00:00.00 archaeoteacup Hello and welcome to episode 24 of t break time travel I am your host Matilda Zeb Bre and today I am s savoring a delicious Apple cinnamon Roy Bos tea which just even though I know it' spring. It tastes like autumn in a cup which is just wonderful and joining me on my tea break today is ah. Archaeologist forensic anthropologist and object conservator. jessica fun bomb which welcome Jessica thank you for joining me today and what are you drinking today. 00:26.69 Jess Thank you I'm drinking yorkshire's toast and jam tea which is very delightful. Yes, yes, yorkshire makes a toast and jam tea and they also make a biscuit and a biscuit. 00:37.22 archaeoteacup Um, ah wait What there's a toast and jam to you. 00:45.86 Jess Crisky tea. Yeah yeah. 00:47.94 archaeoteacup Um, ah that sounds very cool I must say so full disclosure to those of ah people listening Jess and I are friends. We have known each other quite a while now we did our masters together at London University and just bought me a tea a couple of years ago which was the most delicious tea I have ever drunk in my life and I have been searching for the equivalent since finishing the bag. Um, because when I finished it I messaged her to say by the way if you wouldn't mind ordering me another bag and we found out that they'd gone out of business or they'd stop production or something so we couldn't find it again. So I've been looking for. 01:21.92 Jess Yeah, was that when I worked at the coffee shop and I brought you Yeah, there was like an almond one and then there was like a pistachio one. Yes and I have no idea where they' so like they sourced that tea. 01:23.70 archaeoteacup The same tea for a long long time. It was something like caramelized almond or or some I think so yes, yeah, it was from your yeah, Ah, there was it was it was it was with almond I remember it was with almond that it was just so delicious and. I've now just been searching for that same tea. Oh yeah, no well. So if anyone who's listening in happens to have ah now that's even Worse. Um, but if anyone listening in happens to know of you know a like wonderful caramelized ormond. 01:42.57 Jess Maybe I'll email them they changed like business names too. 01:58.70 archaeoteacup T that they think that I would enjoy please do feel free to send me something um, always be welcome. So ah, yes, anyway, thank you very much. Yes, for joining me today by the way I do think there is a little bit of a delay. Um, but ah hopefully it's fine. So. 02:01.60 Jess Um, really. 02:08.75 Jess Thanks for having me Oh no. 02:17.96 archaeoteacup Don't worry if there's like a pause before I start talking again and hopefully I'll try not to interrupt you. 02:26.64 Jess That's fine. 02:29.14 archaeoteacup Okay, ah so first question though. Um so osteo archeology and forensic anthropology was was when I knew you that was what you were sort of focused on at that point. But since then you have developed further gone in a slightly different side. Quest shall we say um, which has now become the main quest. 02:46.89 Jess Um, yeah. 02:47.82 archaeoteacup And you are now an object conservator which my question is what exactly is an object conservator. 02:54.69 Jess Um, well so sometimes we're called art conservators not to be confused with like environmental conservators I don't deal with nature. Um what I do is I fix and clean and um, care for museum objects or typically museum objects. But. 03:03.86 archaeoteacup Lift. 03:12.90 Jess Really just anything old that needs help. 03:15.97 archaeoteacup Okay, okay, so it is quite often art pieces or sort of yeah in that respect, but it can also be other things. 03:24.83 Jess Yeah, yeah, so like right now I'm working on a dollhouse from Japan from about the 1920 s um and then coming up I'm working on I think some taxidermy which I'm not excited about. But there's just so much arsenic and Taxidermy. Um. Then what else do I have coming out. Yeah, no, just so pretty much anything. So even things you don't think of as objects. Yeah. 03:42.77 archaeoteacup Ah, yeah, oh gosh. 03:50.84 archaeoteacup Okay, that that that's about say animal like stuffed animals. But yeah I guess they are objects in a way so that makes sense Well ah, good to know now now we're aware of of what we're talking about. Um. 03:57.52 Jess Yeah. Yes. 04:06.88 archaeoteacup But so of course still working with sort of museum objects with objects from the past and even though I guess your your background was more in kind of anthropology and the sort of scientific side of archeology. What sort of got you first interested in that side of things. What first got you into the. The more historic or the heritage or however, you want to call it a side of science and conservation. 04:29.30 Jess Um I think I can't remember how old I was but we had like I had these like kids books that had like it was about some topic and then they had like the um. Like they're sort of normal pages. But then there was like see-thro pages and there was 1 specifically on ancient Egypt and so then it was like layers of mummies that you could like add on with the clear pages and so ever since then um, like be egyptology childhood like fever hit and then just never went away. 04:51.19 archaeoteacup Um. 04:59.78 Jess So originally I was going to be an egyptologist and then I kind of pivoted but have always sort of circled back in interesting ways. 05:00.53 archaeoteacup Ah, fair enough. 05:06.47 archaeoteacup Yeah, yeah, so actually I'm curious about that. So what made you change direction from egyptology. 05:16.15 Jess Um, there was a Tv show bones on when I was in um when I was in high school. So like when I was a teenager like pre-ca it I'd like pre undergrad and I was like oh forensic and apology that looks like cool job and because I had friends in egyptology who um. 05:19.46 archaeoteacup Ah. 05:33.78 Jess Made very little money I was like oh I should pick a more marketable skill um, friends again apology which is maybe not the most marketable skill either. But you know you do what you can. 05:48.48 archaeoteacup Although I guess it does have more more applications than for example, something like just anthropology or archaeology because you can you use I don't know when I think of forensic anthropology I think of like indeed crime scene investigation and that kind of thing So is it applicable in multiple different spheres. 06:04.60 Jess Yeah, a little bit. Um, so it's used in so you kind of have to know some archeology to be a forensic anthropologist. Um, because mostly you're working with skeletal remains and often they are buried and so you have to know how to like properly excavate and document and yes, yeah, so then. 06:11.42 archaeoteacup Um, ah, um, excavate got it? okay. 06:21.79 Jess But then because it's a forensic context you almost have to be like more detail oriented in case, there's like some crucial piece of evidence as you're excavate excavating and it's not just like oh a poure you know. 06:31.46 archaeoteacup Um. 06:34.00 archaeoteacup Yeah, parted, let's do the context of this which oh gosh then that's indeed the whole next the whole next level because to be honest, that's what I as I've discussed on this podcast previously I am not a a field mouse I'm a lab rat um, so I will ah more happily do little investigations in the lab than I will necessarily out in the field. Um, but 1 of the things that I both like loved and hated about academic exclamations was that kind of real yeah attention to detail. Let's say like of having to really you find something and you have to monitor every single aspect. But so does that mean that you have. 07:01.79 Jess Who. 07:08.24 Jess It's like every thing I don't now I Too am the indoor critter. Um I Just um so the problem with forensic anthropology is like yes you could be out excavating the skeleton. 07:09.87 archaeoteacup Ah, field archeological experience as well. Okay, okay. 07:24.36 Jess But most of the time you're in a lab in the dark running the same measurements and tests on skeletons like over and over and over and over and over again and it's definitely a publisher parish field as well. Which I do not subscribe to I don't like it I don't want a part of it. So. 07:26.70 archaeoteacup And. 07:33.90 archaeoteacup Um, yeah, fair enough fair enough. That's very noble of you I think to actually stick by those morals. Very very good of you. Those people don't have the strength to say. 07:43.67 Jess Yeah. 07:48.97 Jess Um, or just run the other way. But. 07:51.73 archaeoteacup Well I mean this there's 2 ways of approaching this thing but and so is that why because so he started with egyptology moved into kind of forensic anthropology osteo archeology and then now have moved to kind of object conservation. So how did that change come around. 08:09.87 Jess Um, so when I was in my undergrad with forensic anthropology I entered at the giza project at Harvard which was basically creating this database of all excavation records from Giza in Egypt and which was very cool. 08:16.60 archaeoteacup Um, ah. 08:22.22 archaeoteacup Cool move. 08:25.11 Jess And they did a 3 d rendering. So if you googled the pisa project. You can take a cool like a 3 d tour of Giza which is very cool. So check that out. Um, and then yeah, it's fun. So through that I met um my friend Molly and Molly had interned with. 08:31.68 archaeoteacup Um, ah ah, but it's very cool. 08:44.76 Jess Mimi and Mimi is an art conservator or an objects conservator who specializes ironically in Egyptian mummies and so Molly was like oh you should meet Mimi and then my mom's friend who worked at Harvard was like oh I have this friend Mimi you would really like her. 08:49.46 archaeoteacup Um, a full circle. 09:02.46 Jess I Think you should go intern with her and I was like who's this meanmi woman I got it like what's happening and it took me forever to finally just like okay I'll email her I don't know what I'm asked like I don't know what I'm doing like I'm just like hi I I've heard your cool like can I come into? um. 09:04.41 archaeoteacup The universe is telling me something. 09:20.46 archaeoteacup Um, people keep telling me to contact you I'm doing it. Oh no. 09:23.98 Jess And then she never emailed me back and so it was like weeks and was like oh man she hates me already like what this is done and so I told my mom's friend and she was like oh I'll call her so she called her and it turns out um, Mimi's mother in law. 09:38.59 archaeoteacup Oh gosh. Oh. 09:38.79 Jess Had died and so she was like literally at a funeral and I was like oh my gods No like please please don't like I can wait I'm good. Um, but but eventually I did go yeah intern with her and um. 09:46.98 archaeoteacup Oh no, yeah oh ah. 09:55.41 Jess And then the museum was opening up a new wing and so then I got a job because pay payment is nice and then when the yeah who in the pandemic hit It was like oh I can't work and I should go get a degree so I wouldn't got another degree So that's how I got into objects concentratation. 10:00.29 archaeoteacup Ah, it is nice. Yeah. 10:14.31 archaeoteacup Gonna oh nice, but no well which is really interesting to see. It's so fascinating How many of my guests that I have on as well almost sort of have fallen by accident in a way into their final form if that if that's a word I can use. 10:14.60 Jess Who. 10:27.32 Jess Yes, ah. 10:29.93 archaeoteacup Because yeah, just just through following what you want to do making contacts with people who are suggested to you I mean it's amazing. How how life works that way. 10:36.41 Jess So yeah, yeah, it's always like a weird evolution of like networking and somebody knows somebody who knows somebody who maybe is interesting. 10:43.64 archaeoteacup Ah, yeah, but and following up on those because like you say you know at first you were like oh no I don't want to but then I mean thank goodness you did because otherwise you know you wouldn't have got to where you are today I guess. 10:55.00 Jess Yeah I'd still be a barista. So. 10:59.74 archaeoteacup Which then maybe you could have finally found that T for me so you know actually that's you know him the long run which what? what's the best outcome. 11:04.58 Jess I Ah true true I mean see now I need to get into like see now I need to get into like detecting like private detective like find the t. 11:16.48 archaeoteacup Ah, yes, there you go and you can do the forensic anthropology that you need to do you have it and you can conserve any clues that are left along the way I mean you're the full package really next cozy adventure mystery coming up. 11:19.34 Jess I. Perfect. Ah yes here we go. We're going to find this to you for you? Oh my God Oh you can write it. Perfect. 11:33.82 archaeoteacup I will maybe I kind of want to now anyway, anyway. Um so so we talked about the tea we talked about your experience but of course the other part of today is the time travel which I have to ask all of my guests if you could travel back in time and I think based on what we've just talked about I could probably guess where you might go. But. Let's ask anyway, just in case. Um, so if you could travel back in time. Where would you go and why. 11:57.29 Jess So okay, this is really tough for me because there are several eras that I would like to go back to so like ancient egypt is cool but secretly I really like the like. 12:02.47 archaeoteacup Okay, okay, okay, okay. 12:15.52 Jess 1880 s turn of the century egyptology craze I recognized that the archeology at the time was not ideal and like the politics of the time were not great. Um, but there's something about like. 12:18.55 archaeoteacup Oh I see to to put it lightly. 12:34.23 Jess Victorian Egyptology that just seems like I don't know fun I mean this could be very much influenced by the books that I read but um, yeah, so I might do that I might choose that. 12:36.39 archaeoteacup That. 12:49.58 archaeoteacup Ah, you could do like almost a contextual tour so you could first go back to actual ancient Egypt and then you can see how it was kind of interpreted and crazed in the late eighteen hundreds no god welcome 12:59.22 Jess Oh yeah, that's a good idea. Okay, if I can go back to multiple times then great. That's awesome I didn't know if I was limited to 1 trip or like multiple trips or. 13:07.96 archaeoteacup Oh that would be I mean that would be the question. It would be a thing of budget. You know if you could afford to have the duplex package then maybe you could go to multiple places well then then it sorted. So thank you for joining me. 13:17.26 Jess Um, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, perfect. 13:25.50 Jess You. 13:26.49 archaeoteacup And on mighty rate today before we discuss today's object though we are first going to journey back to ancient Egypt indeed about 4000 years it's the middle of the day. It's baking hot out in the open. But luckily we happen to be inside within the cool stone walls of a dimly lit room a smell similar. That of pine almost but not quite obscures the slightly putrid smell emitting from a corpse that is lying on a table in the center of the room I say corpse really, it's more of a shell at this point as 2 figures bustle around it speaking to each other in low murmurs. And preparing bundles of straw and an assortment of pots from which waft the pine scent on another bench nearby are piled rolls and folds of thin sharp material pale and clean and fresh of course over the next thousands of years this fresh material will yellow and shrink becoming an essential part. Our visualization of this ancient culture. So indeed today we are looking at mumies which I'm very excited about um and before we go to our break I do have to ask 1 final question about your um experience. Oh my. I don't know if you can hear the rain. It's really downpouring out there. Ah well, it's a be nice aesthetic background. Ok good. Um serious I have an essential question about your you know academic experience in terms of egyptology and how you deal with the mummies at your current job. 14:41.89 Jess I Can't move. 14:58.15 archaeoteacup Have you seen and are you a fan of the film. The buddy I do mean that I did not. 15:03.13 Jess Oh you mean the ninety nine nine classic starring Brendan Frazier and wait told't rise um, what? what? um me obsessed with that movie from my childhood. Absolutely um, interestingly ah. As we're recording this next week is the twenty fifth anniversary of its original release and it's it's showing again in theaters and yes, my boyfriend and I are going and I did get as matching t-shirts. So I am very excited but. 15:23.40 archaeoteacup Um, it is ah oh excellent. Ah. Ah, oh I really wish I could go and see it in this cinema I don't think they're doing that here and even if they did they double the films in Germany so it would probably be doubled in german which yeah, right there you go? Yeah ah easy just that there we go. It's not It's not like I have that job. Our kids are. 15:41.88 Jess Ah, well this is just your excuse to come here next week just spur the moment. 15:50.68 Jess Um, whatever what an archeologist. Yeah, thank you? Yes I'm so excited. 15:53.49 archaeoteacup Or no money. Ah, oh will have an amazing time I'm sure it'll be incredible, very very jealous of going to see that. Yeah unfortunately ah see I did this bad timing. We should have ah um, had this to be released. In April because that would have then been released around the date of the mummy which um, you know what. 16:15.00 Jess Oh yeah, we should have but now we can use the hype from the twenty Fourth an of itary anniversary and then like you know you can like jump onto that like hype. yeah yeah yeah yeah marketing 16:27.41 archaeoteacup I can I can't that sounds good that sounds another like another good good pr move. Okay, good. We'll do that I was just I was just I mean to to cut this bit out Rachel who's our editor who's listening in because I was just wondering because I literally just um. 16:34.88 Jess It's all about marketing. Yeah. 16:42.84 archaeoteacup Recorded the April episode this morning actually so I was just thinking actually maybe I could record like have this is the April episode and then do the other one as the may episode instead and I just have to flip them around I'll think about it. Um, racial maybe you'll cut that bit out but maybe not I'll let you know later? um. 16:51.17 Jess Who why? not. 17:01.77 Jess Um, feel free to edit it. Also I definitely I definitely stuttered over Rachel wise. So if um, you know that needs to be like cut back and put in like Rachel wise there. We go just disagree. Just. 17:02.28 archaeoteacup Okay, sorry Rachel. 17:17.74 Jess So I don't sound creepy. But oh my god. 17:19.24 archaeoteacup Ah, if if she does leaves Rachel if you now leave this all in kind of a very upset. Ah although I mean it shows. 17:29.31 Jess There's so many podcasts I listen to that like leave in all the things that are like no edit this out. No edit this out Stephen like you've edit this out and it's like no I want in I want to tell him give me the bloopers. Yeah. 17:40.80 archaeoteacup Ah, but we should just do blooper reels at some point that should be like an apm member special Anyway, right? I should stop doing switches. We should record the next page. Okay, well I'm very very jealous I'm sure you'll have an amazing time. 17:42.58 Jess Oh you should. 17:53.21 archaeoteacup Ah, but for now let us have a quick pause while we consider the wonder that is indeed Brendan Fraser and Rachel Vais in the 90 ninety nine classic the mummy and we will be right back soon. 17:59.45 Jess Oh yes. 18:06.17 Jess Um.