Juliet Victoria Spedding

Email: J.V.Spedding@liverpool.ac.uk

Previous Education

Egyptian Archaeology BA, University of Liverpool
Egyptology MA, University of Liverpool

Thesis Title

‘To See A World in a Grain of Sand’: The Relationship between Nubia and Egypt in the Napatan and Meroitic Periods seen through the Analysis of Glass Objects [Working Title]

Supervisors

Dr Violaine Chauvet, Dr Matthew Ponting, Dr Campbell Price

Research Summary

My research project aims to address three important questions. First, what were the raw materials and production techniques of Nubian provenance glass objects dated to the Napatan and Meroitic Periods (c.750BC-c.AD400)? From this arises the second question: was glass being made in Nubia or was it being imported, either as a raw material or as a finished object. This leads us to the third question: How does this greater understanding of such artefacts help us to locate Nubian glass and Nubian glassmaking/working into the larger picture of ancient Mediterranean and Egyptian glass making and trading? What are the interrelationships between trade, technological knowledge, and manufacturing in Nubia and other cultures?

This study will be approached by examining and categorising Napatan and Meroitic Nubian glassware. These results will be compared to those of contemporary Egyptian-provenance material to ascertain any similarities and/or differences. As this is a new area of study the questions asked are broad, the aim being to discover possible indicators of technological choice and transfer set in the context of Egyptian-Nubian relations. The overall objective of this study is not only to examine this process but also to identify areas for future study.

Research Interests

Vitreous materials, Nubia, materials science, Egypt, glass, faience, trade, technological transfer