Válery Cliteur

 

George Reisner in Nubia and the Ethics of Archaeology

 

Abstract: During eight excavation seasons between 1916 and 1923, the Harvard-Boston expedition, led by archaeologist George Andrew Reisner, excavated six royal cemeteries in Gebel Barkal, El Kurru, Nuri, and Begrawiyeh. In 1917, Reisner excavated the pyramid of King Senkamanisken in which he discovered more than 1300 shabtis. Reisner is often considered a revolutionary figure for archaeology because of his innovative excavation methods and multidisciplinary approach. However, Reisner has also been criticised for his denial of the existence of a black African culture in Nubia. In this paper, I will be exploring the controversy around archaeologist George Andrew Reisner and why he is considered the ‘father of Nubian archaeology’. Furthermore, this paper describes the process of the excavations by Reisner and sets the scene of the environment in which these excavations came about. I will end my paper by going into the ethics of archaeology and discussing whether the excavation of a burial site can be considered ethical. 

 

Bio: Valery Cliteur studied History at the University of Amsterdam and specialised in Modern History and Art History. During her bachelor's she did an internship at the Hermitage Amsterdam, where she did research for the exhibition ‘Romanovs in de ban van de Ridders’. At the Hermitage, her passion for museums was born, which made her want to study Museum Studies at the UvA. Within her Master’s Program, Valery aims to focus on exhibitions and education in the museum world.