In this lecture, Dr Humphris will focus on the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Meroe as a case study to illustrate the diverse challenges facing heritage in Sudan before the current, devastating conflict broke out in April 2023. She will outline the community engagement strategies developed by her and her team in response to these challenges, and the implementation of sustainable, relevant public archaeology at Meroe. She will also present insights into the Western Sudan Community Museums Phase 2 project, a collaborative venture which centred Museums as locations for the protection of cultural heritage, for communities and education, and as civic spaces for peace and justice. The lessons learnt from over a decade of activity in Sudan can provide potentially transferable Public Archaeology approaches for the future.
Speaker: Dr Jane Humphris, PhD African Archaeometallurgy, CBRL Director
Humphris is the Director of the CBRL and was previously Director of the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA). She holds a PhD in African Archaeometallurgy and an MA in African Archaeology from UCL, and a BA in Ancient History and Archaeology from the University of Manchester. Since 2012 she led large-scale fieldwork at the Royal City of Meroe in Sudan, and she continues to work on publishing the results of this research. In Sudan, Jane and her team developed a comprehensive and diverse programme of public archaeology, including community meetings and media outreach. While her specialism lies in ancient African iron production technologies, she is particularly interested in the theory and practice of cultural heritage management and public archaeology, the role and development of museums, and ethical archaeological practice.
Time: 4pm UK time, 6pm Jordan time
Hybrid: Online and at CBRL Amman Institute
Free entry, but registration is required.
To attend in person at the Amman Institute, click here.
To book your online place at this lecture, click here.
