Ancient African Queens: New Perspectives on Black History

Abstract

• See our panel discuss how reassessing 19th and 20th century colonial attitudes can bring new perspectives to fascinating aspects of ancient Egyptian culture and its place in African history. In the 19th and 20th centuries European and American Egyptologists appropriated ancient Egypt into an idea of ‘Western civilisation’ and set it apart from other African cultures. This historical colonial bias against Africa has ramifications on how we interpret ancient Egyptian and Sudanese collections today. Although less well-known, ancient Egypt’s southern neighbour, Nubia also had a long and fascinating history. Through focussing on powerful queens, including the Qurna burial featured in our Ancient Egypt Rediscovered gallery, our speakers demonstrate how ancient Nubian culture was equally important to that of ancient Egypt. Curator Dr Margaret Maitland and Dr Solange Ashby examine colonial-era biases which cast ancient Egypt as culturally superior and consider the politics of representation. They reassess the cultural connections between ancient Egypt and Nubia, applying this new perspective to historical collections in recognition of the importance of Nubian material culture. This event included a live Q&A chaired by Professor Katherine Harloe.