Some 370km (230 miles) north of Khartoum lies a large, flat-topped rock (mesa) that was one of the most sacred places in Egypt and Nubia. The distinctive feature of this 100m-high (330ft) hill is a gigantic free-standing pinnacle (shown on…
An international team carrying out satellite remote sensing in the Eastern Sudan deserts has discovered hundreds of huge ancient mass graves in the Atbai Desert, part of the Sahara Desert which stretches between the Nile in Nubia and the Red…
A new synopsis of the history of Nubia is needed given the increase in new research in recent years; Freed’s focus on the art of the region is a refreshing take that rightfully emphasises the unique material produced across Sudanese…
The Nubian empire at its height was one of the largest in the ancient world – a land rich in gold and other resources, with thriving trade. Highly skilled artisans created distinctive and finely crafted jewellery, ceramics, and architecture. And…
REVIEW BY ANNA GARNETT The histories, cultures, and archaeologies of ancient Nubia remain a source of much scholarly debate, and centring our research on the people of the ancient Nile Valley is especially important at this time of political turmoil…
REVIEW BY PATRICK MERCER If, as a youngster, you enjoyed those wonderful films Khartoum, The Four Feathers and Young Winston, you were not alone. I sat as transfixed as the spear that skewered General Gordon, as the bayonets that shimmered…
Research from Leiden University in the Netherlands has revealed that pyramid burials may not have been exclusively for the elite. The pyramid burials of ancient Egyptians at the site of ancient Tombos in northern Nubia, near the Third Cataract, were…
The use of ‘native levies’ has long been a feature of foreign wars – but their employment and their sacrifice reached a peak during the British colonial era. Stephen Roberts uncovers a forgotten story.
• A conundrum: what are these enigmatic golden cylinders from Nubia?
• Dating the dead: chronology and context at Saqqara’s Sacred Animal Necropolis
• Cooking recipes and drink preparation in ancient Egypt
• Current research in Egyptology: burial practices, Kamal and Erman, and black coffins
• Rediscovering Egypt: diving deeper into the Harrogate Collection in Swansea
• Lapis Lazuli: precious stone from Afghanistan
• The Temple of Hibis at Kharga Oasis
Scholars have long puzzled over the function of the enigmatic golden objects discovered in the tombs of the Napatan kings and queens. Peter Lacovara believes he has solved the mystery.
Aidan Dodson explores how the history of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty has been pieced together over the past two centuries, emerging only recently from the racist views of early Egyptology scholars.
Karl Harris continues his journey through Sudan, retracing one of the overland routes taken by the Meroitic rulers of Kush.
Archaeologists have uncovered a rare example of a religious tattoo in a burial near the medieval monastic site of Ghazali, in northern Sudan. The tattooed individual, whose skin was unusually well preserved, was discovered in 2016 during excavations of the…
Karl Harris travelled to Sudan on an expedition to identify the original locations and find-sites of objects now in museum collections.
As summer comes to an end, this is the perfect time to reflect on memories of your heritage-filled travels or visits to historical sites. Photography offers a wonderful way to capture and experience the sights and splendours of archaeology around…
An exhibition at the State Museum of Egyptian Art (SMÄK) in Munich transports visitors to excavations at the ancient city of Naga in Sudan.
Evidence of an ancient hydraulic engineering system has been discovered along the banks of the Nile by the British Museum’s Amara West Research Project. Satellite imagery and aerial drone and ground surveys revealed a 600-mile network of nearly 1,300 river…
REVIEW BY ANNA GARNETT Studies of the ancient Nile Valley have traditionally focused on Egypt as the predominant political and cultural power in the region, with relatively limited work in the Upper Nile region (until the construction of the Aswan…
Archaeologists working at Old Dongola in Sudan have stumbled across a set of unusual 13th-century Christian wall paintings.
This year’s overall winner is Nickolas Warner’s photo of the West Cemetery of Meroë, Sudan.
The image was chosen as the winner of the CWA Photo of the Year 2023 Competition (sponsored by Ace Cultural Tours).
Inscriptions alongside the paintings mention a city – likely Old Dongola – and King David, who is probably the royal figure depicted.
Review by Nigel Fletcher-Jones In recent years there has been increasing desire among travellers to visit the archaeological sites of southern Egypt and Sudan in search of ‘ancient Nubia’, an elongated oval that stretched either side of the Nile from…
Review by Anna Garnett The past two decades have seen greater recognition that the cultures of Nubia represent the earliest complex societies in inner Africa in their own right: scholars of ancient Nile cultures now more frequently seek to look…
The European Research Council has awarded an ERC Consolidator grant of nearly $2 million to Dr Artur Obłuski, director of the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw (PCMA UW), for a project exploring the site of Tungul (or…
In the latest season of fieldwork this year, a team led by Artur Obłuski, director of the PCMA UW, cleaned the dome of a large tomb and the wall of the church’s apse, revealing paintings with two rows of monumental figures, possibly apostles.
The sands of ancient Nubia, a region over-lapping southern Egypt and northern Sudan, are home to remains of cities, forts, and numerous pyramids. It was to these archaeologically rich sands that the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition headed…