Canadian Egyptologist - Rexine Hummel

Part VIII - Rexine’s Colleagues

I asked some of Rexine’s colleagues and friends to share some stories. Their anecdotes follow - all with love! ❤️


Rexine and I worked together for a number of years in the Akhenaten Temple Project at the University of Toronto. I worked at a variety of things (editing ATP vol. II, for example) but Rexine was wedded to the sherds. Originally a woman of languages, on Don’s digs Rexine was “voluntold” that she would be the main pottery person. For a number of years, Rexine copied the profiles of rim sherds onto the 2x4 pages of notepads, with notation, and sorted them into categories. These hundreds of slips of paper she stored in empty shoe boxes which went with her everywhere - including family ski vacations. She would spend hours most days trying to categorize them.
Later, there was the “chinka-chinka vs chunka-chunka” phase of pottery study in which Rexine tapped her fingernail on the sherd to (hopefully) distinguish silt ware from marl ware. So constant was this practice that Rexine once practiced it on the whole pots in a museum. They were not in a case and as she tapped them and slid her arm inside them I quietly freaked out about security guards tossing us from the building. Luckily, that did not happen.
Rexine developed a keen interest in all aspects of pottery, visiting modern Egyptian potting factories and following all the latest ceramology publications.
In addition to Don Redford’s digs at East Karnak and Mendes, Rexine’s pottery expertise led to her being invited on other excavations. Off the top of my head, these included digs with James K. Hoffmeier, Carol Redmount, Gregory Mumford and Pearce Paul Creasman.
Below is a photo of the carrying chair which Gregory Mumford’s workers carried Rexine in to the dig site when it had become too difficult for her to slog through the sand.
— Lyn Green
Words about the carrying chair:
Rexine was 83 during the 2017 season at El Lisht when she worked with Bettina and Adel, and the trip to site across the cemetery from the road was particularly difficult for her hip, over rough and unstable terrain. Greg Mumford conspired with Alaa Farouk to have a carrying chair constructed, in the style of Queen Hetepheres, to get Rexine back down the hill, since downhill after a long day’s standing over the pottery tables was harder-going. Our Egyptian colleagues not only threw in and carried her wonderfully smoothly, but turned what had been a painful experience for her into a joyful celebration at the end of the workday, which she handled with characteristic cheerfulness and grace. There’s a general tendency for smiles to break out around her.
— Shakira Christodoulou

Rexine, Patrick & Shakira (2024)

Patrick Carstens supplied some of the photos used in earlier posts, but I wanted to include this one here. He says it was taken in October 2024 at Rexine’s home. They all looks so lovely.


I can’t help but smile when I think of Rexine, my roommate, the first time I worked on excavations in Egypt at Tell Tibilla. I was the new person on a team that had been working together for years, feeling a little nervous and out of place. But then there was Rexine—brilliant, kind, and full of life. Her sparkling eyes radiated intelligence, and from the very first moment, she made me feel completely welcome.
Our afternoons often ended with long chats over drinks, and it was during one of these conversations that she introduced me to the unique ingenuity of mixing Tang and gin—a combination I never would have imagined but will never forget! It was also during one of these relaxed moments that we discovered an incredible coincidence: Rexine had gone to university with my aunt! We laughed at the sheer smallness of the big world we live in, bonding over this unexpected connection.
To this day, I carry so much of what Rexine shared with me—her wit, her humor, her deep humanity, and her creative approach to life. She had this incredible ability to balance all three effortlessly, and her insights still guide me in so many ways. Meeting her wasn’t just the start of a great friendship; it was one of the most enriching experiences of my life.
— Zoe McQuinn

This first camel shown below (Rexine in a red t-shirt) was actually Rexine’s 71st birthday camel, that she fell off. That was so alarming, but al hamdulillah no harm done! I think the lovely picture of her and Patrick in gallebiya was her birthday party that evening. We had fresh Red Sea prawns!
The picture of you all prospecting the big pile of potsherds was, I think, a site on El Markha plain that continued up until the Greco-Roman era, and we’d stopped to check it for potential for future investigation.
Mostly, everything has already been said - but here’s another snippet on camels:
During any given trip to or from base, we would all be on lookout for camels walking by the road, or riding along in pick-ups, to make sure Rexine got a daily sighting. During the 2010 season, when the gathering stormclouds of the Egyptian Revolution at the end of the year meant our Ras Budran excavation permissions never arrived despite weeks of tense waiting in Sinai, we eventually headed to St Catherine’s Monastery for a study visit - providing a wonderful opportunity for Rexine to have a camel ride beside Mount Sinai. So the season wasn’t a total loss!
— Shakira Christodoulou

Here are some more photos from Shakira from their time working in Lisht: Rexine and Adel, Rexine and Kira (lovely). We caught up with Lyla Pinch-Brock during the 2004 after-season too.

It’s been so inspiring to work with Rexine since 2003, first at Tebilla in the Delta, then at Ras Budran in Sinai, and at El Lisht in the Pyramid Fields. ‘My Roomie’ is a pleasure to be near, and I’ve learned so much from her, both about ceramics, and how to be useful first as a registrar and later as an artist. Right from my first full-scale excavation at Tebilla, Rexine taught me how to draw and stance sherds, and I always knew something interesting was about to appear when she’d come over to my work-station cradling a potsherd with decoration for more detailed drawing. Her stories and experience are fascinating to listen to, and a real reminder that, even if one hasn’t followed the conventional or traditional career-path in Egyptology for whatever reason, it’s always possible to come back to the field later. Besides, when it’s an area of study one loves, there’s no need to retire. What others see as a challenge, Rexine turns into something fun by applying determination, curiosity and a continual desire to learn. Archaeology definitely needs more like her.
— Shakira Christodoulou

Rexine’s Graphic CV

1955-2006

2006-present

I spent many hours at the University of Toronto in the ceramics lab, but it is my work in the field with Rexine that gives me some of my happiest memories. I remember exclaiming over the decorated and unusual sherds with her. We would compare ideas on body composition, how well fired they were and what we thought they were. I learned a lot about Egyptian ceramics from her and am grateful she willingly shared her knowledge.
One day while in the Sinai I bent over the pottery pile to pick up a sherd, and a scorpion jumped at me. Rexine laughed and laughed when I jumped back and fell over. It’s such a funny memory.
I will also remember the look on her face at the top of Serabit el-Khadim, swimming at Moon Beach, and mornings riding the launch across the Nile at Luxor. Rexine is a big part of Egypt for me. Thank you, and I love you! xo
— Debborah Donnelly

Rexine and I (Debb) at the Tausret Temple dig in 2015

To see the previous posts in this series about Rexine, you can find them here: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII

I hope to follow this series with several posts about other amazing women archaeologists…stay tuned!

If you have anything you wish to say to Rexine, feel free to post in the comments below!💌


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Something smells fishy…selenium fishy!