STARS OF EGYPTOLOGY

Recently described as part of archaeology’s great new ”double act” by Tony Robbins in his gripping BBC series ”Opening Egypt’s Tombs”, Maria Nilsson is a scholar, wife and Mum. This remarkable lady caught up for an interview in which she gave her time and thought to the questions. She even stayed to chat a bit and listen to a bad joke! Consideration and time is something many do not give in today’s world, but which might be part of her success. Enjoy the interview with this remarkable woman!

How old were you when you first became interested in ancient Egypt?

Probably in high school. However, my interest (read “love”) for archaeology has been with me from a very early stage in life, and I always knew that I would work as an archaeologist. Already in primary school, I used to collect flints and search for clues about the ancients.

What subjects did you study at university in order to become a qualified Egyptologist?

I am not an Egyptologist per se, but a classicist or classical archaeologist, who works with Egyptian material. For this, I have studied Ancient History and Culture and the Classical languages for my PhD, but I directed my attention to the Egyptian area already from my Bachelor thesis, and with my Master and PhD theses I studied Egyptian aspects of Ptolemaic iconography (focusing on Arsinoë II). I am self-taught when it comes to hieroglyphs, but obviously my field was that of Graeco-Roman temple texts, titles of queens and goddesses’ epithets.

How competitive is the study of ancient Egypt and what advice would you give to budding Egyptologists?

The field of Egyptology is very competitive in my opinion and with such a narrow field, it is important to find a less explored or exhausted research niche. As long as you truly love and are sincerely passionate about your job, you will find a way to break into, and remain within this field.

What is your area of expertise?

Iconography is an overall theme in my studies, and within this pictorial symbolism, the large quarry mark study, and quarryscape epigraphy at large. Initially, it was the Graeco-Roman period, but as the head of the Swedish mission at Gebel el-Silsila, I have naturally expanded my field. On site, I love to work with the smaller artefacts, such as amulets and inscribed objects, as the interpretation of their signification is parallel with any iconographic study. Another field that has received a considerable amount of my attention is prehistoric (Epipalaeolithic and Predynastic) rock art.

How did you manage to get a job in such an area?

During my PhD studies I moved to Luxor, Egypt, and while traveling across the country to study the various Ptolemaic temples (searching for details of Arsinoë II), John and I were introduced to Gebel el-Silsila and the enigmatic quarry marks. These turned into a research project, and I was rewarded a post-doc by the Swedish research council to conduct a detail study thereof. The post-doc was later developed into a Marie Curie Fellowship, again supported by the Swedish research council, and now, I will start the final phase of the Graeco-Roman epigraphic “non-textual marking systems” study with the aid of the Swedish Bank. Thus, it is by means of external financial support that I have managed to get a job.

Becoming the mission director for Gebel el-Silsila was actually in the hands of the Egyptian system. John and I had visited the East bank several times after receiving visiting permits from the SCA, but with the revolution/Arab spring in 2011 came new directives, and we were told to submit an application for an epigraphic mission on site if we wanted to continue our study. The application was approved, and in 2012 we began the Gebel el-Silsila Project, which has since grown into a team of 85 international members plus c. 30 local Egyptian workers.

Where do you teach?

My home institution is Archaeology and Ancient History at Lund University, but due to my project funding, my main task is research for which I do not teach currently.

Can you explain a bit about Gebel el-Silsila, please?

Gebel el-Silsila is a large archaeological site in Upper Egypt, situated between the more renowned temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo. It was ancient Egypt’s largest sandstone quarry and provided “golden Nubian” building blocks for most of the temples north of the Aswan cataract, including Karnak and Luxor Temple. For this, we usually refer to the site as the “mother of all temples” or “Madam Silsila”. However, the site is so much more as it has seen a stream of visitors already since the Late Palaeolithic period, and throughout the ancient periods until the Roman period. After this, we see sporadic Ottoman visitors in connection with trade, with e-w routes connecting the Gebel el-Silsila/Shatt el-Rigal area with the Western Desert, as well as s-n routes from Aswan to Luxor. The concession also includes the northern sister sites of Nag el-Hammam and Shatt el-Rigal, where much of our work focuses on rock art surveying, but also includes excavation of a Roman cemetery. Due to the enormous size of the site (30km²/11.5miles²) and the chronological span, it is natural for us to include a large team with specialists from the various academic fields.

How are you funded?

We are funded mainly by Swedish organisations, such as the Swedish Research council and the Swedish Bank, and Swedish foundations, such as the Crafoordska foundation, but also international bodies such as National Geographic Society and Gerda Henkel Stiftung. We have also received an incredible support from societies, such as Mehen, the Friends of Petrie Museum, TVAES, etc., generally through the organising of study days with a series of lectures by our team members. Also, we are forever grateful for the financial support we have received from private donors who have participated in our crowdfunding projects or via our Friends of Silsila group. Some private patrons have enabled entire seasons when the rental prices of the boat we depend on were too high to be covered by our already set and secured budget.

Did you expect it to become such a large project?

No, by no stretch of my imagination could I have foreseen how we would grow. In 2012 the project set out for a five week epigraphic survey, then consisting of only four individuals (John, Adrienn Almásy-Martin, our reis Shihat and myself). We were thrilled to learn that we could reapply for another season, and thus, added more experts to the team. When the previous excavation ban was lifted in 2015, we grew quickly as the need for specialised archaeologists and Egyptologists was evident.

Could you describe a bit about your family? (They are with you on site and we have all seen them on documentaries. It seems idyllic, but a lot of work!)

The unique thing about our family is that we all, in a way, eat, sleep, breath Gebel el-Silsila. When pregnant with both children, I continued working until seven month pregnant, then was forced home by the airline regulations. Freja and Jonathan were both brought to the site when they were three months old, and until we finally bought our farmstead in south Sweden, Freja had spent more time in Egypt/Gebel el-Silsila than anywhere else. Every time we return to site, she stands by the bank and proclaims “WE ARE HOME!”. I think this speaks volumes of how the site is a part of our life. Naturally, having two children with us in the field requires a lot of patience from our team members (who normally becomes symbolic brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts), and we could not do our work if it was not for the help of a nanny combined with the kids’ Egyptian brothers, Abdalla and Apet (Freja’s name for Ahmed). At times I wonder if it would be better to keep them home in the care of family members in Sweden, but this is not how we live our life. We are a strange, archaeological family, and we do things together. Gebel el-Silsila is an integral part of our lives, and the team is our extended “Silsila family”. I would not want it any other way.

When are your next published reports? Can we expect a popular publication?

Since returning from site in December 2019, we have produced three large rock art papers to be published by the DAIK (overview of rock art, case studies from the East bank), IFRAO (recent results from the Shatt el-Rigal survey), and IFAO (focusing on sandal and foot graffiti). Within the coming days, a paper on daemons represented at Gebel el-Silsila will be published in the Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections with whom we recently published a paper in which the source of Dendera stone and symbolism/religion was discussed. We also write quarterly reports and special features for the Ancient Egypt Magazine, which is a popular scientific field. Also, the monograph on Greek inscriptions on the East bank is soon completed to be published with a known archaeological publishing house. Meanwhile, there are various projects that require more time, such as a general introduction to the site – i.e. like a simplified guidebook, Dr. Philippe Martinez’ republication on the speos, our archaeological report from the Stables of Tiberius, etc. etc. Due to the coronavirus outbreak we will not be able to go ahead with our planned spring season, but this gives us time to focus on more publications!

Can we expect another documentary on your finds, soon?

We had a British film crew with us during our last season (October-December 2019) filming for National Geographic channel and a second series of the Lost Treasures of Egypt. We expect it to be aired in the US and UK before the end of the year.

Thank you, Maria for a fascinating insight into your work and life! I encourage you to visit the Gebel el-Silsila Project website and get involved. https://gebelelsilsilaepigraphicsurveyproject.blogspot.com/

A very famous film is Egypt’s Treasure Guardians which is highly recommended. https://www.pbs.org/show/egypts-treasure-guardians/