remote education, used as a pilot of the program and employed due to the covid 19 pandemic, was a cultural artifact that facilitated the socialization of children with their peers and enabled the construction of meaningful learning anchored to their cognitive, affective, and social development. In addition, the hospital classroom was perceived as a source of emotional and social support for the children and their caregivers. Finally, the participating actors perceived that state entities should improve their responses to the educational demand of the hospitalized child population.

Quantifying pigment features of Thangka Five Buddhas using hyperspectral imaging

Thangka, a masterpiece of Tibetan painting, is renowned for its adept use of natural mineral pigments such as gold, turquoise, and cinnabar, which imbue it with profound artistic and historical significance. Presently, chemical analysis methods relying on microscopic perspectives are prevalent in researching the pigment components of cultural artifacts. However, these methods suffer from quantization gaps and carry the risk of damaging the relics. Hence, in this study, we focus on Thangka Five Buddha as our experimental sample and propose a novel approach utilizing Linear Spectral Mixed Analysis (LSMA) based on Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) technology to perform quantitative analysis of pigment components at a sub-pixel level. The results indicate the following. 1) A database of spectral curves for 25 representative Thangka pigments was established, covering 196 bands from 393 to 800 nm VIR-NIR range. 2) The LSMA model successfully separated the 13 pigment components of the Thangka at the sub-pixel level, achieving a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 0.0186, which indicates high classification accuracy. 3) The quantitative analysis reveals that 33.07 % of the area is painted using a single pigment, while 56.01 % is painted using a combination of two pigments. Verdigris (18.56 %), malachite (17.52 %), and cinnabar (10.91 %) are the pigment types with the highest proportions among them. Out of the 521 pigment combinations, verdigris and turquoise (4.55 %), malachite and calcite (4.02 %), minium and cinnabar (2.87 %), and turquoise and malachite (2.82 %) are more commonly used. 4) The application of quantitative analysis methods demonstrates significant potential in painting techniques, authentication processes, and establishing historical dating, among other areas of study.

Dealing with dichotomies in health care: Case reports

ABSTRACT Dichotomies with respect to medical orientations and public health have been common in the past and even in the present probably orchestrated by the traditional versus modern medical concepts that became eternal arena for disquiet in the healing world of many countries. In public health, the so-called technology tradition was especially dominant which assumed the power of technology and the paternalistic ‘managerial mode’ regarding disease control programs. Such a ‘managerial perversion’ has demolished the positivity of primary health care as well as the social determinants framework. It is important to consider cultural background, the belief systems and perceptions of the people in shaping the health behaviour of the people. We are presenting here two case reports on distinct scenarios in order to show the conceptual problems with respect to the notion of dichotomies and the linkages with health. These are based on our empirical explorations using qualitative methodologies. The first case is on non-communicable diseases in a tribal society in Kerala and the second one on utilization of Traditional Complementary and Alternative Medicine (TCAM) among palliative cancer patients from a district in Kerala. It is seen that as new problems emerge or when people struggle with diseases as presented in the two case reports, they tend to depend on the positivity of the deeply entrenched cultural artefacts in combination with modern systems and they tend to bridge the dichotomies rationally instead of viewing them retrograde. It is necessary to examine the reasons for engaging in such syncretic health behaviour which could be popular realizations on the positive and negative features of both health orientations. This approach of the people could be used effectively for managing such health problems in the community.

“It feels like a parallel universe.” Worldbuilding through climate action

ABSTRACT This study set out to explore the everyday experiences of people engaged in climate action. We focus not on one specific self-defined and bounded social movement, but on individuals engaging in different forms of climate action from protest and direct action to art and social media activism. Data were drawn from focus groups and interviews with 26 UK-based climate actors to explore motivations, experiences, emotions, conflicts and successes. Participants included scientists, artists, civil servants, community organisers, media, school students and teachers. Different ways of doing and experiencing climate action were found. Drawing on literature from science fiction and game studies, we argue that these different approaches to climate action can be conceptualised as worldbuilding. Climate action as worldbuilding consists of three key features: intentionality, separation and creating new norms. We conclude that worldbuilding is an inclusive conceptualisation as it makes space for different approaches to climate action, and allows for tensions within and between climate action movements to be viewed as a resource for learning, imagining and bringing into being preferred futures together. The study demonstrates how social movement research in the context of game design can contribute to the theorisation of activism through the production of a cultural artefact.

호서지역 비파형동검문화의 전개와 교류

The bronze artifacts of Mandolin-shaped Bronze Daggers Culture in Hoseo(湖西) region show a continuous distribution area from the Geumgang to the Mangyeonggang. One or two bronze artifacts are usually excavated from the dwelling site and tombs. This difference in excavated feature is reflected the style or space-time. For example, the stone coffin tomb with ditch or simple pit tombs are natives in the early period, and the wooden coffin tombs with stone-filled are known as foreigns in the late period. There are many weapons such as bronze daggers and bronze spearheads in bronze artifacts. The bronze daggers have various style or type that connect Liaodong, Liaoshi, and Northwest region. The bronze spearheads is identified as a universal short type and a be naturalized long type. In addition, the bronze axes of the northeastern style and the bronze mirror of the northwest style are confirmed. The Mandolin-shaped Bronze Daggers Culture in the Hoseo region underwent four phase of change. During the 1st phase, only narrow bronze daggers are identified alone, and an interaction (distribution) relationship that connects to ‘Liaodong-Northwest-Southwest’ is identified. In the 2nd and 3rd phase, it is replaced by a wide bronze daggers, and bronze spearheads and bronze axes are added. The interaction relationship between ‘Northwest-Northeast’ increases, and bronze weapons is also used as a ritual. During the 4th phase, transitional models such as the straight-edged bronze daggers and dagger pommel fitting, bronze mirror, and half-moon-shaped jade appear. This shows that the interaction relationship between ‘Liaodong-Northwest-(Central)-Southwest-’ was further strengthened during the settlement of the Jeongjiawazhi assemblage.

Transforming library systems in Africa: advancing literacy and cultural preservation through digital innovation

Transforming library systems in Africa is essential for advancing literacy and preserving cultural heritage in an increasingly digital world. The integration of digital innovation into African libraries has the potential to revolutionize access to information, promote lifelong learning, and safeguard indigenous knowledge. This review explores the role of modern technologies, such as digital archiving, e-libraries, and mobile platforms, in enhancing literacy rates and preserving Africa's rich cultural traditions. By transitioning from traditional, print-based models to digital systems, libraries can bridge the educational gap in underserved communities, offering wider access to educational resources and promoting literacy at all levels. Additionally, digitization facilitates the preservation of local languages, oral histories, and cultural artifacts, ensuring that future generations can engage with Africa's diverse heritage. The challenges of digital transformation in African library systems, including limited infrastructure, funding, and digital literacy, are also discussed. The review emphasizes the need for strategic investments in technology, capacity building, and policy frameworks to create a sustainable digital ecosystem. By harnessing digital innovation, African libraries can evolve into dynamic centers of learning and cultural preservation, contributing to both socio-economic development and the protection of African identities. This transformation is critical to fostering a more educated, culturally aware, and globally connected African society.

Exploring contemporary visualization of traditional Chinese arts: Relationship between calligraphy elements and visual communication effects

This study aims to explore the relationships between calligraphy elements, visual communication effects and cultural significance in the context of contemporary visualization of traditional Chinese arts. Thematic analysis was conducted on interview responses to uncover insights into the complex dynamics at play. In-depth interviews with professionals and scholars provided firsthand perspectives on integrating calligraphy elements in visual communication, the effects of visual communication on audience perceptions and the role of cultural heritage in design practice. Comparative analysis with existing literature further enriched the understanding of the variables’ relationships and their implications for theory and practice. The findings reveal intricate relationships between calligraphy elements, visual communication effects, and cultural significance. Calligraphy elements enhance visual communication by imbuing design materials with cultural depth, authenticity and emotional resonance. Visual communication influences audience perceptions of cultural significance, shaping their attitudes and behaviors towards cultural artifacts and representations. Furthermore, cultural heritage informs design practice by providing a rich source of inspiration and meaning, guiding the creation of culturally resonant and effective communication materials. This research contributes to theoretical advancements in visual communication, cultural studies and design theory by uncovering insights into the relationships between calligraphy elements, visual communication effects, and cultural significance. The practical implications for professionals in design, marketing and cultural heritage preservation include providing practical guidance for creating culturally resonant communication materials and informing policies and initiatives that support the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage.

Experimental narratives: A comparison of human crowdsourced storytelling and AI storytelling

The paper proposes a framework that combines behavioral and computational experiments employing fictional prompts as a novel tool for investigating cultural artifacts and social biases in storytelling both by humans and generative AI. The study analyzes 250 stories authored by crowdworkers in June 2019 and 80 stories generated by GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 in March 2023 by merging methods from narratology and inferential statistics. Both crowdworkers and large language models responded to identical prompts about creating and falling in love with an artificial human. The proposed experimental paradigm allows a direct and controlled comparison between human and LLM-generated storytelling. Responses to the Pygmalionesque prompts confirm the pervasive presence of the Pygmalion myth in the collective imaginary of both humans and large language models. All solicited narratives present a scientific or technological pursuit. The analysis reveals that narratives from GPT-3.5 and particularly GPT-4 are more progressive in terms of gender roles and sexuality than those written by humans. While AI narratives with default settings and no additional prompting can occasionally provide innovative plot twists, they offer less imaginative scenarios and rhetoric than human-authored texts. The proposed framework argues that fiction can be used as a window into human and AI-based collective imaginary and social dimensions.

Enacting Fairly or Fearfully? Unpacking the Enactment of Critical Thinking Policies in Chinese Senior High Schools

This study explores the enactment of critical thinking policies in Chinese senior high schools through the lens of Ball et al.’s policy enactment theory and within the broader context of Chinese education reform aimed at enhancing students’ thinking abilities. Employing a case study methodology with diverse data types, the research assessed current school-level practices and the effectiveness of Ball et al.’s framework in capturing interactions among objective contexts, policy actors, and cultural artefacts. Findings indicate that the framework captures these complexities when the policy is actively enacted. In one school, a systematic enactment mechanism facilitated diverse policy roles and external connections, thereby promoting schoolwide critical thinking development; however, another school exhibited fragmented practices due to the lack of key policy roles, despite students’ interest in deeper engagement. Challenges were also identified, including deficiencies in the mid-level education bureau and conflicts between a collective-oriented educational paradigm and the promotion of independent thinking. The study unravelled the nuances of the enactment of critical thinking policies in Chinese senior high schools. Future research could test the framework’s applicability for guiding the construction of policy mechanisms across different settings.

Enhancing understanding of broad-based pedagogical leadership in Finnish early childhood education through cultural artifacts

This ethnographic case study examines the artifacts of the leadership culture of one Finnish early childhood education (ECE) center and how they appear from the perspective of broad-based pedagogical leadership. Qualitative content analysis with a directed approach was guided by Pasquale Gagliardi’s and Mary Hatch’s definitions of artifacts. In addition, artifacts were analyzed through broad-based pedagogical leadership. Based on the analysis, thirteen activities, six verbal expressions, and thirteen objects of leadership culture were found in the data. Most of the artifacts were indirect pedagogical leadership, and some had several purposes due to staff interpretations. The interpretations varied both between the leaders and the staff but also within the staff. The findings indicate that symbolic leadership is present in many leadership situations and that a lack of knowledge about the symbolic and cultural dimensions of leadership can undermine leaders’ good intentions. The results of the study can be utilized in practical work in leading organizational cultures and in structuring pedagogical leadership in ECE. Additionally, the research has theoretical implications by enriching leadership research in ECE and enhancing the concept of broad-based pedagogical leadership, which can be used in leadership training programs in the field of education.

Revitalizing Interest in Traditional Malaysian Games Among the Younger Generation Through Mobile Applications: An Interface Design Approach

The rich heritage of traditional Malaysian games is at risk of fading in the face of modern digital entertainment, particularly among younger generations. This study explores how mobile applications can serve as a platform to revitalize interest in these games by employing an innovative interface design approach. Focusing on user-centred design principles, this paper highlights the importance of visual appeal, ease of use, and engagement in encouraging younger users to interact with this cultural artefact. By combining tradition with technology, the research demonstrates how thoughtfully designed mobile applications can preserve cultural heritage while resonating with the digital-native generation. The findings present a framework for integrating cultural education into modern gaming experiences, contributing to preserving Malaysia's unique cultural identity.

Reality TV, Nigerian Idol, and cultural preferences for Afrobeats music

ABSTRACT Reality TV, particularly Music Reality Shows (MRSs) like Nigerian Idol, has emerged as a significant dimension of television programming, providing a platform for cultural representation and interactivity. Afrobeats, a music genre that originated in West Africa, has gained global acceptance and recognition in recent years with great influence on the global cultural landscape. This study examined the cultural preferences of viewers towards the use of Afrobeats music in the Nigerian Idol reality TV show. Cultivation theory was adopted as the theoretical framework to investigate the level of viewership of Nigerian Idol among residents of Lagos, Nigeria, and explore their cultural preferences for Afrobeats music. Through a mixed methods approach involving a quantitative survey and focus group discussions (FGD), the study gathered data from residents of Lagos, Nigeria. The results reveal a reduction in viewership of Nigerian Idol compared to previous seasons, indicating shifting audience interests. However, there is a significant cultural preference for Afrobeats music compared to other genres of music, particularly those of foreign origin, among viewers who have encountered the Nigerian Idol. This also confirms the growing influence and acceptance of the fast-rising Afrobeats genre. The findings underscore the role of media, particularly television programmes such as Reality TV Shows, in shaping cultural identity and preferences. The correlation analysis confirms a strong relationship between viewership levels and cultural preferences for Afrobeats music in Nigerian Idol, highlighting the impact of television programming on audience perceptions and tastes for cultural artifacts like music. The study contributes to understanding cultural dynamics in the context of Reality TV Shows, music, and cultural entertainment, emphasizing the need for producers to adapt to evolving audience preferences and embrace digital innovations to sustain viewer interest.

An algorithm based on multi-branch feature cross fusion for archaeological illustration of murals

Archaeological illustration is a graphic recording technique that delineates the shape, structure, and ornamentation of cultural artifacts using lines, serving as vital material in archaeological work and scholarly research. Aiming at the problems of low line accuracy in the results of current mainstream image generation algorithms and interference caused by severe mural damage, this paper proposes a mural archaeological illustration generation algorithm based on multi-branch feature cross fusion (U2FGAN). The algorithm optimizes skip connections in U2Net through a channel attention mechanism, constructing a multi-branch generator consisting of a line extractor and an edge detector, which separately identify line features and edge information in artifact images before fusing them to generate accurate, high-resolution illustrations. Additionally, a multi-scale conditional discriminator is incorporated to guide the generator in outputting high-quality illustrations with clear details and intact structures. Experiments conducted on the Dunhuang mural illustration datasets demonstrate that compared to mainstream counterparts, U2FGAN reduced the Mean Absolute Error (MAE) by 10.8% to 26.2%, while also showing substantial improvements in Precision (by 9.8% to 32.3%), Fβ-Score (by 5.1% to 32%), and PSNR (by 0.4 to 2.2 dB). The experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms other mainstream algorithms in archaeological illustration generation.

Dystopian Visions and the Making of Privacy Law

This article explores the role of references to dystopian literature in the context of developing privacy laws. Drawing on a qualitative analysis of a large corpus of legislative and judicial texts from Germany and the United Kingdom, I demonstrate that references to popular dystopian works of fiction like Orwell’s 1984 have animated and shaped the legal recognition of privacy. Specifically, dystopian visions are evoked as reasons that warrant the legal protection of privacy rights. I explore lawmakers’ vision of a technologically empowered totalitarian state and discuss how these connect to historical, contemporary, and hypothetical examples of unjust regimes. I argue that literary imaginations of dystopia are often themselves built on historical experience, suggesting that the aptness for social critique is, as literary critics suggest, built into dystopia as a genre. I furthermore explore how the theme of democracy is employed as a counterpoint to fears of dystopian totalitarianism. Portraying privacy invasions as harmful to democratic ideals discursively amplifies their dangerousness—and thereby works to justify regulatory intervention. My research findings prompt us to view legal norms as a cultural artifact that reflect cultural imagination and literary narratives.

Spectral Unmixing of Pigments on Surface of Painted Artefacts Considering Spectral Variability

Abstract. Painted artefacts, such as murals and paintings, are the treasures of human civilization. Pigment is an important component of their surfaces. It is crucial to study the composition and proportion of pigments on the surface of painted artefacts for the field of heritage conservation. In this study, hyperspectral remote sensing was used to invert the abundance of mixed pigments by spectral unmixing. Spectral variability effects are often present in hyperspectral images. Hyperspectral images of cultural artefacts also suffer from spectral variability due to factors such as particle size and impurities within the pigment, and acquisition conditions. Therefore, spectral variability was incorporated into the Linear Mixed Model of the pigment spectral unmixing. The unmixing methods are classified into two categories based on whether or not spectral libraries are used. In the experiment, computer synthesized data and laboratory-made sample blocks of mixed pigments, which mixed with different ratios of Azurite and Malachite, were selected as validation data. Five commonly used algorithms for solving the spectral variability problem, namely MESMA, Fractional Sparse SU, ELMM, RUSAL, and BCM, are used for pigment unmixing and compared with FCLS, which does not consider spectral variability. The results show that ELMM has the highest unmixing accuracy of aRMSE and xRMSE compared to other methods. At the same time, it can be seen from the metric of SAM that ELMM is able to extract reliable endmember variability spectral, which is more suitable for solving the problem of spectral variability in pigment unmixing. Finally, we apply ELMM to real artefacts Yungang Grottoes mural paintings, and obtain a lower xRMSE than FCLS, which improves the unmixing accuracy.