Join experimental technologist Matt Szafran to create your own Predynastic style fish-shaped palette, from slate, using period correct stone tools. Numbers are limited to 20. Please reserve a place using the contact form on this page before sending payment, in case we have sold out!
Palettes are the third most common type of object from the Predynastic period, after pots and beads. Palettes are therefore prevalent in many museum collections; however very little attention has been given to their manufacture and much of their understanding is based upon late 19th Century assertions. This workshop will discuss how palettes could have been made, what they may have been used for, what they may have meant to their owners, and address the 19th century inaccuracies and look at what palettes were not used for.
The morning portion of this workshop will introduce participants to the materials, tools, and technologies required to create Predynastic stone palettes. Statistical data from the Predynastic Palette Database (PPDB) will be used to compare various features and trends across the corpus of palettes catalogued in the PPDB and to look at the specific details common to the fish-shaped palettes. The evidence of the use of manufacturing technologies will be demonstrated, using the results from advanced imagery to compare a provenanced artefact with an experimental archaeology produced replica. The possible uses will also be discussed, considering both the historical descriptions and also 21st century research.
The afternoon session will then give participants the opportunity to put the theory into practice and use a period-correct stone tool kit to create their own fish-shaped palettes from slate. These replica palettes will be shaped and decorated in the same manner as was undertaken by the Predynastic craftspeople, giving the participants a greater insight into this class of object.
This workshop will be held on 19th November 2022 from 09:45-16:15 GMT at Spring Lodge, Witham and the timetable is as follows (all times approximate):
09:45 Doors open – tea/coffee
10:00 Introduction by Dr Hannah Pethen-Barrett, Chair Essex Egyptology Group
10:10 Predynastic Palettes: An Introduction
11:10 Predynastic Palettes: Manufacturing Tools and Technologies
12:00 Tea/coffee
12:20 Predynastic Palettes: Possible Uses
13:20-14:00 Lunch – please provide your own food as there are no nearby cafes or shops (Tea/coffee provided)
14:00 Practical session
15:00 Tea/coffee
15:15 Continue practical session
16:15 Close
Please contact us via the contact form on this page to reserve a place. It will cost £40 for members and £45 for non-member, payment details will be provided when your place is confirmed. Please note: you will need safety goggles, close-fitting (gardening-type) gloves are also recommended because slate/tools are sharp, and you will need pencil and paper to sketch your fish-pattern.