Kerma-Doukki Gel: A Century of Archaeological Research in the Kingdom of Kush

The site of Kerma, initially excavated by the archaeologist George A. Reisner and later by Ch. Bonnet and the Swiss-French-Sudanese Kerma-Doukki Gel mission, was the capital of the Kingdom of Kush, the first kingdom of Nubia. This presentation provides an opportunity to revisit its history and the main discoveries made at this site, which was occupied for over three millennia. Located at the crossroads of important trade routes connecting sub-Saharan Africa to the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, the city of Kerma lay at the heart of a vast territory whose resources were constantly coveted. Successively the capital of Kush (Kerma period), an Egyptian colony during the New Kingdom, and a regional religious centre under the 25th Dynasty, the Napatan and Meroitic kings, Kerma and Doukki Gel are among the most important archaeological sites in Sudan. The work carried out at these sites by a multidisciplinary team provides a remarkable example of archaeological cooperation with Sudan. Since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023, researchers have continued their scientific activities by participating in several research programs, notably developed by the SFDAS (French Section of the Sudan Antiquities Directorate). These projects aim to protect and showcase this invaluable heritage, which is listed on UNESCO’s tentative list.