ARCE Georgia: Reconstructing the late Old Kingdom tomb of Niankhnisut

Lecture Information: 

Niankhnisut was a high official during the late Old Kingdom. He was buried at Saqqara and his tomb was originally discovered in the early nineteenth century. In the years immediately following the discovery of many of the decorative reliefs, and other objects in the tomb, were systemically removed and widely dispersed. This action ultimately led to the tomb being forgotten and lost. In 2003, Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities rediscovered Niankhnisut’s tomb. Dr. Mumford’s talk will address the extant decoration and how Niankhnisut’s tomb might have looked originally and after its discovery. 

Speaker Bio: 

Dr. Mumford was born in Canada but grew up in Kenya and South Africa before returning to Canada in 1980. He did his collegiate studies at the University of Toronto, focusing on archaeology and Egyptology for his PhD work. Mumford teaches courses in archaeology and the history of ancient Egypt, Nubia, the eastern Mediterranean and the Ancient Near East, including international relations. Mumford has also participated in many archaeological projects in diverse parts of Egypt. He has been the director, co-director, and assistant director of many of these projects. Currently, Dr. Mumford is completing a manuscript on Egypt’s relations with sub-Saharan Africa, the Red Sea, and Arabia, including the transmission of diverse commodities from these regions to the Mediterranean Area, from the late Neolithic through 332 BCE.