Project at HIAS
Echoes of Antiquity: The Meroitic Cemetery of Kedurma (Third Cataract, Sudan)
During his fellowship at HIAS, Mohamed Bashir will focus on the project “Echoes of Antiquity,” which centers on a comprehensive analysis of the Kedurma cemetery at the Third Cataract. This research employs the concept of heterarchy to examine how local identities were negotiated through burial practices, moving beyond elite-focused narratives to explore regional autonomy. A central aspect of the project is the study of 50 excavated graves displaying eight distinct architectural forms that blend indigenous and royal traditions. A key objective is the final epigraphic analysis of a Meroitic stela discovered in 2023, which offers rare insights into the self-representation and matrilineal kinship (mde) of the local elite. By conducting a comparative analysis of these funerary remains with published heartland mortuary data and northern sites such as Sedeinga, the project aims to define Kedurma’s place within the Meroitic “mosaic of stratification.” This work is critically urgent, as it ensures the systematic documentation and international preservation of funerary records currently threatened by the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
Mohamed Bashir’s Tandem Partner is Aaron Butts, Professor of Ethiopian and Semitic Studies at the University of Hamburg.
Website
Funding
The HIAS Fellowship is provided by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and the federal and state funds acquired by the University of Hamburg in the framework of its Excellence Strategy.
Tandem
Prof. Dr. Aaron Butts, Ethiopian and Semitic Studies, University of Hamburg
Biography
Mohamed Bashir is an assistant professor at the University of Khartoum’s Faculty of Arts, Department of Archaeology. Since 2018, he has directed systematic excavations at the Meroitic site of Kedurma, securing support from prestigious international bodies including the National Geographic Society, the British Institute in Eastern Africa, and the Michela Schiff Giorgini Foundation. His career is defined by a commitment to exploring Nubia and the Third Cataract region, bridging the gap between field archaeology and advanced laboratory analysis. He has published extensively in international journals such as Der Antike Sudan and Sudan & Nubia, and has established collaborative partnerships with international laboratories in Boston and Poznań to advance the study of Sudanese antiquity.
Mohamed Bashir’s research focuses on the funerary and settlement archaeology of the Meroitic Kingdom (c. 320 BC – 350 AD). He investigates the complex social and political organization of the Middle Nile Valley, with particular emphasis on regional headquarters and their roles in internal and external trade relations. His expertise includes the study of material culture and the integration of interdisciplinary methods such as DNA analysis, radiocarbon dating (C14), and archaeobotany. He is also actively involved in heritage management and the preservation of archaeological sites against threats such as looting, gold mining, and modern warfare.
Mohamed Bashir‘s HIAS Fellowship is provided by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and the federal and state funds acquired by the University of Hamburg in the framework of its Excellence Strategy.
Image Information
The project team early morning. Picture by: Mohamed Albdri Sliman Bashir