Mallowan was always accompanied by his wife Agatha Christie, whose work on her current book was frequently interrupted by the demands of her role as site photographer, registrar of finds and repairer of pottery, as well as medical adviser and cook. She was fascinated by his work, and theirs was a supremely happy marriage. Like Hercule Poirot, her world-famous detective, Mallowan was a master of the false trail and the misleading clue. For both of them, the art was to discover the hidden truth.