تاريخ وتطور البحث الأثري لمقابر ما بعد مروي-السودان: دراسة تحليلية نقدية

Abstract

This paper presents a critical analysis of the history of the archaeological research on post-Meroitic tombs in
Sudan, the period succeeding the Meroitic civilization. Post-Meroitic tombs have been a focal point of scholarly
debate, with most studies concentrating on their origin and the ethnic identity of their inhabitants. Consequently,
the cultural identity reflected in the tombs and their contents has often been overlooked. This may be because
earlier and later researchers based their analyzes on potentially contradictory literary sources, rather than
focusing on the material evidence available in the tombs themselves. Some researchers have proposed a direct
cultural continuity between the Meroitic and post-Meroitic periods, basing their argument on tombs’ evidence
and applying the same methodologies used in Meroitic studies. This paper will discuss the process of
archaeological research in this period since the first discoveries in Lower Nubia. It will also analyze the opinions
of researchers and their various trends in interpreting the identity of this period, based on the results of their
fieldwork.