On April 24, 2019, a panel of six international archaeologists gathered at The Block Museum of Art to discuss their research and contributions to the field of archaeology. This unique event offered an insider’s perspective on the scholars recent findings in Mali, Morocco, and Nigeria. Titled “From the Field: International Archaeologists in Conversation” the event was presented in conjunction with the exhibition “Caravans of Gold: Fragments in Time. Curator Kathleen Bickford Berzock moderated a conversation with the scholars that includes insights into the excavation process, the “archaeological imagination” and the protection of cultural patrimony.
During their visit to Northwestern the archaeologists hosted workshops throughout the campus, meeting with students from the department of Anthropology and the Program of African Studies among others. The group also met with the Block student docent team offering an inside look into the objects within the exhibition and traveled to Niles North High School to discuss their career with students
Watch Now – “From the Field” at the Block
Watch Now – Career Panel Discussion at Niles North
About the Archaeologists
Abidemi Babatunde Babalola is the Smuts Fellow at the Centre of African Studies, University of Cambridge, UK.
Mamadou Cissé is the chief of the Cultural Mission of Kangaba, a branch of the Direction nationale du patrimoine culturel of Mali.
Mamadi Dembélé is director of archaeological research and head of the Department of History and Archaeology of the Institut des sciences humaines, Bamako, Mali
Abdallah Fili is professor of history and Islamic archaeology at the Université Chouaib Doukali d’El-Jadida, Morocco, and co-director of archaeological research at Igiliz (2004–present) and Aghmat (2005–present).
Ronald A. Messier is co-director of the Moroccan-American Archaeological Project in Aghmat, Morocco, and professor emeritus in the Department of History at Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro.
Sam Nixon is curator of Africa in the Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas at the British Museum.
Presented by the Block Museum in partnership with the Department of Anthropology and Program of African Studies.
Scenes from the Visit
