Elizabeth Hendrix

Elizabeth Hendrix uses both art historical and scientific points of view to explore the significance of raw materials and processing technologies in the lives of ancient people. Her dissertation examined the pigments and painted patterns chosen by Third Millennium BC inhabitants of the Cycladic islands to embellish their renowned marble figurative sculptures. The intensely-colored patterns were representational, decorative, or symbolic, competing for attention with the smooth white marble forms. Additional evidence suggests that pigment sources and the act of painting itself were also important factors in decisions pertaining to the figures.

For the past 5 years, Hendrix has been involved with excavations at Tell Ahmar, ancient Til Barsib, in present-day Syria. The Neo-Assyrian city (ca 700 BC) yielded remains that suggest that some aspects of metalworking may have held a special cult status. Debris from iron working was carefully saved in a ceramic bowl in a well-to-do house near the north city gate. Analysis of these remains is being undertaken to help us understand who lived in this house and why, among other things, metal-working was important to them.

Individuals in non- or early-industrial societies are often closely connected to the procurement of source materials and the processes used to turn them into valued items. Because of this, all stages of production may play some role in the cultural meaning of these artifacts. These areas of research demand a multi-disciplinary approach.