Memphians don't have to watch the TV Show Bones to catch a forensic anthropologist examining bones and skeletons.
"Dr. Podzorski is Bones," said Lorelei Corcoran, director of the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology, speaking of Patricia Podzorski, The University of Memphis Curator of Egyptian Art.
Podzorski gave a presentation on campus Wednesday evening called "Flowers of an Antique Land: Decorated Textiles of the 1st Millennium A.D. from Egypt."
In her lecture, the anthropologist spoke about the textile arts of Egypt during the Roman and Byzantine periods.
More than 40 people attended the event. When Podzorski finished speaking, many people approaching the podium to tell her the lecture was "fantastic."
"Flowers of an Antique Land" was the sixth lecture in the annual Legacy of Egypt series. The series is dedicated to celebrating the continuity of ideas, expressions, art and language of Egyptian life and the contributions they made to the world.
"It's such an important idea of ancient Egyptians to keep the culture intact," Corcoran said.
While Podzorski is an "eminent world expert" on predynastic osteology - the scientific study of ancient bones - Podzorski said she delivered the lecture on textiles because it is a personal interest of hers. She said she began sewing and embroidering as a young girl and has kept an interest in it since.
"Not that there's time to do that these days," Podzorski said, noting her busy schedule as a curator and professor.
Although Corcoran compared Podzorski to "Bones," Podzorski's presentation on textiles dating between 700 A.D. and 1200 A.D. - otherwise known as Coptic textiles - was more like "CSI: Egypt." She dissected weaving techniques and the iconography of various clothing, hangings and cushion covers. Podzorski explained different wefts, warfs and loops used in weaving many ancient Egyptian textiles.
She did keep the technical terms to a minimum for the audience.
"There are lots of fancy terms, or you can just say square," Podzorski said, describing pieces of a tunic.
Tunics were typically made of a light-weight linen cloth because of the extremely hot temperatures in Egypt, Podzorski said.
Egyptian purple, one of the main colors seen in Egyptian textiles, comes from over-dyed blues, and reds and yellows from safflower petals, she said.
But unlike other textiles, linen did not take on the color well, Podzorski said. So most Egyptians confined themselves to the cooler white clothing, she said.
Clothes were woven into one piece and nothing was cut, she said. Embellishments were woven in during the process.
"Two straight seams, and you're done," Podzorski said. "It was very economical."
Motifs and designs in clothing and other textiles included stripes - "the simple beginning" - to geometric patterns and detailed, classic scenes. Like she did when she talked about tunic pieces, Podzorski kept the terminology simple while she discussed motifs, describing one as a "flying hamburger" and another as "the Picasso Horse."
Some pieces Podzorski analyzed are a part of The University's collection of Egyptian objects.
But unlike the antiquities on display in the Art Museum inside the Communication and Fine Arts building, these textiles are stored.
Pieces included are "Figures in an Arcade," from the 4th to 6th centuries, and "Orbis," with a tree motif and wave border, said Podzorski, the Egyptian curator at The University since 2001.
While some of the eight Egyptology graduate students were in attendance, U of M students of various majors attended Podzorski's lecture, including fashion merchandising and interior design majors.
"It expanded my knowledge of Egyptian art as in textiles and clothing," said Jordon Walker, sophomore interior design major.
She said the use of color and motifs was unique and could be applied to decorating styles today.
"I love the colors they use - blues, oranges. They're just really pretty colors," Walker said. "It's definitely something interesting to see. You don't see a lot of (color) these days."
Podzorski encouraged students of every major to attend this presentation as well as other events sponsored by IEAA.
"We cover all sorts of things," she said. "We look at what Egyptian civilization contributed to the ancient world or the modern world."
