Tracks on the Sand : The Desert Hinterlands in Ancient Egypt

Date: Saturday 31^st January 2026 at 2.00 pm
By Dr Mohamed Osman Abdollah
Cost: Free for Members and £4 Visitors
Venue Coronation Hall
Tickets: on the door

Abstract

This presentation will discuss the Coptite and Theban Eastern Desert Hinterlands CTEDH project, an investigation that explores a previously unexamined region of the Eastern Desert. Specifically, it focuses on the ancient landscape in the eastern hinterland of the Coptic and Theban nomes in Upper Egypt. The project aims to investigate the coexistence of various cultural groups in the Nile Valley and the desert. The archaeological survey, which began in 2023, aims to explore the concept of hinterlands within the ancient Egyptian landscape.

Biography

Dr Mohamed Osman is the Director of the Coptite and Theban Desert Eastern Hinterlands survey project.  He is currently at the Department of Archaeology at the University of Southampton. Mohamed's main discipline is landscape archaeology, and he does research in Historical digital documentation (GIS and 3D modelling) and Cultural History. He is an expert on trade routes in ancient Egypt and Sudan. His book, published in 2022 (Osman 2022, Golden House Publication), highlights the possibilities to trace Old and Middle Kingdom (3000 to about 1700 BCE) trade routes using textual evidence, archaeology but also remote sensing technology.