Roberta Tomber
Visiting Fellow
Ceramics
Department: Conservation and Scientific
Research
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7323 8282
Email: science @ thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
Roberta specialises in Roman period ceramics,
and has participated in fieldwork in Britain, Sicily, North Africa,
Turkey, Egypt, the Levant and India. Since 1998 her focus has
been on Indian Ocean commerce through the study of Roman and
non-Roman pottery in the region, particularly from the Red Sea
ports and India. This work relies upon ceramic petrology and
binocular microscopy for the investigation of ceramic technology
and source area. Currently she is publishing Egyptian and Indian
material, and in 2007 will join a new survey project at Lake
Mareotis (near Alexandria) conducted by the University of
Southampton and the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Roberta has been a Visiting Fellow in Conservation,
Documentation and Science since 2002; between 2002 and 2004
was also a Research Fellow at Southampton University funded by an
AHRC major grant. Prior to this she worked at the Museum of
London Specialist Services.
Current British Museum projects
-
Previous British Museum projects
Established with J. Dore the ‘National Roman Fabric Reference
Collection’ housed in the Departments of Prehistory and Europe, and
Conservation and Scientific Research.
External fellowships/ honorary positions/ membership of professional bodies
President of the Study Group for Roman Pottery
(SGRP)
Executive Committee Member for the Palestine
Exploration Fund (PEF)
Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of
London
Part-time tutor at Birkbeck Faculty of Continuing Education and
Birkbeck School of History, Classics and Archaeology
Publications
Most recent publications
R. Tomber, ‘Roman and Sasanian wine in India', Minerva,
18.1 (2007), pp. 48
R. Tomber, ‘The pottery’, in V.A.Maxfield and
D.P.S. Peacock (eds.) Survey and Excavations.
Mons Claudianus 1987-1993. Vol
III. Ceramic Vessels and Related Objects
from Mons Claudianus, (Cairo, Fouilles de
l’IFAO 54, 2006), pp. 1-236
R. Tomber, ‘Was Pattanam ancient Muziris?’,
K.P. Shajan V. Selvakumar, Man and Environment, 30.2
(2006), pp. 66-73
R. Tomber, Review of Etudes sur la
céramique romaine tardive d’Afrique (M Bonifay) and Late Roman
Coarse Wares, Cooking Wares and Amphorae in the
Mediterranean (ed. J Ma Gurti et al), Antiquity, 80,
(2006), pp. 218-220
R. Tomber, ‘Characterisation studies of the
products of the Northgate House pottery industry’, A. Vince and R.
Tomber, in F. Seeley and J. Drummond-Murray (eds.) Roman
Pottery Production in the Walbrook
Valley. Excavations at 20–28 Moorgate,
City of London, 1998–2000 (London, Museum of London
Archaeology Service Monograph 25, 2005), pp. 174-178