The Fourth Cataract and Beyond: Proceedings of the 12th International Conference for Nubian Studies

The 12th International Conference for Nubian Studies was held at the

British Museum, London, from 1st-6th August 2010. The conference, held

every four years, is the only international gathering of archaeologists

and scholars from associated disciplines which considers all aspects of

Sudan and southern Egypt’s ancient and more recent past. The main

sessions, and main papers published herein, were devoted to a

consideration of the Merowe Dam Archaeological Salvage Project, its

aftermath and impact. Over the previous decade this has been the major

focus of archaeological activity on the Middle Nile. The dam is now

complete and the reservoir is full drawing a line under the fieldwork

component of the project. It was felt timely, therefore, in the interim

to obtain an overview of what was found during the many years of

intensive work and the first main paper speaker in each session sought

to do just that. They were followed by reports on sites, categories of

objects and more thematic papers arranged broadly by period. These

highlight that, while the focus of archaeological activity still remains

in the Nile Valley where there is the densest concentration of sites and

also where there remains the most concentrated threat to their survival,

much work is being undertaken away from the river and in some cases

outside its catchment area. The role of the deserts is increasingly

being appreciated while the role of the savannah and areas even further

south has yet to be given the prominence that it probably deserves.