Finding Ancient Napata: Lost City on the Nile

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Jebel Barkal, Sudan, preserves an extraordinary ancient city. Located along the Nile River in northern Sudan, near the modern town of Karima, the ancient settlement was founded in the 15th century BCE by the conquering armies of the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III and became the southernmost outpost of Egypt’s empire. Centuries later, it was the capital of the kings and queens of Kush, who ruled over the Middle Nile Valley for more than 1,000 years (ca. 800 BCE–300 CE). Kush was the earliest empire of sub-Saharan Africa, and Jebel Barkal—known in ancient times as Napata—was its political, economic, and religious center for much of that time. 

Napatan kings conquered Egypt and ruled there as its 25th Dynasty (715–653 BCE). Sometimes called the “Black Pharaohs,” these kings played important roles defending Jerusalem against the invading Assyrian army and are mentioned in ancient sources, including the Bible and Herodotus. Napata, their home city at Jebel Barkal, has long been known for its temple complex, palaces, and more than 20 royal pyramid burials. Until recently, however, the location of the ancient city itself—the area where Napata’s residents lived and worked—had been unknown. 

In 2018, a joint expedition led by the University of Michigan and Sudan’s National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM) used remote sensing techniques to explore areas between the religious center and the Nile River and saw a huge settlement site beneath the sand. Small test excavations, along with geomorphological studies, have revealed a massive and complex urban area with previously unknown river channels flowing through it. 

Although Sudan is in the middle of a devastating civil war, exciting new technologies and the close partnership between U-M and NCAM make further exploration possible. As a Klinsky Expedition, we will continue investigating and reconstructing not only the ancient city of Napata in its local environment but also the broader regional context for the city. We will also support a number of well-trained Sudanese archaeologists who have taken refuge from the war in Karima but who are otherwise struggling with unemployment. 

Our project will employ a completely new approach to archaeological exploration in Sudan. By using new technologies and combining diverse methods, we will be able to produce an innovative, holistic reconstruction of greater Napata.

Geoff Emberling is the codirector of the Jebel Barkal Archaeological Project, a joint project of the University of Michigan and the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums in Sudan. He is an archaeologist and museum curator who has specialized in the ancient cultures of the Middle East and Northeast Africa, with a particular interest in ancient cities, empires, and social identities, as well as collaborative approaches to community archaeology.