The Fourth Cataract and Beyond

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.