Exhibition of Holy Land pottery – excavated by archaeology’s leading light

The importance of the Kenyon collection currently on view at the University of Melbourne in the exhibition ‘Jericho to Jerusalem: Bronze and Iron Age Pottery from the Excavations of Kathleen Kenyon’ lies in its association with Dame Kathleen Kenyon, regarded as the most influential female archaeologist of the 20th century.

Kathleen Kenyon occupies a distinguished place in the history of archaeology in general for her pioneering work in archaeological stratigraphy, refining what has come to be known as the Wheeler-Kenyon method, building on the earlier work of her mentor Sir Mortimer Wheeler in the 1930s.

The Wheeler-Kenyon method is central among the standard methods used by archaeologists the world over, who work in five by five metre squares within a larger grid, leaving a one square metre section of soil in place, and who then remove topsoil in horizontal layers, known as strata, thus leaving a vertical section in place.

This vertical section resembles a layer cake, with the strata distinguished by changes in the consistency, colour and other characteristics of the soil sediments. In the vertical section, the higher layers represent later time periods in history and the lower layers or strata indicate the earlier time periods. This method makes it possible for archaeologists to assign the style of a particular object in a layer to a particular period in time. It can then be compared with or contrasted to other similar objects found on site or at neighbouring sites, and establish the chronological or historical sequence of a site, and often a region.

The Wheeler-Kenyon method is particularly suited to the study of pottery, which changes style with relative frequency. 

As visitors go through the exhibition I would encourage them to look at the various pieces from Jericho and Jerusalem, note the features of the pottery: the shapes, the surface treatment such as slip and burnish, the thickness, marks of use such as the wick marks on lamps and the soot marks on cooking pots, and attachments such as handles and lugs. 

Then I would encourage them to look at the dates. It is the features of the pottery and the identification of particular types of pots and their assignment to particular layers in the soil that made their dating possible and it represents Kathleen Kenyon’s other unique contribution to archaeological research, her identification and dating of pottery in the Holy Land. 

Kathleen Kenyon was not just part of the pantheon of stars in the history of archaeology, but it needs to be mentioned that she is also part of the pantheon of great women archaeologists in a field whose historical narrative is still dominated by the contributions of men.

Though I am linked to Kathleen Kenyon by my gender, our approaches and interests could not be more different, with my research focus on the broad, spatial component that only the study of architecture can provide. And, I personally look forward to a time when women’s contributions to the field of archaeology are sufficiently recognised that they don’t need to be singled out as women.

We are fortunate to have some of Dame Kenyon’s discoveries in the Classics and Archaeology collection at Melbourne. This collection, that has been drawn upon for many of our exhibitions, occupies a central role in the teaching and research of our students, providing a direct connection with the past through object-based learning.

Artifacts and artworks from the Classics and Archaeology collections provide hands-on experience for students across the curriculum from first year to masterclass offerings.

The part of the collection currently on view at the Potter was acquired through Dame Kenyon’s collaboration with Basil Hennessey, who began working with her in 1951 as what we would today call an Early Career Researcher, and in exchange for the funding she received from the Australian Institute of Archaeology and the University of Melbourne. Basil Hennessey went on to become Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Sydney. 

While Australian students benefited from Hennessey bringing the Wheeler-Kenyon method to Australia, they continue to benefit from having this important study collection of southern Levantine pottery in Melbourne.

Associate Professor Louise Hitchcock is Discipline Chair of Classics and Archaeology in the University’s School of Historical and Philosophical Studies.

Jericho to Jerusalem: Bronze and Iron Age Pottery from the Excavations of Kathleen Kenyon is on show at the Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne until 6 April 2014.