Guest Post: Abigail Taylor, current holder of the Maney Publishing and Durham University archaeology studentship

In this special guest post, Abigail Taylor discusses her work on the royal images of the 25th Dynasty Nubian rulers of Egypt 

"Hello everyone, my name is Abigail Taylor and I am a PhD student at Durham University, where I am being kindly supported in my study by Maney Publishing. My research investigates the use and abuse of images of the royal family in the 25^th Dynasty and early Napatan period in Egypt and Nubia.

During the 8^th Century BC Egypt came under the control of its southern neighbours from Nubia, a land seen traditionally as a rival and enemy, to be ruled by a line of kings as the 25^th Dynasty for about a century. Following a number of brutal military campaigns backed by the Assyrian Empire, the Nubian kings were pushed out of Egypt and a new ruling house based in the Delta capital of Sais rose to power. In the following years many of the images and inscriptions of the 25^th Dynasty Pharaohs were subjected to acts of iconoclasm and damnatio memoriae, with later parties defacing, attacking and mutilating representations of the Nubian kings.

Such actions were a common way to symbolically attack and seek to discredit a rival in Ancient Egypt, and were a political message to taint the memory of the old and highlight the power of the new regime. Iconoclasm is usually an action taken against religious icons, images and monuments that are motivated by political and religious change. Damnatio memoriae is also a destructive technique commonly used against statues, images and monuments to publicly attack images and send a powerful message about new political realities, to ritually punish, express power, and is always an expression of the current social and political feeling of the time.

In my project I am seeking to examine the large corpus of royal imagery for these Nubian kings, to identify the treatments they have been subjected to in later years, in order to ascertain the nature of the actions taken against them following their removal from rule. I hope that this work will enable me to draw conclusions that will further understanding of how the political, economic and social situations between these two respective territories could have influenced actions and attitudes towards royal imagery in general, and in particular towards these Nubian rulers who were of a foreign origin.

Echoes in modern history

Cases of image destruction are not only limited to antiquity. We are constantly surrounded by the physical evidence of the maiming of images, caught in the crossfire as they clash with different powers and ideologies, who use the destruction of an image to express ideological and political messages. In recent years we have seen various examples come to light across news channels the world over. An image I will never forget was when the troops toppled Saddam Hussein's statue during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and most recently in 2015 we have also witnessed evidence for Assyrian statues being smashed at the Mosul Museum and the destruction of the ancient UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Khorsabad, Nimrud and Hatra by aggressors in the Middle East. Modern actions and events can be seen to have precedents and echoes throughout history, and this is something that in my opinion makes archaeology a discipline and subject that is so relevant and important in unraveling the history of human cultures."

Durham University is currently accepting applications for the 2015 scholarship, which includes full fees for three years and an annual £3,000 stipend. Ideal candidates will be undertaking doctoral studies in the archaeology of the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean. Interested applicants should apply no later than June 30th. 

For more information, please see our press release >

All the Viking ladies, put your hands up

Ring discovery connects Norse and Islamic cultures 


When you think about Scandinavian Vikings, what comes to mind? Bearded seafarers? Sure. Horned helmets? Absolutely. Islamic civilization? Not so much. 

But an enchanting ring found in a ninth century Viking grave offers evidence that these two seemingly disparate civilizations were actually in close contact. 

The breathtaking purple ring was first excavated in the late 1800s from Birka, a Viking trading center in Sweden, according to a recent Science News article. The ring's mesmerizing centerpiece was always thought to be a violet amethyst. But when archaeologists at Stockholm University conducted an electron microscope scan, they discovered that it is in fact made of colored glass, a highly desirable, and exotic material at the time. The scan also revealed an unexpected inscription on the glass inset which reads either "for Allah" or "to Allah" in ancient Arabic script. 

So how did this Islamic jewelry end up on the finger of a Viking a world away? Scandinavians were known to trade prized objects from Egypt and Mesopotamia as long as 3,400 years ago. So archaeologists theorize it's not unlikely that the Vikings could have obtained glass treasures from Islamic traders in the same part of the globe about 2,000 years later, rather waiting for these goods to travel north through popular trade networks. 

While there are encounters between these two civilizations mentioned in ancient texts about 1,000 years ago, substantial archaeological evidence in support of these accounts is quite rare. 

What's more, researchers at Stockholm University say the ring shows almost no signs of wear. This suggests it was made by an Arabic silversmith and had no prior owners before reaching the Viking woman. 

Into Vikings? Enjoy these complimentary articles from European Journal of Archaeology: 

‘A River of Knives and Swords’: Ritually Deposited Weapons in English Watercourses and Wetlands during the Viking Age

Bloody Slaughter: Ritual Decapitation and Display at the Viking Settlement of Hofstadir Iceland

Stealing the past: an insider's perspective on antiquities looting in Palestinian National Territories



Some of the destruction at the Malawi National Museum

We were met with the news last week that political unrest in Egypt has led to the looting of the nation's precious antiquities with "1,050 artifacts spanning 3,500 years of history...looted from the Malawi National Museum south of Cairo last week". Unesco Director-General Irina Bokova stated last Monday that she had grave concerns for Egypt’s cultural heritage following the reports of looting at the museum, as well as the destruction of several monuments of religious importance, including churches and mosques in Upper Egypt, Fayoum and Cairo.

Antiquities looting is often an unfortunate and devastating biproduct of conflict and war and much has been published on efforts to prevent looting and how to retrieve stolen artifacts from the black market. In the article "Palestinian antiquities looters, their skill development, methodology and specialised terminology: an ethnographic study" published in a 2012 issue of Palestine Exploration Quarterly, Dr Salah H Al-Houdalieh takes the investigation to the source of the problem and attempts to get inside the mind of the looter. In the study Dr Al-Houdalieh interviews 96 antiquities looters in Palestinian National Territories (PNT) with the aim of exploring the measures that have been used by Palestinian antiquities looters to develop their knowledge, fieldwork skills and experience.

The following is an excerpt from the article's introduction:

"The state of Palestine’s archaeological heritage resources is one of serious risk, due to the on-going looting of antiquities. Vandalising archaeological resources is a widespread phenomenon throughout the Palestinian National Territories (PNT) and has resulted in either total or partial damage to thousands of these resources, and the extraction of at least hundreds of thousands of archaeological objects. The main aim of this study is to explore the measures that have been used by Palestinian antiquities looters to develop their knowledge, fieldwork skills and experience. To this end, I interviewed 96 antiquities looters residing in the West Bank. The Gaza Strip, which is totally relevant to the issues under discussion, was only excluded from this study due to the current travel restrictions between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip."

Dr Al-Houdalieh goes on to conclude that:

"Conducting interviews with a large number of such individuals provides the researchers with valuable, first-hand information of many kinds, including: some idea of the scale of the phenomenon of antiquities looting; the driving forces behind this vandalising of archaeological resources; the formation operations of the looting gangs; the terminology used among the antiquities looters; the measures used by antiquities looters to develop their knowledge and fieldwork experience; and actual stories about vandalising heritage resources, including descriptions of the extracted archaeological objects and their numbers, among other things. Furthermore, the results of this research indicate that the Palestinian antiquities looters have gained and developed their fieldwork experience through four primary means: taking part in legitimate, licensed archaeological excavations; taking part with others in illicit digging by joining an existing gang; conducting their own looting activities, with family members or friends, without prior knowledge; and, finally, referring to relevant publications, especially catalogues."

>> Read the full article for free

>> "Malawi National Museum Looting Condemned By Unesco Amid Fears Egypt's Cultural Heritage Is In Danger"