What Kind of Bowl Is This?

Susan Allen

Last year was my first at the West Settlement site of Malqata.  I focused on developing record forms for the registration of each group of sherds found and another form to record the diagnostic sherds (rims, bases, handles, etc.).  The purpose of both forms is to enable Janice to upload the pottery data collected into her database where it can be combined with other information from each square. 

Our pottery notebook, with some of the tools of the trade

Having completed the initial sorting and recording of the pottery bags from 2016 last year, this year we began with the analysis of the diagnostic sherds. This is what ceramicists often call “typing” –that is comparing each rim or base to an established reference type; in our case we are comparing them to the pottery illustrated in The Eighteenth Dynasty Pottery Corpus from Amarna by Pamela Rose. This pottery is very close in date and purpose to that found at Malqata.

Gluing sherds in preparation for drawing their profiles

Each diagnostic sherd is then recorded on our new form, which includes additional information such as size and surface treatment. Sometimes they require a bit of sticking together and then being left to dry in our makeshift sandbox. Complete or nearly complete examples are set aside for drawing and photography so that we will be able to illustrate from our own material the kinds of pottery found in the West Settlement.  

Aisha and I fill out ceramic forms