Photographs from the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Text by Lawrence M. Berman.
Digging for a lost civilization in the Nile Valley
Specially trained Egyptian photographers were an integral part of the pioneering Harvard–MFA expedition during the first half of the 20th century. Over the course of some 40 years, their photographs documented the excavations with thousands of images as the riches of a great ancient civilization in northern Sudan were uncovered. George A. Reisner, the leader of the expedition, was keenly aware of the challenges of creating photographs under these conditions: "In judging the photographs, remember that the statues had to be photographed in the glaring light of the tropics under great difficulties owing to the weight and size of the objects which made it nearly impossible to put the statues together."
The best of these photographs bring to life the dramatic landscapes of the Nile Valley, the excitement of archaeological discovery and the artistry of the photographers who recorded it all. Unearthing Ancient Nubia reveals the origins of the single most important collection of ancient Nubian art outside of Khartoum.
Mohammedani Ibrahim Ibrahim's April 27, 1916, photograph of Gebel Barkal: Statue of Aspelta, is reproduced from 'Unearthing Ancient Nubia.'
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Featured photograph, made by Egyptian photographer Mohammedani Ibrahim Ibrahim on April 19, 1918, is reproduced from Unearthing Ancient Nubia, new from MFA Publications. This fascinating volume collects forty years worth of early twentieth-century photographs documenting a Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts archeological expedition in northern Sudan. The caption notes, "The royal mummies at Nuri were encased in nested sets of wooden coffins. These three pairs of inlay eyes (with eyelids of bronze, eyeballs of Egyptian alabaster and pupils of obsidian) are all that remain of the three coffins of Queen Malakaye (r. 664-653 BC). The eyes on the bottom row have been placed upside down." continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 11.375 x 8.5 in. / 144 pgs / 80 duotone. LIST PRICE: U.S. $40.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $54 GBP £30.00 ISBN: 9780878468546 PUBLISHER: MFA Publications, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston AVAILABLE: 6/19/2018 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: WORLD
Unearthing Ancient Nubia Photographs from the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Published by MFA Publications, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Text by Lawrence M. Berman.
Digging for a lost civilization in the Nile Valley
Specially trained Egyptian photographers were an integral part of the pioneering Harvard–MFA expedition during the first half of the 20th century. Over the course of some 40 years, their photographs documented the excavations with thousands of images as the riches of a great ancient civilization in northern Sudan were uncovered. George A. Reisner, the leader of the expedition, was keenly aware of the challenges of creating photographs under these conditions: "In judging the photographs, remember that the statues had to be photographed in the glaring light of the tropics under great difficulties owing to the weight and size of the objects which made it nearly impossible to put the statues together."
The best of these photographs bring to life the dramatic landscapes of the Nile Valley, the excitement of archaeological discovery and the artistry of the photographers who recorded it all. Unearthing Ancient Nubia reveals the origins of the single most important collection of ancient Nubian art outside of Khartoum.
