Traversing the Nile in late 2023

The beginning of 2023 focused on northeast African art and how it has inspired contemporary artists. If you missed our programme and want to learn more, watch our Spotlight Lecture series on our YouTube Channel. Now, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of our founder Amelia Edwards' famous voyage up the Nile, we are focusing on movement in Egypt for the latter part of the year. 

Amelia’s painting of Memphis which she visited in December 1873. Original now in the Peggy Joy Egyptology Library.

Traversing the Nile

September – December

Our late 2023 theme explores the varied travel and trade networks along the Nile Valley in both ancient and more recent history. Join us for the end of 2023, as we dive into considering the modes of transport during the 20th century, exploring object biographies and how artefacts ended up in their current location, investigating the transportation of limestone blocks for the Great Pyramid of Khufu, seeing how Egyptian administration oversaw the production of luxury goods, and much more.

Dahabeah Sultana c. 1860, Library of Congress

Our monthly Tuesday Spotlight series will focus on navigation and exchange within Egypt, including speakers such as Pierre Tallet, Kate Liszka, and EES Chair Campbell Price. To begin with, our September Spotlight entitled Up the Nile: A Thousand Ways to Go a Thousand Miles by Kathleen Sheppard will explore three different ways that travellers went up the Nile around the turn of the 20th century.

Our course programme continues with EES Director Carl Graves, who will explore five settlements that are missing or inaccessible today, starting on 21st September. In particular, week four focuses on the lost city of Zerzura; several expeditions sought to find the city, none have succeeded and many have almost ended in tragedy. Join now to learn about Egypt’s most enigmatic tale of discovery – or lack thereof!

Map of Cairo (16th Century CE)

We are raising money to produce a unique history of ancient Egypt through 50 artefacts and monuments discovered during excavations of the EES since its founding in 1882. In October, the editors of this volume, Dr Stephanie Boonstra and Dr Campbell Price, will present five of the featured entries and their journeys from Egypt to museums around the world. This Appeal will run until November 2023.

Start tracing the travel and trade networks of Egypt with the EES! Follow along using the hashtag #EESTravel.