Miss Sarah K. Doherty
Academic History
Currently undertaking a PhD in Archaeology at the University of Cardiff, begun in October 2009
MA Egyptian Archaeology at University College London (graduating Sept 2010)
- MA dissertation-The impact of the potter’s wheel in Egypt as an impetus for social and economical change
BA Egyptian (2.1 hons) Archaeology at University College London 2008
- BA dissertation- An analysis of the methodology of Environmental sampling, processing, and presentation of selected sites in Egypt and Syria
PHD Research
Despite many years work on the technology of pottery production it is perhaps surprising that the origins of the potter’s wheel in Egypt have yet to be determined. This present project seeks to rectify this situation by determining when the potter’s wheel was introduced into Egypt, establishing in what contexts wheelmade pottery occurs, and considering the reasons why the Egyptians introduced the wheel when a well-established handmade pottery industry already existed.
Through a thorough analysis of all available sources, such as: manufacturing marks on pottery, provenanced potter’s wheels and depictions of potters in art this thesis will present the origins and use of the potter’s wheel.
The potter’s wheel is arguably the most significant machine introduced into Egypt during the Old Kingdom, second only perhaps to the lever. The impact of this innovation would not just have affected the Egyptian potters themselves learning a new skill but also signalled the beginnings of a more complex and technologically advanced nation.
Working title: The Origins and Use of the Potter’s Wheel in Ancient Egypt
Start date: 2009
First Supervisor: Dr Paul Nicholson
Second supervisor: Dr. Alan Lane (previously Prof. Ian Freestone years 1-2)
Publications
Scrapes, Strings and Striations, replicating ancient Egyptian Wheel thrown pottery.
Old Kingdom Pottery, chapter 2 workshop, Warsaw, Poland, 6th July 2011 (Edited by Teodozja Rzeuska and Anna Wodzińska 2012).
Arts and Crafts: Artistic Representations as a Guide to Craft Technique
Sarah Doherty and Paul T. Nicholson. (Pending)
Conference Papers
"What's with the band?" Understanding the manufacture of Classic Kerma Ware pottery. Nubia before the New Kingdom, University of Leicester 6-7th September 2012
Workshop: SHARE with Schools. Widening Access, Engaging Communities and Delivering Employability Skills to Undergraduates
Joint workshop with Dr. Dave Wyatt, Dr. Tom Hunt and Catherine Horler, Higher Education Academy, 14th Teaching History in Higher Education Conference 11th-12th September 2012
The Mother of Invention, the Spread of Ideas and Exchange Theory: what can we Learn from Past Societies Exchanges of Inventions?
Exchange Conference, Cardiff University, 28-9th June 2012
Scrapes, Strings and Striations, replicating ancient Egyptian wheel thrown pottery. Public lecture as part of Discovering the Past and Present Series, Life Long Learning 13th June 2012
Unnecessary Innovation: why was the potter’s wheel invented in the Near East?
BANEA conference 2012: New directions in the Ancient Near East, 8-10th June 2012
Ethnoarchaeology in the Fayoum- surviving craft traditions and what they teach us. Paper given at Gurob Harem Palace Project Conference, UCL, 5th November 2011.
Scrapes, Strings and Striations, replicating ancient Egyptian wheel thrown pottery. Paper given at Old Kingdom Pottery, chapter 2 workshop, Warsaw, Poland, 6th July 2011.
Those crafty potters! Deconstructing ancient pottery techniques. Paper given at Artistry, Artisanship and Divisions of Labour in the Ancient Near East conference (CHAIR), British Association for Near Eastern Archaeology Conference, 7th January 2011
Who did they think they were? Ethnic Identity in Egypt and the Levant in the Late Bronze Age. Paper given at Reconstructing Multiculturalism Conference at Cardiff University, 25th June 2010
Egyptian Letters to the dead-combining texts and archaeology Paper given at the Institute of Archaeology Student Conference, UCL June 2009
Ethnicity in Egypt and the Levant in the Late Bronze Age Paper given at the Institute of Archaeology Student Conference June, UCL 2008
Where is theory in Egyptian Archaeology? Paper given at the Institute of Archaeology Student Conference June, UCL 2007
Conference Posters
Distinguishing handmade and wheel thrown pottery using X-Ray diffraction
Lesley D Frame, Sarah Doherty, Ian C Freestone.
ISA Conference, Leiden 31st May 2012
Teaching Experience
Taught undergraduate courses “Ancient Egypt, an introduction,” “Great Discoveries in Archaeology” and “Death and Burial in the Roman World” at Cardiff University.
Archaeological Supervisor for various projects teaching excavation, survey skills, drawing, planning and identification of finds, specialising in Ceramics
Additional Information
- Founding Coordinator for SHARE with Schools Outreach Project, Cardiff University, UK. Designed an interactive “toolkit” entitled The Romans in Wales and the Welsh Iron Age, based on the departments’ research on the Roman legionary fort at Caerleon, Newport and Caerau Camp, Cardiff.
http://sharewithschools.wordpress.com/romans-in-wales/romans-in-wales/ - I am an active member of the Friends of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, UCL http://www.petrie.ucl.ac.uk/index2.html
I regularly help organise and cater for various conferences, events, study days and workshops organised by the Petrie Museum.
I am a monitor for the Friend’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/London-United-Kingdom/Petrie-Museum-Unofficial-Page/52119490405?ref=ts
- I have helped to organise and cater for conferences for the Institute of Archaeology, the London Medieval Society and various student conferences.
- I was one a course co-ordinators for the Bloomsbury Summer School in July 2009 at the Institute of Archaeology with Dr. Lucia Gahlin, and plan to be in July 2010. http://www.egyptology-uk.com/bloomsbury/
- I am a student committee member of British Association of Near Eastern Archaeology (BANEA) and hope to set up a postgraduate forum promoting Near Eastern Archaeology on the website http://www.banea.org/
- I volunteer to help at the London branch of the Young Archaeologist Club http://www.britarch.ac.uk/yac/
Each summer, the volunteers teach schoolchildren the skills of excavation, survey and finds processing, in the grounds of their schools and in and around the locality of the museum of Hendon, north London. I am available to give talks to schoolchildren (or adults) in schools about Ancient Egyptian history or archaeology, which complements the KS2 and KS3 curricula.
Fieldwork Experience
- August 2012: Plas Brynkir Project, Snowdonia National Park, Wales. Excavation and Recording Standing Buildings Supervisor.
- Archaeologist for Gurob Harem Palace Project, Faiyoum, Egypt. Dr. Ian Shaw, University of Liverpool, UK. Responsible for excavation of various areas of the 18th dynasty palace site, survey, planning, and analysis of ceramics.
http://www.gurob.org.uk/ - August 2012: Plas Brynkir Project, Snowdonia National Park, Wales. Excavation and Recording Standing Buildings Supervisor.
- Archaeologist for Gurob Harem Palace Project, Faiyoum, Egypt. Dr. Ian Shaw, University of Liverpool, UK. Responsible for excavation of various areas of the 18th dynasty palace site, survey, planning, and analysis of ceramics.
http://www.gurob.org.uk/ - July 2009- Worked with other members of Young Archaeologist’s Club in various schools in Hendon, North London on excavations and outreach work.
- May-August 2008- Archaeology South East, University College London Field Archaeology Unit, Assistant Archaeologist.
- May- June 2007- Iron Age Field Systems, Little Combes Hill, West Dean Estate Sussex. Responsible for environmental sampling and Finds and Supervisor. Dr Bill Sillar, UCL.
- July-August 2006- Vale of Pickering Excavation, Star Carr, Yorkshire. Dr Nicky Milner, York and Dr. Tim Schadla-Hall, UCL.
- June 2006- West Dean Estate, Sussex. Excavation and survey course. Dr Bill Sillar, UCL.
- September 2005- West Dean Estate, Sussex. Experimental Archaeology Course.
- May 2006- Archive Archaeology Course, Museum of London.
- March-April 2006- Noviodunum Archaeological Project Survey, Romania. Dr Kris Lockyear, UCL
Memberships
A “Friend” of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian
Archaeology (PMF) since 2005, and was student committee member of the “Friends” 2007-2009
Member of The Egypt Exploration Society (EES) since 2005
British Association for Near Eastern Archaeology (elected as Student Committee member 2010)
Friends of the British Museum
Institute of Field Archaeology
Young Archaeologist Club (London)
Society of Archaeology Students, UCL (Specialist degree rep 2006- 2007, MA rep 2009)
Student member of the Institute for Archaeologists since 2005