In 1925, Caton-Thompson and Gardner began the first archaeological survey of the northern Faiyum, where they sought to correlate ancient lake levels with archaeological stratification. They continued working in the Faiyum over the next two years for the Royal Anthropological Institute where they discovered two unknown Neolithic cultures. The pair also worked on prehistoric sites at Kharga Oasis in 1930. This led to research more broadly on the palaeolithic of north Africa, which Caton-Thompson published in 1952.[3]
She was acting professor in 1917-1919 at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, later taking the role of geologist for the Faiyum Desert archaeological expeditions, 1926-1928, and then on the Kharga Oasis expedition, 1930-1933.
She was assistant curator at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 1938-1941, during the war became the director of vegetable production at Lady Margaret Hall and thereafter her positions were in horticulture.[6]
Bibliography
Caton-Thompson, Gertrude; Gardner, Elinor Wight (1939), Climate, irrigation, and early man in the Hadhramaut, OCLC421634
Thompson, Gertrude Caton; Gardner, Elinor Wight; Huzayyin, Sulaiman A (1937), Lake Moeris, Imprimerie de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale, OCLC491995486
Gardner, Elinor Wight (1935), Notes on a temple at ʻAin Amur in the Libyan Desert, Ancient Egypt, OCLC43865641
Caton-Thompson, Gertrude; Gardner, E W (1934), The desert Fayum, [London] Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, OCLC3383842
Caton-Thompson, Gertrude; Gardner, Elinor Wight (1932), The prehistoric geography of Kharga oasis, Geographic journal, [London], OCLC43139634
Gardner, E W (1932), Some lacustrine Mollusca from the Faiyum depression : a study in variation, Mémoires présentés à l'Institut égyptien, t. 18, Impr. de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale, OCLC8631347