Stuart Tyson Smith

Smith's research interests include imperialism and culture contact between ancient Egypt and Nubia, identity and agency, legitimization and ideology, sealings and administration, funerary practice and the social and economic dynamics of ancient Egypt, and the formation of secondary states like the Nubian kingdom of Kush. His methodological focus is on the study of ancient pottery, including the scientific analysis of absorbed residues and clay sources. His book Askut in Nubia (Kegan Paul, London, 1995) examines the nature of Egyptian imperialism in Nubia. His most recent work has focused on the dynamics of identity in colonial communities, particularly the archaeological expression of ethnic identity, the focus of his most recent book, Wretched Kush (Routledge, London, 2003).

Dr. Smith has worked on five archaeological expeditions to Egypt, including the Nile Delta, Middle Egypt and Luxor's Theban Necropolis. His Dongola Reach Expedition and Tombos Excavations in the Sudan investigates Nubian-Egyptian interactions, exploring the rise of Kerman complexity (2000-1500 BC), its conquest by the Egyptian New
Kingdom (1500 BC), and the rise of the Napatan Kingdom of Kush, who
turned the tables on their conquerors and became Pharaohs of Egypt's 25th
Dynasty (1050-750 BC).

Continuing analysis by Smith of the collection from the Egyptian fortress of
Askut addresses household archaeology and the cultural dynamics of colonial
situations. Askut was excavated from 1962-64 by a UCLA expedition under the direction of the late Alexander Badawy as a part of the Aswan High Dam Salvage Campaign. The collection is curated in the Archaeological Collections of the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History.