Northern Cal. ARCE Lecture May 7 - New Perspectives on the African Empire of Kush: Excavation at Jebel Barkal

The American Research Center in Egypt, Northern California Chapter, and the Near Eastern Studies Department, University of California, Berkeley, invite you to attend a lecture by Dr. Geoff Emberling, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan. New Perspectives on the African Empire of Kush: Excavation at Jebel Barkal Sunday, May 7 2023, 3 PM Pacific Daylight Time Room 20 Social Sciences Building (formerly Barrows Hall) UC Berkeley Jebel Barkal (Image courtesy of the lecturer) About the Lecture: Kush was the dominant political power in the Middle Nile region of northern Sudan for over 2000 years (ca. 2000 BCE – 300 CE). Our understanding of this extensive ancient empire has long been constrained by the long legacy of focus on monumental remains (palaces, temples, pyramids) at the expense of investigation of settlements that would broaden our understanding of Kushite economy and social identities. A joint project of the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums of Sudan and the University of Michigan has begun work on a newly discovered area of settlement at Jebel Barkal (ancient Napata), one of the major cities of Kush (and a UNESCO World Heritage site). This talk will present the results of our first seasons of work on Meroitic levels of settlement at the site, contemporary with the Roman occupation of Egypt (1st century BCE – 1st century CE). About the Lecturer: Dr. Geoff Emberling is an archaeologist and museum curator who has worked extensively on ancient cultures of North Africa and the Middle East. His research has focused on identities, urbanism and empires in Mesopotamia and in Nubia. He has directed projects in northern Sudan over the past 15 years and his team is just beginning its work at Jebel Barkal, the "pure mountain" of the ancient Egyptians and capital city of ancient Kush. Parking is available in UC lots all day on weekends, for a fee. Ticket dispensing machines accept debit or credit cards. Parking is available in lots around the Social Sciences Building, and in lots along Bancroft. A map of the campus is available online at http://www.berkeley.edu/map/ About ARCE-NC: For more information, please visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/NorthernCaliforniaARCE, https://facebook.com/NorthernCaliforniaARCE/, https://twitter.com/ARCENCPostings, or https://khentiamentiu.org. To join the chapter or renew your membership, please go to https://www.arce.org/general-membership and select "Berkeley, CA" as your chapter when you sign up.