Who Tells Your Story: Amplifying Ancient Nubian Perspectives: Ms. Sydney A. Pickens,

Who Tells Your Story: Amplifying Ancient Nubian Perspectives was presented by Ms. Sydney A. Pickens at #MOEgypt5: New Directions in Teaching Ancient Egypt and Nubia, on Saturday, 21 Oct 2023.
Ancient Nubia: Pre-Kerma-The Kingdoms of Kush is a curricular unit created in partnership with Archaeology in the Community (AITC) and the American Society for Overseas Research (ASOR) that educates students on the rich history and archaeological heritage of ancient Nubia. The unit aims to fill the curricular void in ancient African history in public schooling, bridge the knowledge gap in Nubian Studies research between academics and students, and foster positive identity construction among Black and Brown students. The final lesson in the unit-Who Tells Your Story-is a primary source analysis activity designed to demonstrate how perspective shapes historical narratives. Because ancient Nubia was an oral culture up until the Napatan period’s revival and use of Middle Egyptian hieroglyphs, interpreting the rich Nubian archaeological record is necessary for understanding ancient Nubian perspectives and worldviews. When studying materials created and left by ancient Nubians, a new story about ancient Nubian culture and identity emerges that starkly contrasts their biased representations in Egyptian royal propaganda and Greek and Roman texts. This talk explores this lesson’s design and promotes archaeological instruction to disrupt textual hegemony and amplify historically marginalized voices in the K-12 classroom.
Session Chair= Dr. Sarah Schellinger