Victoria stayed in the Trust’s Kensington house during September 2018.

Victoria in the kitchen at 54 Hornton Street with a teapot owned by the Founder, Robert Anderson. Although her interest are in much older – ancient Egyptian – ceramics, Victoria recognised the Russian origin of this teapot from Semikarakorsk, presumably acquired by Dr Anderson during one of his many visits to Victoria’s country.

I would like to express my gratitude to the Robert Anderson Research Charitable Trust for the great opportunity to visit London in order to continue my PhD research. Most of my time I spent in the Library of the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum. In the Library I have found many publications which are crucial for my PhD. Moreover, thanks to help of the curators I have studied the objects from the wonderful collection of ancient Egyptian and Greek pottery.

Moreover I have studied vessels from the collection of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian archaeology. There was of great importance for me to see the material from Petrie’s excavations because now I can compare his pottery with the one I have already studied in Memphis. The staff of the Museum were very friendly, and they helped me by providing extra information about the objects.

I have visited the British Library, the Sackler Library (the University of Oxford) and Cambridge University Library. These libraries have rich collections of new and rare publications about archaeological expeditions in Egypt and Near East which are difficult to find in Russian libraries.

I also had an opportunity to discuss results of my research with the pottery specialist Dr Sabine Laemmel (the University of Cambridge). This is very important for me as she had kindly recommended me a lot of publications about the origin of shapes.

The month which I spent in London with the Robert Anderson Charitable Trust was very productive and effective for my PhD. This experience has increased my knowledge of ancient Egyptian pottery as I could study the Museum collections and reading newest and rare publications. The study of the objects from the British Museum and the Petrie Museum allows me to elaborate my typology of fine ware pottery, study different variations of pottery productions, date several shapes of the Memphite pottery.

I am very grateful to the Trust and its Director Dr Chris Naunton who was ready to help at any moment as well as other residents for the friendly atmosphere at the house. Furthermore it was very interesting for me to learn more about the Founder of the Trust, Dr Robert Anderson, and his life, work and his important contribution in development of Egyptology.