Solange Ashby
Religious Change in Late Antique Nubia
The majority of texts that contain Meroitic language inscriptions are funerary in nature. Of a corpus of about 2000 texts, inscribed funerary monuments dominate with approximately 90% written in the Meroitic cursive script derived from the Egyptian Demotic script. This lecture will use as a case study a third or early fourth century CE funerary stela of two siblings (presumed to be brother and sister) from the Meroitic site of Arminna West in Lower Nubia. Currently on display in the Fralin Museum as part of The World In Between: Egypt and Nubia in Africa exhibition, this artifact provides an interesting look into the elites who resided in Arminna West, between Karanog and Faras in Lower Nubia. Engraved in the Meroitic cursive script, the stela comprises 13 lines of text in a late Meroitic style. Its inscription speaks to the importance placed on kinship ties and the administrative and priestly titles that Lower Nubian elites acquired in service to the kingdom of Meroe.
Michele R. Buzon
Biological and Cultural Intersections in the Ancient Nile Valley
Bioarchaeological research of human remains in the ancient Nile Valley of Egypt and Nubia provides an important opportunity to explore relationship between cultural symbols and biological evidence as seen in the skeleton from archaeological sites. This paper examines the intersection between indications of cultural identity and biological markers in the multicultural community at Tombos, including morphometric and genetic groupings, isotope evidence of geographic origins, and the skeletal effects of community practices and activities. Additionally, modern conceptualizations of biological variation are addressed within the context of considering identities in ancient communities.
Denise Doxey
Interpreting a Legacy Collection of Ancient Nubian Art
Due it its excavations in the early twentieth century, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, houses one of the world’s premier collections of ancient Nubian art. Archival records such as diaries, object registers, and in situ photography enable curators to present the objects’ context, function, and cultural significance to museum visitors. In the century since the expedition took place our understanding of Nubian civilization has evolved dramatically, from the Egyptocentric biases of the original excavator, George A. Reisner, to a more complete understanding of Nubia’s complex relationship with Egypt. This talk will focus on plans for new interpretation for forthcoming galleries of Nubian art at the MFA.
Geoff Emberling
Archaeology, Museums, and Heritage During Wartime in Sudan
The war in Sudan has been the world's worst humanitarian crisis since its outbreak in 2023. It can seem callous at first glance to think about heritage when people's lives are at stake, but heritage is not only fundamental to identity, but also an important tool for rebuilding Sudan in a post-crisis future. This talk briefly summarizes threats to museums, archaeological sites, and monuments in Sudan since 2023 and how Sudanese and international teams have worked to mitigate them. It emphasizes the importance of supporting the people in Sudan who are bravely doing this work.
Maria Carmela Gatto
Nubia and Egypt in Prehistory: a Complex Interplay
The creation of an ancient Egyptian identity, and consequently of identities distinct from it, is one of the outcomes of the state-formation process in the lower Nile region (Egypt) during the 4th millennium BCE. Before that, Nilotic cultures shared many similarities, and current scholarship has highlighted the central role of the Middle Nile region (Nubia) in transforming supra-regional socioeconomic and political systems through a complex interplay with its northern neighbor. The talk summarizes the major steps of this transformation and then focuses on the First Nile Cataract region, the natural, cultural, and political borderscape between the two regions.
Marc Maillot
The Kushite Kings and the Kingdom of Napata
This paper explores the emergence of the Kushite state at Napata following the end of Egyptian domination. Centered at the sacred site of Gebel Barkal, the Napatan dynasty—beginning with Alara and Kashta—leveraged the religious authority of Amun to claim legitimacy over both Nubia and Egypt. The peak of this 'Kushite duality' occurred during the 25th Dynasty, notably under Taharqo, who integrated Egyptian and Nubian traditions through vast architectural programs. Following the Assyrian invasions and the traumatic 593 BCE campaign of Psammetichus II, the political center shifted south to Meroe. Despite this geographical transition, Napata remained the essential cultic site for royal coronations and burials for centuries. By analyzing royal stelae and funerary evidence from Nuri and el-Kurru, this presentation traces the evolution of Kushite power from its Napatan origins to the dawn of the Meroitic period in 270 BCE.
Elizabeth Minor
Here vs. There: Growing Complexity in Interregional Interactions of the C-Group, Kerma, and Old-Second Intermediate Kingdoms of Egypt
The complexities of interregional interactions between Nubia and Egypt between the Old Kingdom to Second Intermediate Period highlight the inherent issues of determining socio-political boundaries. Shifting perspectives from each polity acts to outline the ‘here vs. there’ narratives promulgated by archaeologists and historians. A pervasive Egyptocentric approach imposes a value system entrenched in difference. The archaeological evidence presents a more nuanced model of entangled interactions, as much driven by the development of the early African state of Kerma as by the ancient Egyptian pharaonic state.
Anawar Mohamed
Decolonizing Archaeology in Sudan: a Local Perspective from El-Kurru Village
This paper examines colonial legacies in Sudanese archaeology and argues for community-based archaeology (CBA) as a means to decolonize practices, emphasizing local agency and knowledge. It draws on fieldwork in Nubia and a case study from El-Kurru to show how Western archaeological methods have sidelined long-standing community views on heritage. The paper presents Resilience Enhancement Systems (RES) as a tool for assessing how archaeological projects produce unequal outcomes for researchers and local communities. It highlights both the challenges and opportunities for collaboration through projects such as a community heritage center, educational outreach, and virtual heritage work. The paper concludes by suggesting a Community Archaeology Contract to formalize ethical responsibilities, including co-authorship, data transparency, and capacity building. It calls for a more locally driven, fairer archaeological practice in Sudan.
Sarah Schellinger
Identifying Cultural Connections in Meroitic Art and Architecture
Evidence of intercultural connections between the Meroitic Empire, Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt, as well as the broader Mediterranean World can be identified by examining the artistic and architectural remains at Meroitic sites. These connections can be seen through the adoption and adaptation of non-Nubian elements by Meroitic artisans through the material cultural remains, such as stelae and pottery, and architectural structures and details. This presentation will illustrate how the Meroitic peoples, like their predecessors, incorporated foreign decorative elements into their iconographic programs while expressing their own cultural philosophies alongside them.
Stuart Tyson Smith
From the Green Sahara to Kushite Pharaohs: Legitimating Ideologies and Quotidian Realities in the Relationships Between Egyptians and Nubians
Egyptologists have too often read ideological representations of a stark ethnic divide with Nubians literally, assuming that this legitimizing ideology reflected their attitudes towards foreigners. But the long history of interaction and entanglements between Egyptians and Nubians, stretching back to the Neolithic Green Sahara, belies this view. In spite of ideological representations, their relationship was characterized by familiarity and respect rather than contempt, and shared cultural features like the symbolic importance of cattle. Nubians were an integral part of Egyptian society from its beginnings. Although at times in conflict, cooperation and mutual influence played a strong role in their relationship.