Mastodawn

Robert Barry (Mason)Dec 2, 2022

Sherds ready for my students' practical test.

Robert Barry (Mason)Nov 29, 2022

Dragging out pottery to show students again. More pottery made in Syria, specifically Damascus. Interesting comparison between the pottery found at al-Fustat or Old Cairo in Egypt, and that found at Jerusalem. The alkali glazes do not like the Jerusalem soils!
#Archaeology #ArchaeologyOfStuff

Robert Barry (Mason)Nov 24, 2022

For those who enjoyed the mystery of my enigmatic mediaeval Syrian ceramic object yesterday, here are more pics, some including a scale!
#Archaeology #ArchaeologyOfStuff

Robert Barry (Mason)Nov 24, 2022

Study shows a Palaeolithic diet (the original one) was diverse and highly developed.
#Archaeology #ArchaeologyOfStuff #ArchaeologyOfFood
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2022-11-23/ty-article/neanderthals-used-same-cooking-techniques-as-humans-new-study-shows/00000184-9f85-d710-a7c6-dfc7a8550000

Neanderthals used same cooking techniques as humans, new study shows

Earliest charred vegetables reveal true secrets of Neanderthal cooking: they apparently resorted to the same means as modern humans to detoxify essential plants and render them edible

Haaretz

Robert Barry (Mason)Nov 24, 2022

This is actually a big deal. These ugly "beveled-rim" bowls are a big thing in Mesopotamian archaeology and these guys have shown they were used for stew. Doesn't prove what they were made *for* however.

#Archaeology #ArchaeologyOfStuff
https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_897243_en.html

Let them eat stew: University of Glasgow research sheds new light on foodways in the first cities

New research on the Beveled Rim Bowl (BRB), the first mass produced ceramic bowl, shows they contained a variety of foods, but especially meat-based stews or broths.

Robert Barry (Mason)Nov 23, 2022

Still looking for mediaeval pottery from Syria to show my students this week. I thought I'd get them to guess what this is.

#ArchaeologyOfStuff #Archaeology #IslamicArt

Robert Barry (Mason)Nov 22, 2022

This is a waster, a piece of pottery ruined in the firing. If we knew where it was found it would be evidence of pottery production at that site. But we don't. From early 12th century Syria.

#Archaeology #ArchaeologyOfStuff

Robert Barry (Mason)Nov 22, 2022

Pulled this beautiful bowl out of museum storage to show my university students. It used to be on display until I looked at it and saw it was made of two different bowls of the same shape. The original bowls made in Syria in the late 12th century.

#Archaeology #ArchaeologyOfStuff #IslamicArt