The Final Survey of Lower Nubia Part 2

Professor Harry Smith was interviewed by Chris Naunton for the Egypt Exploration Society's Oral History Project in March 2009. This is the second part of an excerpt in which Professor Smith talks about the EES' 1961 survey of archaeological sites in Egyptian (Lower) Nubia, which he directed and which formed part of the Society's contribution to the UNESCO rescue campaign. This was the last opportunity to gather information on the archaeology of the region before it was submerged beneath the flood waters created by the High Dam at Aswan.

During this section Harry refers to the discovery of an A-Group cemetery (Tunqala West) which, though of considerable interest, had still not been published at the time of the interview. Fortunately this situation has now rectified: fortuitously the entire interview was transcribed in 2009 by Dr Alice Stevenson, a specialist in the funerary practices of early Egypt and Nubia. Alice has now completed a study of the site, based on the Nubian Survey records, which had been in Professor Smith's possession until September 2009 when he presented them to the EES for the Lucy Gura Archive. A short article by Alice will appear in the Sumer 2011 issue of the Society's Newsletter and a comprehensive study will be published in the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology in due course.

The recording of Harry's voice is accompanied by footage shot by EES member Dr Anthony Hovenden during a tourist visit to Lower Nubia in 1962, and also by images from the Society's Lucy Gura Archive (http://www.ees.ac.uk/archive/LGarchive.html). We are extremely grateful to Professor Smith for his time and recollections and to Dr Hovenden for permission to use his footage.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• oral
• history
• project
• harry
• smith
• nubian
• survey