Welcome to the New York Chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt
Our Next Lecture
ARCE/NY VIRTUAL LECTURE
January 30, 2022 at 11:00 am (EST)
Dr. Pearce Paul Creasman – Diving the Pyramids at Nuri
REGISTRATION: RSVP to arcenychapter@gmail.com. You will be emailed a Zoom link to attend the lecture. Note: Space is limited to 100 participants.
ABSTRACT: The pyramids, royal cemetery, and necropoles of Napata (an ancient Kushite political center) at Nuri comprise more than 7,500,000 square feet and today remain largely unexplored. Initially the site of more than 80 burial monuments, Nuri served as the resting place for at least 60 kings and queens corresponding to the Third Intermediate and Late Periods in Egypt. The first royal known to be buried at Nuri was the biblical pharaoh Taharqa (protector of Jerusalem, per 2 Kings 19:9), whose tomb was cut into the bedrock deep below his pyramid. His descendants used the site for four more centuries, and others for centuries more beyond. Partly excavated only once before, in the 1910s, Nuri remains poorly published. In 2017, a new archaeological mission was initiated. This presentation discusses its progress with particular attention to underwater excavations conducted on site.
As a result of climate change, intensive agriculture nearby, and the construction of dams along the Nile, rising groundwater has submerged many of the tombs cut into the bedrock, likely including all of the subterranean pyramid chambers of the kings. Today, at least four kings’ burial chambers remain unexcavated. Since 2018, the Nuri Archaeological Expedition has been excavating the now underwater burial of one such king, the last Kushite king interred at Nuri: Nastasen (ca. 335-310 BCE). Supported by grants from the National Geographic Society, excavations of Nastasen’s pyramid and tomb represent the first attempt to conduct underwater archaeology in Sudan. While not yet completed, significant discoveries were made and will be discussed within the framework of Nuri as a whole and the site’s great potential to inform us about the people of Nuri through the generations and environments in which they lived.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Dr.Pearce Paul Creasman is an archaeologist in the fields of Egyptology, maritime archaeology, and dendrochronology who holds a PhD in nautical archaeology from Texas A & M University. He is currently director of the American Center of Research located in Amman, Jordan. Previously, Dr. Creasman was an associate professor of dendrochronology and archaeology at the University of Arizona (where he remains affiliated faculty), focusing on the heritage, archaeology, and the environment of the Middle East and North Africa. He has been conducting archaeological and environmental research in Egypt and Sudan since 2004. His current archaeological project is the excavation at the pyramids and royal necropoles of Nuri, Sudan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dr. Creasman is editor of the peer-reviewed Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections and the author or co-author of more than 100 articles and edited books.
Please enjoy ARCE’s podcast series. Here are the links:
Aftermath of Tutankhamen’s Reign
A talk by Maggie Bryson that discusses the aftermath of the reign of Tutankhamun, what happened after his death as well as the lasting impacts of the Amarna period on Egypt. She discusses the role of the general Horemheb and the transition to the next Dynasty.
Nozomu Kawai explains the political situation during the reign of King Tutankhamun and highlights the most important women and men in his court. He also details the vast building program of the King and what could be his motives behind it.
This talk, by Dr. Aidan Dodson, discusses Tutankhamen’s family history, the DNA studies done on his mummy and some of the objects found in his tomb.
Inside the Tomb of Tutankhamen
Dr. Salima Ikram discusses the tomb’s treasures and decorations, as well as the king’s mummy and what is unique about it.
We talk with Dr. Kenawi about the Amasili Project: the multidisciplinary conservation of an Ottoman-period house in the center of Rosetta. In addition to learning about its novel approach to heritage conservation, we discuss threats to heritage sites and consider some unanswered questions about Egypt’s last Ptolemaic rulers.
ARCE is hard at work preserving many sites in Egypt for future generations. Please take a look at virtual tours of some of these sites.
The Jewish cemetery of Basatin
The Museum at the Monastery of St. Anthony
The Temple of Khonsu at Karnak
The Statues of Rahotep and Nofret
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arcenychapter@gmail.com
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