Download a PDF of our 2009 Annual Report - Ancient Egypt ...

The first two volumes of A Manual of Egyptian Pottery, in spiral and perfect-bound editions,
“pose” on the stack of boxes in which the manuals were delivered to the Boston AERA offices.
Left: Author Dr. Anna Wodzińska.
vessels; gaming pieces; tokens; inscribed, painted, or incised
objects; burial objects; faience, personal adornment, and fragile/fine
objects; and re-cut ceramic sherds later used as tools.
Each category requires a different type of storage and artifactspecific
ways to record the details of the objects.
Emmy Malak designed the artifact database with a view
to the ease of access. Emmy also worked closely with our new
geologist, Philip LaPorta, who identified the raw materials in
many of the artifact categories. The team drew and photographed
objects to keep up with basic recording.
Lithics
Marina Milić, from Serbia, analyzes our lithics. “Lithics” refers
to all chipped stone tools and/or flakes and other debris produced
during the manufacture of tools (usually made of chert).
In the 2009 season Marina largely focused on the final write-up
of the RAB report.
For Marina and all of the specialists, checking and correcting
the database was also a priority. The analytical team works
from the comprehensive RAB “synoptic” feature list, which
includes all the information about a deposit required to complete
statistics, graphs, charts, and a final interpretation. They
work closely with GIS team members who create distribution
maps of chipped tool types, for example, and who furnish other
information for the various spatial and temporal variables associated
with the RAB.
As it was only Marina’s second season at Giza, her research
also included reading as many relevant lithics articles as possible
from the wider region to get a better idea about the nature
of the Giza chipped stone within the Egyptian context and
beyond.
Ceramics
The ceramics team, headed by Dr. Anna Wodzińska, accomplished
many tasks this season, including the analysis of the
2009 pottery from the Khentkawes town and the main HeG
site. The team completed drawings and photographs of the pottery
from the two sites.
The KKT material makes a fascinating contrast to the HeG
site ceramics in terms of style (e.g., many miniature votive offerings)
and the later date of the KKT assemblage, which includes
pottery from the 4th, 5th, and 6th Dynasties, long after the Lost
City was abandoned.
Two volumes of Anna Wodzińska’s A Manual of Egyptian
Pottery were printed in time for the 20th Anniversary celebrations.
The remaining two volumes of the manual are now
complete and are currently being peer-reviewed prior to their
imminent publication. This invaluable resource describes and
illustrates ceramics from all periods of Egyptian history, from
the earliest Predynastic periods to traditional, modern Egyptian
pottery. Anna also completed her comprehensive report on the
ceramics from the RAB.
Archaeozoology
Dr. Richard Redding had three goals for his research on animal
bone in 2009:
1. Finish identifying all the bird bone from HeG and KKT to
date. He identified the species of more than 500 fragments,
most of which were ducks and geese. But the identifications
also included common sparrow and Egyptian vulture.
2. Finish analyzing animal bone from RAB. The final report
now awaits editing for publication.
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