Hopkins In Egypt Today

Elaine Instructing Sarah

Elaine instructs people in identifying marls and silts. Here she hands Sarah a sherd as they confer.

Jeremy Recording Pottery Finds

Jeremy has completed his sorting and classification and now is recording it on our pottery form. After this step he will discard the non-diagnostic body sherds, and we will decide what should be drawn, if anything from the group.

Emily Counting Pottery Finds

Emily has made her division: from left to right marl diagnostics, marl non-diagnostics, silt non-diagnostics, and silt diagnostics. Her focused look reflects the counting process. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, whoops, 1, 2, 3, 4, ...

Violaine Explaining Pottery Drawing Process

Today Violaine begins to train people in drawing pottery. Elizabeth and Adam are her first students, and she patiently shows them and explains to them the process.

Elizabeth Examines Pottery Sherd   Elizabeth Measures Pottery Sherd
Holding Sherd to Carpenter's Tool   Elizbeth Drawing

Elizabeth and Adam are now getting to do the work themselves. First Elizabeth studies the sherd herself trying to see how it once was positioned in the pot. Then she places it next to a vertical to get its measurement. Then she presses the exterior of the sherd against the carpenter's tool that will shape single wires to the fragment. The outline will then remain in profile on the tool. Then Elizabeth traces this outline with her pencil, very carefully. The interior profile is also done, and further measurements are made with calipers. Now the drawing is nearly complete. (Unfortunately as we worked on other things, we heard Violaine calling out, "No, that's just all wrong!" So, I guess her patient teaching hit a challenging moment. Tomorrow is another day.)


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