Catherine Bishop
The sustainability of resin use in the Eastern Mediterranean, from the Middle to Late Bronze Age.
Biography
Catherine has gained a BA in Classical Civilisations and Egyptology from Swansea University, and an MA at the same institution in Ancient Egyptian Culture.
Alongside her research, she has experience in Egypt, working with the Abydos Middle Cemetery Project and the South Asasif Conservation Project. Additionally, Catherine is a member of the CircArt project with the British Museum, and actively volunteers with the Egypt Centre.
Research Interests
The main research question asks: how were resins procured and used in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Middle to Late Bronze Age (focussing on 1800 – 1550 BCE), and to what degree were these practices sustainable?
This question will impact technological understandings of the resin industry, whilst bringing to light wider trade networks across the ancient world. This project collates textual, iconographical, and archaeobotanical data, relating principally to cedar, pine, juniper, and pistacia resins, aiming to determine whether a reversion in approaches to harvesting would be environmentally beneficial.