Abstract New archaeological discoveries south of Khartoum in south-central Sudan are enhancing our ability to determine the spread of items originating from the Meroitic state 2000 years ago, beyond the political borders of the state. For the first time in a full-length paper, this research aims to increase our knowledge of archaeological sites dating to this period along the very poorly understood White Nile. The conditions of the sites are outlined, archival research was undertaken through an examination of the original excavation notes and records, and the importance of future research is highlighted. The results shed new light on the features of the communities living to the south of the state as well as how they interacted with the Meroitic state. The conclusions suggest that the lack of civil, political, and religious Meroitic constructions are indicative of a lack of political control over the White Nile where the archaeological evidence demonstrates that fisher-hunting activities predominated. However, there were commercial relations between these rural areas, and the Meroitic state was based on the White Nile's need for ivory, wood, animals, slaves, and perishable items such as leather, and on the presence of Meroitic products such as amulets, gold ornaments, iron arrowheads, and pottery.
{"title":"The features of meroitic spread in south-central Sudan: remains along the White Nile region","authors":"A. Abdalla","doi":"10.1017/lis.2021.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/lis.2021.2","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract New archaeological discoveries south of Khartoum in south-central Sudan are enhancing our ability to determine the spread of items originating from the Meroitic state 2000 years ago, beyond the political borders of the state. For the first time in a full-length paper, this research aims to increase our knowledge of archaeological sites dating to this period along the very poorly understood White Nile. The conditions of the sites are outlined, archival research was undertaken through an examination of the original excavation notes and records, and the importance of future research is highlighted. The results shed new light on the features of the communities living to the south of the state as well as how they interacted with the Meroitic state. The conclusions suggest that the lack of civil, political, and religious Meroitic constructions are indicative of a lack of political control over the White Nile where the archaeological evidence demonstrates that fisher-hunting activities predominated. However, there were commercial relations between these rural areas, and the Meroitic state was based on the White Nile's need for ivory, wood, animals, slaves, and perishable items such as leather, and on the presence of Meroitic products such as amulets, gold ornaments, iron arrowheads, and pottery.","PeriodicalId":40059,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Studies","volume":"52 1","pages":"159 - 165"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/lis.2021.2","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42560518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The Society for Libyan Studies celebrated its 50th year in 2019 and it boasts a long record of promoting excellent research on Libya and its adjacent regions. Our second half-century will bring new challenges and opportunities. This note outlines our strategy to maintain our focus on Libya while acknowledging that Libya has always been embedded within wider networks of influence, trade and engagement across the Mediterranean and throughout North and Central Africa. We want to acknowledge this broader geographical remit more clearly with a new subtitle for this journal: Libyan Studies: a Journal of North African and Mediterranean Cultures. This subtitle also points to the benefits of engaging other academic communities beyond our traditional, core constituencies of archaeology, ancient history and history – not least because a broader engagement with contemporary research will help to maintain the Society's strength, relevance and sustainability. Likewise, we aim to engage more interest from the Libyan and North African diaspora in Britain. These initiatives will build upon our strong foundations to make us more able to respond to the challenges of our second 50 years.
{"title":"Chair's note: a strategy to develop our geographical and interdisciplinary reach, and our potential audiences","authors":"David Atkinson","doi":"10.1017/lis.2020.23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/lis.2020.23","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The Society for Libyan Studies celebrated its 50th year in 2019 and it boasts a long record of promoting excellent research on Libya and its adjacent regions. Our second half-century will bring new challenges and opportunities. This note outlines our strategy to maintain our focus on Libya while acknowledging that Libya has always been embedded within wider networks of influence, trade and engagement across the Mediterranean and throughout North and Central Africa. We want to acknowledge this broader geographical remit more clearly with a new subtitle for this journal: Libyan Studies: a Journal of North African and Mediterranean Cultures. This subtitle also points to the benefits of engaging other academic communities beyond our traditional, core constituencies of archaeology, ancient history and history – not least because a broader engagement with contemporary research will help to maintain the Society's strength, relevance and sustainability. Likewise, we aim to engage more interest from the Libyan and North African diaspora in Britain. These initiatives will build upon our strong foundations to make us more able to respond to the challenges of our second 50 years.","PeriodicalId":40059,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Studies","volume":"51 1","pages":"184 - 186"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/lis.2020.23","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48845111","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract This article provides the edition and commentary of two Punic and one Latin funerary inscription of Roman imperial date from inland areas of Tripolitania. The first two texts were discovered at Al-Brahama village in the vicinity of Al-Rujban in the Western Jebel district of Libya. The first is neo-Punic, the second is Latin. The neo-Punic inscription consists of seven lines, of which the first four lines are legible and their translation is unproblematic. However, the rest are illegible as a result of damage to the stone. The Latin inscription consists of four lines that are easy to read and translate. Finally a reinterpretation of an already published text (HNPI Tarhuna N1) from the area between Tarhuna and Garyan is presented, and some observations on tombs in the Jefara plain.
{"title":"Three funerary inscriptions from Roman Tripolitania and observations on tombs in the Jefara plain","authors":"A. F. Elmayer","doi":"10.1017/lis.2020.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/lis.2020.2","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article provides the edition and commentary of two Punic and one Latin funerary inscription of Roman imperial date from inland areas of Tripolitania. The first two texts were discovered at Al-Brahama village in the vicinity of Al-Rujban in the Western Jebel district of Libya. The first is neo-Punic, the second is Latin. The neo-Punic inscription consists of seven lines, of which the first four lines are legible and their translation is unproblematic. However, the rest are illegible as a result of damage to the stone. The Latin inscription consists of four lines that are easy to read and translate. Finally a reinterpretation of an already published text (HNPI Tarhuna N1) from the area between Tarhuna and Garyan is presented, and some observations on tombs in the Jefara plain.","PeriodicalId":40059,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Studies","volume":"51 1","pages":"24 - 30"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/lis.2020.2","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42168602","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract This article deals with the question of the art of the flute in ancient Libya. First, reference is made to the way in which the Greek rulers of ancient Libya tried to impose the idea of the Greek origin of the art of flute on the Libyans. This is followed by an analysis of the indications of the continuous existence of the art of flute in ancient Libya. Finally, it is interesting to note that ancient Libya has such a long tradition in the art of flute, opening up the possible Libyan origin of the instrument.
{"title":"The art of the flute in ancient Libya","authors":"Paraskevas-Marios Tourtounis","doi":"10.1017/lis.2020.10","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/lis.2020.10","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article deals with the question of the art of the flute in ancient Libya. First, reference is made to the way in which the Greek rulers of ancient Libya tried to impose the idea of the Greek origin of the art of flute on the Libyans. This is followed by an analysis of the indications of the continuous existence of the art of flute in ancient Libya. Finally, it is interesting to note that ancient Libya has such a long tradition in the art of flute, opening up the possible Libyan origin of the instrument.","PeriodicalId":40059,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Studies","volume":"51 1","pages":"40 - 42"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/lis.2020.10","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"56995573","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Archival material on the Libyan revolution and the civil war that followed is very scarce. This article discusses two born digital collections – the Libya Uprising Archive of tweets collected during the rising against Qaddafi, and the collections of asylum appeal tribunals in several English-speaking liberal democracies. Neither collection has been extensively used. It describes how the collections were formed, and the difficulties of using them and, for each, provides a short case study to illustrate these points. For the Libya Uprising Archive the case study is of tweets put out on the day Qaddafi was killed (20 October 2011), for the asylum tribunals the case study is of evidence provided by claimants about the importance or otherwise of tribalism as a factor that put individuals in danger.
{"title":"Born-digital sources for the history of the Libyan revolution and its aftermath","authors":"C. R. Pennell","doi":"10.1017/lis.2020.16","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/lis.2020.16","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Archival material on the Libyan revolution and the civil war that followed is very scarce. This article discusses two born digital collections – the Libya Uprising Archive of tweets collected during the rising against Qaddafi, and the collections of asylum appeal tribunals in several English-speaking liberal democracies. Neither collection has been extensively used. It describes how the collections were formed, and the difficulties of using them and, for each, provides a short case study to illustrate these points. For the Libya Uprising Archive the case study is of tweets put out on the day Qaddafi was killed (20 October 2011), for the asylum tribunals the case study is of evidence provided by claimants about the importance or otherwise of tribalism as a factor that put individuals in danger.","PeriodicalId":40059,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Studies","volume":"51 1","pages":"61 - 73"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/lis.2020.16","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43607968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Oliver Miles 6 March 1936–10 November 2019","authors":"H. Miles","doi":"10.1017/lis.2020.14","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/lis.2020.14","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":40059,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Studies","volume":"51 1","pages":"6 - 7"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/lis.2020.14","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47734481","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michael Brass, A. Adam, I. Vella Gregory, R. Abdallah, O. Alawad, A. Abdalla, Iwona Kozieradzka-Ogunmakin, J. Wellings, Anfal Albadwi, C. L. Moyne, Fakri Hassan, A. Abdelrahman
Abstract This report presents the latest data from ongoing excavations at Jebel Moya, Sudan. This year saw the opening of five new trenches and continued excavation of an archaeologically rich trench. We have recovered four individual burials, a mud brick wall and a number of animal and archaeobotanical remains. The excavations also yielded a longer pottery sequence, showing clearly that the site was in use by at least the sixth millennium BC. This season confirms the long and complex history of Jebel Moya and provides the material for future studies on population health and subsistence. This season also saw an increase in community engagement and a more detailed study of the various historical trajectories that make up the biography of Jebel Moya.
{"title":"The second season of excavations at Jebel Moya (south-central Sudan)","authors":"Michael Brass, A. Adam, I. Vella Gregory, R. Abdallah, O. Alawad, A. Abdalla, Iwona Kozieradzka-Ogunmakin, J. Wellings, Anfal Albadwi, C. L. Moyne, Fakri Hassan, A. Abdelrahman","doi":"10.1017/lis.2020.9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/lis.2020.9","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This report presents the latest data from ongoing excavations at Jebel Moya, Sudan. This year saw the opening of five new trenches and continued excavation of an archaeologically rich trench. We have recovered four individual burials, a mud brick wall and a number of animal and archaeobotanical remains. The excavations also yielded a longer pottery sequence, showing clearly that the site was in use by at least the sixth millennium BC. This season confirms the long and complex history of Jebel Moya and provides the material for future studies on population health and subsistence. This season also saw an increase in community engagement and a more detailed study of the various historical trajectories that make up the biography of Jebel Moya.","PeriodicalId":40059,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Studies","volume":"51 1","pages":"126 - 140"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/lis.2020.9","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48619851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The Sudan occupies a fairly complex place in archaeological enquiry. This is not a result of the archaeological record, rather it is due to a particular perception of the Sudan, its archaeology and history. The first excavators were archaeologists and anatomists who either worked in Egypt or in the Mediterranean, while the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium encouraged white-only scholars to both conduct research and to be active members of the newly formed political service in order to ‘know the natives’. In other words, archaeology from the outset was intimately connected to a particular political narrative and aim. This paper traces the historical context from the early 20th century to the development of archaeology south of beyond the Sixth Cataract south of the present-day capital of Khartoum, showing how it was created by Henry Wellcome. In particular, it focuses on the vast mortuary and habitation site of Jebel Moya, south-central Sudan, where new fieldwork is yielding fruitful results. Henry Wellcome's contribution to archaeology remains under-acknowledged. This long-overdue critical assessment traces and contextualizes the historical trajectories at play and situates them within the broader historical archaeology context.
{"title":"Ordering the land beyond the Sixth Cataract: Imperial policy, archaeology and the role of Henry Wellcome","authors":"I. Vella Gregory","doi":"10.1017/lis.2020.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/lis.2020.3","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The Sudan occupies a fairly complex place in archaeological enquiry. This is not a result of the archaeological record, rather it is due to a particular perception of the Sudan, its archaeology and history. The first excavators were archaeologists and anatomists who either worked in Egypt or in the Mediterranean, while the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium encouraged white-only scholars to both conduct research and to be active members of the newly formed political service in order to ‘know the natives’. In other words, archaeology from the outset was intimately connected to a particular political narrative and aim. This paper traces the historical context from the early 20th century to the development of archaeology south of beyond the Sixth Cataract south of the present-day capital of Khartoum, showing how it was created by Henry Wellcome. In particular, it focuses on the vast mortuary and habitation site of Jebel Moya, south-central Sudan, where new fieldwork is yielding fruitful results. Henry Wellcome's contribution to archaeology remains under-acknowledged. This long-overdue critical assessment traces and contextualizes the historical trajectories at play and situates them within the broader historical archaeology context.","PeriodicalId":40059,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Studies","volume":"51 1","pages":"43 - 60"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/lis.2020.3","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47730030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}