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Module description

This module is to acquaint students with the Middle Nile valley, i.e. present-day Sudan, as a region of archaeological enquiry, which may be particularly pertinent to students with interests in African archaeology, Egyptology and, more generally, fieldwork in this area. The module offers a broad sweep of the archaeology of the Middle Nile valley from the Palaeolithic to the post-Medieval Islamic period. Lectures focus on issues surrounding major cultural transitions and current scholarly debates regarding the nature of local societies during the various periods discussed, including the beginnings of food production and the potential role of climatic change, the relationships between Middle Nile polities and Egypt through the various periods, and the rise and trajectory of state-level societies – Kerma, Napata, Meroe and Medieval Nubia. The appraisal of these societies in the context of World Archaeology will also be discussed. The module will use data from research projects of both module coordinators, including completed and ongoing fieldwork, to reflect on these issues.

Module Aims

The aim of the module is to provide a problem-driven historical overview and an introduction to major themes currently debated in the archaeology of Sudan, i.e. the Middle Nile valley and adjacent regions.

On successful completion of the module, students will:

· understand the outlines of Sudanese history from prehistory to the Islamic era

· be familiar with archaeological key sites in the Middle Nile valley and be able to relate them to individual periods of the Sudanese history

· understand the geographical, historical and social contexts of a range of material and nonmaterial cultural expressions of the Sudanese past

· understand the disciplinary underpinnings of archaeology in the Nile valley

· be familiar with and able to contribute to current debates in Sudanese Archaeology within the context of World Archaeology

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the module, students should be able to demonstrate:

· source-critical approaches to archaeological material from the Middle Nile valley and adjacent regions

· the ability to assess and integrate and different research resources, including research literature, objects, archives and databases

· independent problem solving based on real data sets.

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