Ancient Nubia: Art, Jewelry & History with Denise Doxey, Curator of Ancient Egyptian, Nubian and Near Eastern Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston
Oct 28, 2019

Episode 45

The “Ancient Nubia Now” exhibit on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) through January 20, 2020, confronts past misinterpretations and offers new ways of understanding Nubia’s history and contemporary relevance. The exhibit includes jewelry, pottery, sculpture, metalwork and more from MFA’s collection of ancient Nubian art, and examines power, representation and cultural bias in the ancient world, in the early 20th century and today. The exhibit was spearheaded by Denise Doxey, Curator of Ancient Egyptian, Nubian and Near Eastern Art at the MFA.

Prior to joining MFA, Denise was Keeper of the Egyptian Section of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. She has excavated in Greece and Egypt, and has taught Egyptology courses at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University. Her wide-ranging interests include various aspects of the art, archaeology and civilizations of ancient Nubia and Egypt.

Denise is the author of MFA Highlights: Arts of Ancient Nubia and the co-author of Jewels of Ancient Nubia as well as numerous articles on various aspects of Egyptian and Nubian art, archaeology and civilization. At the MFA, she was the co-curator of The Secrets of Tomb 10A: Egypt 2000 BC and Gold and the Gods: Jewels of Ancient Nubia. Denise currently serves on the board of International Council of Museum’s International Committee for Egyptology and is president of the New England Chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • Why Nubia’s history is unfamiliar to most Americans.
  • The materials and techniques for making jewelry in Ancient Nubia and Egypt.
  • Why the records and excavation sites of Nubia are being re-examined.
  • The impetus behind the “Ancient Nubia Now” exhibit.
  • Preview of the “Ancient Nubia Now” exhibit and the four periods covered.

Additional resources:

Episode Transcript

Sharon Berman