Talking to the Ancestors: Iron Age Painted Tombs of the Wadi Draa, Morocco

YouTube logo

All of our lectures are live streamed and are open to anyone to join us online, Fellows and Non-Fellows.

To view any of our past lectures please visit our YouTube channel.

Loading Events

« All Events

Event Series Event Series: Lunchtime Lectures

Talking to the Ancestors: Iron Age Painted Tombs of the Wadi Draa, Morocco

May 9 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

A joint event with the Hellenic Society and the Roman Society

Talking to the Ancestors: Iron Age Painted Tombs of the Wadi Draa, Morocco

by Professor David Mattingly

The Iron Age peoples of the Sahara remain poorly studied archaeologically, so we have little to counteract the dismissive views of desert communities found in the ancient sources, where they tend to be characterized as barbarians and nomads. The Oasis Civilisations project in southern Morocco has been investigating the Iron Age and Medieval inhabitants of an important desert valley, the Wadi Draa. This lecture will present a stunning archaeological discovery of tombs with painted annexes, featuring both geometric designs and human figures.  These pictures open a fresh window on the late Iron Age population and their relationship with the Roman empire to their north. They allow us to compare and qualify the accounts of Greco-Roman writers so as to present a more complex and richer picture of these people, their clothing, lifestyle and beliefs. The lecture will also link to the new data to themes in my recent book on Africa in the Roman Empire.


This event will be both in person at Burlington House and online. Please select the appropriate ticket below.

Attendance at Burlington House:

  • Open to anyone to join, Fellows, Affiliates and General Public.
  • Places in person will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • The event will begin at 13.00 BST. Please arrive in plenty of time.
  • Registration is essential.

Attendance by Live Stream:

  • Open to anyone to join, Fellows, Affiliates and General Public.
  • The event will be live-streamed to YouTube here
  • The event will begin at 13.00 BST.
  • You will receive an email reminder with the link to join the day before the lecture.

Please help the Society continue to deliver our FREE online Lecture Programme by making a donation to cover the cost of upgraded IT and software. We would really appreciate your support. Thank you! 

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Get tickets online

Details

Date:
May 9
Time:
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Series: