Over the past three months, 24 meetings between archaeologists and students have been organized in seven elementary and high schools in three voivodeships. The aim of the project “About Soba and archaeology” is to interest schoolchildren in topics related to archaeology and to acquaint them with the results of research conducted in Sudan by an expedition of the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw (PCMA UW).
The research at the site of Soba, located on the outskirts of present-day Khartoum, was conducted between 2019 and 2022 under the direction of Dr. Mariusz Drzewiecki (PCMA UW). They aimed to identify the spatial organization of the medieval metropolis. Although it was an archaeological project, the study drew on methodologies developed not only in archaeology, but also in cultural anthropology and geophysics. This allowed capturing and tracing changes in the urban fabric, which in turn enhanced our understanding of the communities living in the erstwhile capital of the kingdom of Alwa.
The school meetings focused on the following questions: – what is archaeology and what do archaeologists do; – how is archaeological research carried out in Sudan (with emphasis on the work in Soba); – what information did ethnological research in Soba yield; – what is daily life like in Sudan.
At the request of the teachers, in some of the older classes, personal development opportunities based on academic careers were presented. The children learned about the latest methods used in the study of the past, which reflect the great dynamics of modern science and offer opportunities for the development of the children’s own creativity.
– “During all activities, the children were drawn into our stories with simple and open-ended questions. Presentations included photos and a short film showing our work in Soba and the landscapes of Sudan. The children also had the opportunity to learn about Sudanese handicrafts, based on objects, such as a wooden vessel, a musical instrument, amulets and childrens’ homemade toys,” – says the expedition director.
In the opinions expressed by the teaching staff and children alike, the meetings were a unique opportunity for them to get acquainted with the rich and diverse discipline of archaeology, as well as with the history of pre-colonial Africa – topics that are virtually absent from the school curriculum.
– “We would like to thank all the teachers who organized the meetings in their schools. In the future, when Sudan is peaceful again, I would like to bring children from schools in Poland and Sudan in contact with each other. I think this could be an extremely enriching experience for everyone involved,” – plans Dr. Drzewiecki.
The classes were conducted by Dr. Mariusz Drzewiecki, an archaeologist from the PCMA UW and head of the Soba expedition, and Dr. Maciej Kurcz, a professor at the University of Silesia, who headed the ethnological team within the expedition.
The project “About Soba and archaeology” is funded by the University of Warsaw’s Initiative for Excellence in Research Universities (IDUB UW), Measure III.3.2 “Promotion of scientific research.”
Archaeological work in Soba was carried out within the framework of the project “Soba – the heart of the kingdom of Alwa. The spatial organization of medieval capital city on the Blue Nile” by the PCMA UW in cooperation with the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The project is funded by an Opus 15 grant from the National Science Centre of Poland.
- Read more about the research in Soba