Research continues at Tell Brak

I'm planning a trip to see the Ai Weiwei exhibition at Downing College in Cambridge in early August. I saw Ai Weiwei's exhibition at the Royal Academy last October and it was very thought-provoking. What does this have to do with Mrs Mallowan? Well, it occurred to me that Max Mallowan is likely to have a connection with Cambridge University because of his archeological studies of Tell Brak and other venues. I knew that there were still studies being carried out of the tell and then discovered that there is not only a website page giving brief details about the current work taking place, but also a Facebook page. Ah, social media.


Here's the link to the Cambridge University website and the Facebook group page:


http://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/about-us/mesopotamia/mesopotamia-research/mesopotamia-tell-brak


https://www.facebook.com/tellbrakexcavation


I have asked to join the Facebook group page. It seems to be an appropriate thread in my constant quest for information. Of course, I haven't written a single word!


Photo has been taken from the Facebook page and illustrates the infamous eye statues from the Mesopotamia region. I've seen them for myself at the museum in Damascus (back in 2009 before all the trouble started) and, of course, at the British Museum.

Tell Brak

I'm still gathering evidence and pondering on the case. The idea of simply following the route to Chagar Bazar doesn't seem sufficient to me. What's my purpose in this project? My inspiration is Ms Christie's memoir about her travels and her life at Chagar Bazar and Tell Brak. Like Ms Christie, my main purpose is more anthropological than archeological, although I am interested in ancient times. Again, like her, I'm more intriqued by the ephemera of every day life, which provides more personal indications of the life of the people. Eye idols don't do much for me I'm afraid. Why 'eye' anyway? Again, like Ms Christie, when I hear archeologists confidently explaining about what a lump of clay would have been used for 4,000 years ago, I find myself wondering 'how do they know?'. I feel the same way about economics which relies on predicting behaviour of people, when one of the best qualities of people is that they behave unpredictably so often.

Back to the point of this posting. I want to retrace the travel section, if at all possible by the Orient Express although the cost seems prohibitive (perhaps another of my preparatory tasks must be to find a sugar daddy toute suite). However, I want to spend time at the two archeological sites to drink in every day life and live within the landscape that Ms Christie loved so much. I want to see if there have been changes and allow a 21st century audience to see beyond the 'axis of evil' and the general fear of Arabs that is prevalent in the West. Just two weeks ago, at a small village produce show, an elderly Norfolk man made a comment about a photo taken inside a mosque in Oman.

Cor, you wouldn't catch me taking a photo in a mosque. Probably get blown up!

If I am to spend time at Chagar Bazar, or nearby, I will need to do something, preferably a paid job. Well, I can type, write and take photographs. I can cook plain food, clean and do laundry (although I expect local people can do the same and need the job more than I do). So, my current quest is to investigate how I can find a job in Syria. Seems a daunting prospect, but with determination . . .