The (De)Constructing Nubia workshop critically reviews current understandings of the so-called Middle Nubian Traditions (i.e. C-Group, Pan-Grave, and Kerma) and proposes ways by which existing cultural frameworks might be better reconfigured. It is now generally accepted that the existing culture-historical framework for ancient Nubia is problematic, and that the social landscape of ancient Nubia was far more complex and interconnected than can be adequately expressed using existing models. A way forward needs to be sought; one that is applicable not only for the Nile Valley south of the First Cataract, but also for Nubian connections with the Egyptian Nile Valley and the surrounding desert regions.

The workshop brings together a group of specialists working on sites and material from Egypt and Sudan to intensively discuss how material culture, historical data, and linguistic evidence from mortuary and settlement contexts can address the following key questions:

• What are the problems with the existing culture-historical framework for the Middle Nubian groups? and what, if any, are the advantages?
• How far can patterns in material culture / language groups be correlated with cultural groups and regions identified in the historical (i.e. Egyptian) records?
• How are encounters between Nubian groups reflected in the archaeological record?
• How should we integrate evidence from desert regions and the Nile Valley?
• What models can be proposed that better reflect the archaeological reality?

The workshop will be spread across two half-day sessions: Tues 8 – Wed 9 September 2020, 13:00–18:00 pm (Central European Time)
Day One comprises a series of short presentations from each of the invited specialists, in which they will provide an overview of their current research and how it relates to the stated aims of the workshop.
Day Two will be a series of closed round-table discussions relating to the broader themes of the project.

Publication

Outcomes of the workshop will be published as a peer-reviewed volume in the series Archaeology of Egypt, Sudan, and the Levant (AESL), published by OREA and the Austrian Academy of Sciences.