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The Archives of the Archaeological Survey of Sudanese Nubia (1963-1969): An overview

Les archives de l’Archaeological Survey of Sudanese Nubia (1963-1969) : un aperçu
Marie-Paule Jung

Résumés

Cet article présente un aperçu des archives de l’Archaeological Survey of Sudanese Nubia, une vaste opération de sauvetage archéologique effectuée dans le nord du Soudan de 1963 à 1969, dans le cadre de la construction du haut barrage d’Assouan. Il livre une présentation du contexte de ces travaux de terrain, décrit le contenu des archives produites à cette occasion et souligne l’intérêt scientifique et patrimonial que revêt leur étude et leur publication.

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Texte intégral

The author thanks Léa Roth, co-director of this thematic issue of the journal Afriques, for inviting her to contribute this article, and David N. Edwards for granting access to the ASSN archives, as well as for his generosity, thoughtful guidance and valuable advice. The author also thanks the editorial board and the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions.

Introduction

1The Archaeological Survey of Sudanese Nubia (ASSN) stands as one of the most ambitious projects undertaken during the Nubia Campaign. Conducted along a 130-km stretch of the Nile River in northern Sudan, this mission systematically documented about a thousand sites spanning the Mesolithic to the medieval periods. The resulting archive—comprising maps, aerial and site photographs, object images, and field notebooks filled with descriptions and observations—has remained largely unpublished for decades.

2In a region that was, at the time, archaeologically understudied and soon to be submerged by the waters of the Aswan High Dam, these records often represent both the first and the final documentation of numerous archaeological sites. While much of this material remains unpublished, its potential contribution to current research and future archaeological projects is immense.

Context: The Nubia Campaign

  • 1 For the context and development of the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia, see T (...)
  • 2 The function of UNESCO was mostly that of publicisation and implementation; W.Y. Adams, 2007, p. 53 (...)

3During the 1960s, an unprecedented amount of archaeological work was carried out in Nubia, along the Nile, in both southern Egypt and northern Sudan, known as The International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia1 or the Nubia Campaign. The construction of the Aswan High Dam, decided in 1954, posed a direct threat to numerous archaeological sites situated close to the Nile, as the rising waters would submerge them once the dam became operational. The campaign, under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), started in the late 1950s.2

  • 3 See W.Y. Adams, 1977, p. 71-77, about the first archaeological surveys in Nubia.

4A first dam was erected in Aswan at the very end of the 19th century. The reservoir it created inundated Nubia as far as Wadi es-Sebua, approximately 160 km south of Aswan. It was raised between 1907 and 1912 and again between 1929 and 1934, with the reservoir waters eventually reaching the Sudanese border. Archaeological surveys were conducted to document the sites located within the threatened areas.3 However, the construction of the new Aswan High Dam was expected to flood a much larger area, impacting the landscape as far as the Dal Cataract, situated about 430 km southwest of Aswan. The river’s water levels began to rise again as early as 1964, creating what remains one of the largest artificial lakes in the world.

  • 4 A recently published volume, emerging from the symposium held to commemorate the 50th anniversary o (...)

5The Nubia Campaign had two main goals: the displacement of several temples and the documentation of all the threatened sites. The relocation of ancient temples endures as one of the most well-known archaeological endeavours in collective memory. Less spectacular, yet just as remarkable, were the numerous survey and excavation missions conducted along the river. Teams of archaeologists from various countries worked in Egypt and Sudan, striving to document thousands of years of human occupation before the landscape was irreversibly transformed by the rising waters.4

  • 5 A list of the archaeological operations conducted in Nubia prior to the Nubia Campaign is provided (...)

6The situation in Egypt and in Sudan was quite different. Given the work conducted by earlier surveys and excavations5 and the damage caused to sites by previous dam constructions, most of Egyptian Nubia required detailed investigation rather than broad exploratory work. There was virtually no survey work in Sudan prior to the Nubia Campaign.

7The Sudan Antiquities Service had to organise large-scale surveys and selected excavations over an area of approximately 200 km along the Nile, within a very limited time-frame and without knowing what to expect.

  • 6 This survey was financed and supported by the Sudan Antiquities Service with staff employed by UNES (...)
  • 7 A.J. Mills, 1992, p. 31.
  • 8 A list of the archaeological expeditions to Nubia between 1959 and 1969 is provided in W.Y. Adams, (...)

8The first large-scale survey was launched in 1960 and ultimately covered the West Bank of the Nile between the Egyptian frontier and Gemai—namely, the area situated north of the ASSN. Directed by W.Y. Adams,6 this operation played a key role in shaping the methodological approach of subsequent missions.7 The West Bank Survey itself was completed in 1965. Between 1961 and 1964, investigations were carried out on the East Bank of the same area, under the operation known as the ‘Scandinavian Joint Expedition’. Both of these operations combined surveys and excavations of selected sites. The ASSN also combined both approaches. This operation treated the southernmost region threatened by the construction of the dam, from Gemai to Dal. Many foreign missions focused on smaller areas, specific archaeological sites, or particular types of remains within the zones treated by these large-scale surveys.8

The Archaeological Survey of Sudanese Nubia

  • 9 For a list of the known staff of the ASSN, see D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, 2020, p. 12-13.

9The ASSN was organised by UNESCO and the Sudan Antiquities Service. The fieldwork for this project was carried out between 1963 and 1969 and led to the gathering of a large amount of data. The survey was directed by Anthony J. Mills, with both expatriate and Sudanese staff participating in the fieldwork (Figure 1).9 This project combined a global survey and excavations of selected sites over a 130-km stretch along both sides of the Sudanese Nile, between the localities of Gemai to the north and Dal to the south (Figure 2). There, the Nile flows through a rugged landscape, with many islands and several rapids. The cultivable land was scarce, and travel between localities was possible only on foot or by donkey. The barren nature of the landscape partly explains why it had remained archaeologically unexplored until the 1960s.

Figure 1: Excavation on site 11-I-1, Murshid West (ASSN F/256:10)

Figure 1: Excavation on site 11-I-1, Murshid West (ASSN F/256:10)

©ASSN Archive

Figure 2: Localisation of the Archaeological Survey of Sudanese Nubia

Figure 2: Localisation of the Archaeological Survey of Sudanese Nubia

Satellite image © 2025 Google; ASSN map based on A.-J. Mills 1965, facing p. 2; CAD: M.-P. Jung.

  • 10 The ‘Islamic’ period was not initially included in the survey’s scope, yet several noteworthy sites (...)
  • 11 D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, 2020, p. 1-2.

10Archaeological sites dating from the Mesolithic to the end of the medieval period (c. 1500 AD) were taken into consideration.10 The recorded sites ranged from mere ceramic scatters to large settlements. The work of the ASSN team was complemented by the efforts of other missions, such as the German Epigraphic Mission, which focused on recording rock art and inscriptions, and missions from Columbia and Colorado universities, which documented prehistoric sites.11

  • 12 A.J. Mills, 1965.

11In 1963-1964, the first ASSN fieldwork season was dedicated to a reconnaissance of the whole area (Figure 2), paving the way for subsequent missions.12 During this initial expedition, approximately 240 sites were documented. The primary objective was to assess both the quantity and quality of the sites across the area, as no prior survey had been conducted. This mission played a crucial role in organising the logistics for future expeditions, which was essential for the success of such a vast operation. Then, each season, during the least hot months, the team investigated the entire area, from north to south, following the path of the rising water. The sites were systematically recorded and excavations were also conducted at those considered the most relevant. Some sites selected for excavation were assigned to other missions in order to alleviate the scale of the task. Both the survey and excavations were carried out simultaneously, not as a matter of choice but of necessity. With the rising waters and the limited time available, it was imperative to undertake both operations together. The small number of trained archaeologists assigned to this task made the work even more challenging.

  • 13 D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, 2013, p. 8. The most represented period is the medieval period, with appr (...)
  • 14 A.J. Mills, 1965; A.J. Mills, H.-Å. Nordström, 1966; A.J. Mills, 1973. The periodical Kush served a (...)

12When fieldwork was completed by April 1969, a total of c. 1000 sites had been identified.13 Some were completely or almost completely excavated, but most were only tested. Given the limited time and resources available, it was impossible to excavate all the sites identified, and a careful selection had to be made to prioritise those deemed most significant. Short preliminary reports were published after the fieldwork conducted from 1963 to 1966, offering a first overview of the results obtained.14

Description of the archives

  • 15 The ASSN archives were previously described in the monograph dedicated to Pharaonic sites (D.N. Edw (...)

13The archives of the ASSN are yet to be institutionalised; they are currently in the hands of scholars.15 They consist of several types of documents that locate, describe, and illustrate the archaeological sites, buildings, and artefacts.

  • 16 W.Y. Adams, 1961, p. 7-9.
  • 17 These 1:250,000 maps themselves bear an alphanumeric code.
  • 18 F.W. Hinkel, 1977. A. Vila used the same recording system during his survey south of Dal; cf. A. Vi (...)

14The sites were recorded using a system developed by W.Y. Adams in 1959 while he was preparing the West Bank Survey.16 This is an alphanumeric coding system based on the geographical location of the sites. It relies on a grid derived from a series of 1:250,000 map sheets, each divided into 24 numbered squares. Each of these squares is further subdivided into 25 lettered units. Finally, a sequential number is assigned to each site according to the order of registration within each lettered unit. Thus, site 21-N-19 refers to the 19th site recorded in unit N of square 21 on a 1:250,000 map.17 This system was designed for use across the entire country and was later standardised by F.W. Hinkel for the Archaeological Map of the Sudan.18

  • 19 W.Y. Adams, 1992, p. 7-9; W.Y. Adams, P.E.T. Allen, 1961.
  • 20 A.J. Mills, 1992, p. 31.

15Geographical information is provided by aerial photographs, a series of topographical maps, and plans of selected sites. The aerial photographs are part of a complete aerial survey extending from the Egyptian border to the area of Abri, covering a distance of approximately 200 km along the Nile. This aerial survey was one of the first steps of the salvage campaign in Sudanese Nubia. It was carried out in November and December 1959 by W.Y. Adams and P.E.T. Allen, the aerial photographer of the Survey Department of the Sudan Government.19 The area covered by the ASSN was photographed at a contact scale of 1:15,000. The photographs did not replace the field inspection but proved to be very useful for the organisation of the survey and to improve the accuracy of the location of the sites on the survey maps.20

  • 21 W.Y. Adams, 1992, p. 8-9; A.J. Mills, 1992, p. 30.

16The aerial photographs were used to create ten topographical maps (scale 1:25,000) covering the ASSN area. Maps at this scale already existed for the region from the Egyptian border to Gemai, but none were available for the southern areas.21 The maps were used during the survey to locate archaeological sites, designated by a code described above. Copies of the annotated maps have been preserved. Some sites were documented with pencil plans and sections; however, this documentation was far from systematic. Owing to the limited time available, the drawings are often schematic, and only a few buildings could be recorded with architectural detail—a limitation resulting from fieldwork constraints.

  • 22 A list of these notebooks is provided in D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, 2020, p. 428.
  • 23 This standardised recording format had already been employed during the West Bank Survey directed b (...)

17The archives include a collection of 28 handwritten field notebooks (Figure 3).22 These notebooks document each investigated site, following a standardised format: precise location, chronological assessment, site description, and mention of the related documentation23 (including previous mentions, aerial images, photos, and selected artefacts). The handwritten notes are often accompanied by sketches or scaled drawings of relevant areas, buildings, or selected objects. As important as the written notes, photographs of the sites were taken during the survey (Figure 4). One must highlight the quality of these thousands of images, especially knowing the harsh conditions in northern Sudan: dust winds, hard light, and extreme temperature.

Figure 3: Opening pages of one of A.J. Mills’s field notebooks (ASSN AJM 6)

Figure 3: Opening pages of one of A.J. Mills’s field notebooks (ASSN AJM 6)

©ASSN Archive.

Figure 4: Site 21-N-19 under excavation in the Akasha region (ASSN F/484:1)

Figure 4: Site 21-N-19 under excavation in the Akasha region (ASSN F/484:1)

©ASSN Archive.

  • 24 A.J. Mills, 1992, p. 31. To give an indication of the quantity of selected objects, a list of Phara (...)
  • 25 Two sets of site card indexes have been compiled: one organised by grid square, the other by chrono (...)
  • 26 W.Y. Adams, 1992; A.J. Mills, 1992, p. 30.

18Artefacts were not systematically collected.24 Only a selection was retained and sent to the Sudan National Museum in Khartoum. The mobile nature of the survey and logistical difficulties made systematic collection impossible, and finds were studied in situ whenever possible. Selected artefacts were recorded on ‘find cards’, which include descriptions, drawings, photographs, and basic information such as provenance, date of unearthing, and any treatment received. Another set of cards was created for the sites themselves, summarising key information for each location.25 These cards were used during the Nubia Campaign to make results accessible at the Wadi Halfa (northern Sudan) coordination centre, which served as a hub for all expeditions in Sudanese Nubia.26

An exceptional resource for Sudanese studies

  • 27 Lists of all the expeditions in Nubia from 1907 to 1969 can be found in W.Y. Adams, 1977, p. 78-80, (...)
  • 28 The fate of these artefacts is currently unknown, as the museum has suffered attacks and lootings d (...)

19Before the Nubian Campaign, little was known about the archaeology of this part of the Nile Valley. Unlike Egyptian Nubia, which had already been the focus of earlier investigations, Sudanese Nubia, especially south of the Second Cataract, remained largely unexplored, with only a few sites previously investigated. Several surveys and excavations were conducted in the region during the campaign,27 but the ASSN remains the most extensive and ambitious project of its kind. The quality of the documentation produced by the ASSN is remarkable, especially considering the harsh conditions and the constraints. Its conservation combined with its clear organisation—largely due to the work of A.J. Mills—is significant, particularly in comparison with other archival collections. Handwritten records, maps, and photographs have, in fact, been remarkably well preserved and cross-referenced. The ASSN archive also keeps documentation related to the artefacts sent to the Sudan National Museum in Khartoum, recorded on the ‘find cards’ mentioned above.28

  • 29 They were relocated to remote regions in Egypt and Nubia: W.Y. Adams, 1977, p. 660, fig. 87. To doc (...)
  • 30 W.Y. Adams, 1977, p. 663.
  • 31 D.N. Edwards, personal communication and communication of Mahmoud Suleiman on the occasion of the c (...)

20The topographical maps and aerial photographs are crucial for relocating the sites in an area that has undergone significant changes since the construction of the Aswan High Dam: most of the sites are forever lost (Figure 5). In many cases, the archives represent the only remaining paper record of sites that have since been submerged and destroyed. The lake not only flooded ancient sites, but also caused the displacement of around 100,000 people who had been living in Nubia before the construction of the Aswan High Dam.29 This resulted in a massive loss of collective memory regarding the history of Nubia itself, as well as the archaeological remains that were part of the landscape. It is worth mentioning that some populations returned quickly to certain areas after their displacement, while others never left Nubia at all.30 More recently, many Nubians have returned to northern Sudan from Khartoum due to the current political situation.31 This exodus has led to the expansion of settlements and cultivated land; modern development continues to pose significant threats to the archaeological sites.

Figure 5: Comparison of the Nile’s extent on a 2025 satellite image and the topographical maps used during the fieldwork

Figure 5: Comparison of the Nile’s extent on a 2025 satellite image and the topographical maps used during the fieldwork

Northern survey area. The white line marks the river’s course prior to flooding by the Aswan High Dam. Each dot represents a recorded site.

Satellite image © 2025 Google; topographic maps (extracts) © ASSN Archive. CAD: M.-P. Jung.

  • 32 D.N. Edwards, 2019, p. 54; D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, 2020, p. 392.

21The construction of the Aswan High Dam caused a dramatic rise in water levels, permanently inundating vast portions of the surveyed landscape and altering the course of the Nile. However, a number of archaeological sites—especially those located on higher ground—have survived, either partially or in full.32 The ASSN archives provide crucial information for identifying and assessing these sites and could serve as a foundation for developing strategies for their protection and future study.

  • 33 In particular, material from the Early Kerma, Pre-Kerma, or Napatan periods had received little sch (...)
  • 34 A recent monograph focuses on the context of the Nubia Campaign and its impact on the construction (...)

22Our understanding of Nubian civilisations has evolved significantly since the 1960s, and new analyses of earlier material now allow for a reassessment of occupations and artefacts in ways that were not possible with the knowledge available seventy years ago.33 The methods of archaeology have also advanced, and some surviving sites could now be re-examined using modern techniques and expertise. A possible re-examination of the archival material could also take the form of a critical analysis of the scientific and social practices and narratives developed during the Nubia Campaign. The ASSN archives are not only an archaeological record but also a historical testimony to the practices and interpretative frameworks of the 20th century. This paper, however, focuses only on a descriptive and archaeological approach.34

Past discoveries and future possibilities

  • 35 Two recent examples illustrate how archives from the Nubian Campaign have been used: an academic st (...)

23Numerous missions were active in the region, conducting either large-scale surveys or targeted excavations. The West Bank Survey and the ASSN were conducted under the auspices of the Sudan Antiquities Service, while others were carried out by foreign teams. Archaeologists from dozens of countries participated in the campaign. While some results have been adequately published, much of the material produced by these missions remains only partially or unevenly published, and the format of the existing publications varies considerably. As with the ASSN, the archives of many other missions also exist and are either already identified or still awaiting recognition and study in institutional or personal collections.35

  • 36 Amongst them are W.Y. Adams, 1977, 2009; D.N. Edwards, 2007, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019; D.N. Edwards, (...)
  • 37 D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, 2020.
  • 38 D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, forthcoming.
  • 39 As stated above, only a few ‘Islamic’ archaeological sites have been recorded, as this was beyond t (...)

24A number of studies using the ASSN material have been published over the years.36 In 2020, D.N. Edwards and A.J. Mills released the first volume of a series aimed at disseminating the results of the expedition.37 This inaugural volume focuses on the Pharaonic period, while the second, dedicated to the Meroitic period, is forthcoming38 and will be followed by other monographs. Covering a broad chronological range—from the Mesolithic to Islamic times39—the ASSN archive provides a rich foundation for research across multiple historical phases. As such, it remains an invaluable resource, whose full potential has yet to be fully realised. The ASSN documentation offers significant opportunities for both current and future research. Moreover, Sudan has been experiencing armed conflict since April 2023, which has severely damaged museums, their collections, and related documentation. In this context, fieldwork is difficult to envisage, and working on unpublished archives provides a means to reassess understudied data.

  • 40 The author of the present article has had the opportunity to work with this documentation as part o (...)
  • 41 Particularly in the Ukma–Akasha region, located in the southern part of the ASSN survey area (see D (...)

25On the one hand, the archive merits dedicated study and publication, either through chronological series like those initiated by D.N. Edwards and A.J. Mills, or as part of broader regional syntheses.40 On the other hand, the archive can help shape future fieldwork strategies. A number of sites recorded during the ASSN campaign remain accessible and above water.41 With recent advances in ceramic analysis and dating techniques, these sites could be revisited, allowing for refined chronologies and targeted investigations, including radiocarbon sampling. The ASSN documentation is thus not only a record of past investigations but also a tool for future studies. It is a precious legacy—one that deserves to be both preserved and reactivated.

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Bibliographie

Adam, A., Taha, S., 2022, “Archaeology in Sudan: A Sudanese perspective”, in M. Aldenderfer (ed.), Oxford research encyclopedia of anthropology, https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190854584.013.565

Adams, W.Y., 1961, “Archaeological Survey of Sudanese Nubia: Introduction”, Kush, 9, p. 7-9.

Adams, W.Y., 1977, Nubia: Corridor to Africa, Princeton, Princeton University Press.

Adams, W.Y., 1992, “The Nubian archaeological campaigns of 1959-1969: Myths and realities, success and failures”, in C. Bonnet (dir.), Études nubiennes, conférence de Genève : actes du VIIe Congrès international d'études nubiennes, Geneva, p. 3-27.

Adams, W.Y., 2005, The West Bank Survey from Faras to Gemai: 3. Sites of Christian Age, Sudan Archaeological Research Society Publication, 14, BAR International Series, 1421, Oxford, Archaeopress.

Adams, W.Y., 2007, “A century of archaeological salvage, 1907-2007”, Sudan & Nubia, 11, p. 48-56.

Adams, W.Y., 2009, The churches of Nobadia, Sudan Archaeological Research Society Publications, 17, BAR International Series, 2000, Oxford, Archaeopress.

Adams, W.Y., Allen, P.E.T., 1961, “Archaeological Survey of Sudanese Nubia: The Aerial Survey”, Kush, 9, p. 11-14.

Carruthers, W., 2022, Flooded pasts: UNESCO, Nubia, and the recolonization of archaeology, Ithaca - London, Cornell University Press.

Dalton, M., Spencer, N., Macklin, M.G., Woodward, J.C., Ryan, P., 2023, “Three thousand years of river channel engineering in the Nile Valley”, Geoarchaeology, 38, p. 565-587. https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.21965

De Simone, M.C. (dir.), 2025, Remembering the “Nubia Campaign”: Recollections and evaluations of The International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia after fifty years, Culture & history of the Ancient Near East, 141, Leiden - Boston, Brill.

Edwards, D.N., 2007, “Meroitic settlement landscapes in Middle Nubia”, Cahier de recherche de l’Institut de papyrologie et d’Égyptologie de Lille, 26, p. 59-70.

Edwards, D.N., 2014, “Medieval Nobadia”, in J. Anderson, D. Welsby (dir.), The Fourth Cataract and beyond: Proceedings of the 12th International Conference for Nubian Studies, British Museum Publications on Egypt and Sudan, 1, p. 171-182.

Edwards, D.N., 2016, “Among the rocks: A first look at medieval Duweishat, from the archive”, in A. Łajtar, I. Zych, A. Obłuski (dir.), Aegyptus et Nubia Christiana. The Włodzimierz Godlewski Jubilee Volume on the occasion of his 70th birthday, Warsaw, Polish Center of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw, p. 359-380.

Edwards, D.N., 2018, “Towards a historical archaeology of Ottoman Nubia”, in M. Honegger (dir.), Nubian archaeology in the XXIst Century. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Conference for Nubian Studies, Neuchâtel, 1st-6th September 2014, Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta, 273, p. 645-660.

Edwards, D.N., 2019, “A possible monastery and the ‘Upper Maqs’ at Ukma-Akasha West”, Étude et Travaux, 32, p. 53-79.

Edwards, D.N., Mills, A.J., 2013, “‘Pharaonic’ sites in the Batn el-Hajar – The Archaeological Survey of Sudanese Nubia’ revisited”, Sudan & Nubia, 17, p. 8-17.

Edwards, D.N., Mills, A.J., 2020, The Archaeological Survey of Sudanese Nubia, 1963-69: The Pharaonic sites, Oxford, Archaeopress.

Edwards, D.N., Mills, A.J., forthcoming, The Archaeological Survey of Sudanese Nubia, 1963-69: The Meroitic sites, Oxford, Archaeopress.

Elzein, I.S., 2014, “Islamic archaeology in northern Sudan”, in J. Anderson, D. Welsby (ed.), The Fourth Cataract and beyond: Proceedings of the 12th International Conference for Nubian Studies, British Museum Publications on Egypt and Sudan, 1, p. 209-216.

Hinkel, F.W., 1977, The archaeological map of the Sudan: A guide to its use and explanation of its principles, Berlin, Akademie Verlag.

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Notes

1 For the context and development of the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia, see T. Säve-Söderbergh, 1987.

2 The function of UNESCO was mostly that of publicisation and implementation; W.Y. Adams, 2007, p. 53-54.

3 See W.Y. Adams, 1977, p. 71-77, about the first archaeological surveys in Nubia.

4 A recently published volume, emerging from the symposium held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Nubian Campaign, brings together scholars’ memories and reflections on this remarkable chapter in the history of archaeology; see M.C. De Simone (dir.), 2025.

5 A list of the archaeological operations conducted in Nubia prior to the Nubia Campaign is provided in W.Y. Adams, 1977, p. 71-80.

6 This survey was financed and supported by the Sudan Antiquities Service with staff employed by UNESCO (W.Y. Adams, 2005, p. 1).

7 A.J. Mills, 1992, p. 31.

8 A list of the archaeological expeditions to Nubia between 1959 and 1969 is provided in W.Y. Adams, 1977, p. 83-86.

9 For a list of the known staff of the ASSN, see D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, 2020, p. 12-13.

10 The ‘Islamic’ period was not initially included in the survey’s scope, yet several noteworthy sites from this period were nonetheless recorded. In Sudan, as elsewhere, post-medieval archaeology was still at an early stage of development in the 1960s and remains a comparatively recent area of archaeological research today (see W.Y. Adams’ remarks cited in I.S. Elzein, 2014, p. 209). The growth of archaeology focused on the near past has paralleled both an increasing interest in ethnographic research and a greater involvement of local communities in archaeological projects and heritage management: D.N. Edwards, 2018, p. 645-646.

11 D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, 2020, p. 1-2.

12 A.J. Mills, 1965.

13 D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, 2013, p. 8. The most represented period is the medieval period, with approximately 450 components, followed by the C-Group/Kerma period with over 200 sites. Many sites show evidence of multi-period occupation, and these figures remain estimates, as the records have not yet been fully studied (personal communication, D.N. Edwards).

14 A.J. Mills, 1965; A.J. Mills, H.-Å. Nordström, 1966; A.J. Mills, 1973. The periodical Kush served as a platform for the preliminary results of many expeditions within the Nubia Campaign. However, the publication of the 1967-1968 issue was delayed until 1973, and publication was subsequently suspended until 1993, depriving the missions of this important outlet for dissemination. No preliminary reports were published for the missions conducted from late 1966 through 1969.

15 The ASSN archives were previously described in the monograph dedicated to Pharaonic sites (D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, 2020), and a second volume on the Meroitic period is to be published (D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, forthcoming). The present special issue, Cold Cases? The Archives of Archaeology as Sources of the African Past, provides an opportunity to clarify the context of the survey and take a fresh look at the documentation and its potential for current and future research.

16 W.Y. Adams, 1961, p. 7-9.

17 These 1:250,000 maps themselves bear an alphanumeric code.

18 F.W. Hinkel, 1977. A. Vila used the same recording system during his survey south of Dal; cf. A. Vila, 1975, p. 23. This numbering is kept in the newest publications: D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, 2020.

19 W.Y. Adams, 1992, p. 7-9; W.Y. Adams, P.E.T. Allen, 1961.

20 A.J. Mills, 1992, p. 31.

21 W.Y. Adams, 1992, p. 8-9; A.J. Mills, 1992, p. 30.

22 A list of these notebooks is provided in D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, 2020, p. 428.

23 This standardised recording format had already been employed during the West Bank Survey directed by W.Y. Adams and was later adopted during Vila’s survey south of Dal (see A. Vila, 1975).

24 A.J. Mills, 1992, p. 31. To give an indication of the quantity of selected objects, a list of Pharaonic period artefacts retained for accession and registration in the Sudan National Museum is provided in Appendix C of D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, 2020, p. 424-427.

25 Two sets of site card indexes have been compiled: one organised by grid square, the other by chronological period.

26 W.Y. Adams, 1992; A.J. Mills, 1992, p. 30.

27 Lists of all the expeditions in Nubia from 1907 to 1969 can be found in W.Y. Adams, 1977, p. 78-80, 83-86.

28 The fate of these artefacts is currently unknown, as the museum has suffered attacks and lootings during the war. Their associated records, based on the ASSN ‘find cards’, appear to have been preserved (communication by Ikhlass Abdelatif on the occasion of the conference Sudanese Heritage Between Response and Recovery, organised by the Emergency Response Committee of the Sudan’s National Corporation for Antiquities and Museum, Cairo, 14 November 2025).

29 They were relocated to remote regions in Egypt and Nubia: W.Y. Adams, 1977, p. 660, fig. 87. To document the way of life along the Nile’s shores, the Nubian Ethnological Survey, conducted in Egypt between 1960 and 1975, was undertaken (see N.S. Hopkins, S.R. Mehanna (ed.), 2010).

30 W.Y. Adams, 1977, p. 663.

31 D.N. Edwards, personal communication and communication of Mahmoud Suleiman on the occasion of the conference Sudanese Heritage Between Response and Recovery.

32 D.N. Edwards, 2019, p. 54; D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, 2020, p. 392.

33 In particular, material from the Early Kerma, Pre-Kerma, or Napatan periods had received little scholarly attention prior to the 1960s, making their identification by the survey teams challenging. Re-examining this material today would likely lead to a reassessment of the chronological attribution of the associated archaeological sites (personal communication, D.N. Edwards).

34 A recent monograph focuses on the context of the Nubia Campaign and its impact on the construction of a narrative on the Nubian past: W. Carruthers, 2022 and specifically Chapter 4 “Making Sudan archaeological”, p. 129-169. About the archaeological research in Sudan, see also A. Adam, S. Taha, 2022.

35 Two recent examples illustrate how archives from the Nubian Campaign have been used: an academic study on Spain’s involvement in the campaign underscores both the volume and dispersion of archives from a single country (S. Zurinaga Fernandez-Toribio, 2020), while archives housed in the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden were recently consulted for research on a site excavated in the 1960s (L. Mann, B. van den Bercken, 2020).

36 Amongst them are W.Y. Adams, 1977, 2009; D.N. Edwards, 2007, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019; D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, 2013. For a recent use of the archive in archaeogeological research, see M. Dalton et al. 2023.

37 D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, 2020.

38 D.N. Edwards, A.J. Mills, forthcoming.

39 As stated above, only a few ‘Islamic’ archaeological sites have been recorded, as this was beyond the scope of the survey.

40 The author of the present article has had the opportunity to work with this documentation as part of a doctoral project focusing on domestic occupations in Nubia and Sudan during the period of the Christian kingdoms. This PhD is being conducted under the supervision of F.-X. Fauvelle at the University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès.

41 Particularly in the Ukma–Akasha region, located in the southern part of the ASSN survey area (see D.N. Edwards, 2019, p. 54).

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Table des illustrations

Titre Figure 1: Excavation on site 11-I-1, Murshid West (ASSN F/256:10)
Crédits ©ASSN Archive
URL http://journals.openedition.org/afriques/docannexe/image/5748/img-1.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 461k
Titre Figure 2: Localisation of the Archaeological Survey of Sudanese Nubia
Crédits Satellite image © 2025 Google; ASSN map based on A.-J. Mills 1965, facing p. 2; CAD: M.-P. Jung.
URL http://journals.openedition.org/afriques/docannexe/image/5748/img-2.png
Fichier image/png, 817k
Titre Figure 3: Opening pages of one of A.J. Mills’s field notebooks (ASSN AJM 6)
Crédits ©ASSN Archive.
URL http://journals.openedition.org/afriques/docannexe/image/5748/img-3.png
Fichier image/png, 1,4M
Titre Figure 4: Site 21-N-19 under excavation in the Akasha region (ASSN F/484:1)
Crédits ©ASSN Archive.
URL http://journals.openedition.org/afriques/docannexe/image/5748/img-4.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 462k
Titre Figure 5: Comparison of the Nile’s extent on a 2025 satellite image and the topographical maps used during the fieldwork
Légende Northern survey area. The white line marks the river’s course prior to flooding by the Aswan High Dam. Each dot represents a recorded site.
Crédits Satellite image © 2025 Google; topographic maps (extracts) © ASSN Archive. CAD: M.-P. Jung.
URL http://journals.openedition.org/afriques/docannexe/image/5748/img-5.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 425k
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Marie-Paule Jung, « The Archives of the Archaeological Survey of Sudanese Nubia (1963-1969): An overview »Afriques [En ligne], 16 | 2025, mis en ligne le 24 mars 2026, consulté le 13 mai 2026. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/afriques/5748 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/161w6

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Auteur

Marie-Paule Jung

PhD candidate, Université Toulouse Jean-Jaurès / Éveha international

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