Project description
Assessing cultural diversity beyond urban centres
Does cultural diversity become archaeologically more visible in the peripheral zones of main urban sites where cultures meet? Does the concept of ‘cultural entanglement’ with its current elite bias also work for the periphery? Answers to these and related questions are important not only for archaeology, but also in the field of border studies and for understanding the role and function of main centres. The EU-funded DiverseNile project has set out to understand the actual cultural diversity of Middle Nile groups, focusing on the periphery of the main centres. It will investigate an important part of northern Sudan as a case study to reconstruct Bronze Age biographies (1650-1200 BCE) beyond the present categories of ‘Egyptian’ and ‘Nubian’. The project adopts an innovative theoretical approach that will be complemented with a large set of interdisciplinary methods such as neutron activation and isotope analysis.
Objective
One of the biggest scientific challenges for archaeology is to move away from established concepts of cultural categories such as static views of culture, which are not suitable to describe realities of ancient lives. Significant work on the complex encounters between Egyptian and Nubian groups in the Middle Nile was conducted by recent projects including my ERC-2012-StG AcrossBorders. They introduced the modern approach of cultural entanglement to the main urban sites, but left the peripheries unaddressed.
Based on recent successful results, it is now timely to investigate the actual cultural diversity of Middle Nile groups focusing on the periphery of the main centres. The project will explore a crucial part of northern Sudan as a case study to reconstruct Bronze Age biographies (c 16501200 BCE) beyond the present categories Egyptian and Nubian.
The main hypothesis is that cultural diversity becomes archaeologically more visible in the peripheral zones of the central sites. We need to investigate the regional cultural relations within the peripheries in order to catch a more direct cultural footprint than in state built urban centres.
Based on the PIs excellent knowledge of Bronze Age settlements and material culture in the Nile Valley, she will test with new excavations in a cultural borderscape whether it is feasible to disentangle sites from previous classifications. By applying the new concept of Biography of the landscape in conjunction with the contact space model, she intends to investigate whether degrees of diversity relate to the peripheral location of sites, which may also be influenced by the geographical topography.
Beyond the impact for archaeology, the projects innovative theoretical approach together with a large set of interdisciplinary methods such as neutron activation and isotope analysis offers a long-overdue input to general questions of border studies, which are also essential to understand the role and function of main centers.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy planetary sciences planetary geology
- humanities history and archaeology archaeology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2019-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
80539 MUNCHEN
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.