Certificate of Completion
At the end of this course you will be able to download a personalised certificate of completion from the classroom. A great way to keep track of your learning and celebrate your Egyptological journey.
Egypt's Rival on the Nile The Kingdom of Kerma
Dr Peter Lacovara
4 online lectures delivered over 2 afternoons. Sunday 19th & 26th July 2026 2pm UK time
We love to see you for the live lectures, but if you have to miss one, don't worry, you can of course catch up (or watch again) at your leisure via the recordings. You will have access to the recorded lectures for a whole month after the last live lecture. Recordings will be available until 26th August.
The Kingdom of Kerma was the first African state to pose a threat to ancient Egypt. Flourishing in the Bronze Age (c. 2500–1500 BCE) it was located in Sudan, centered in the area of the Third Cataract. Its origins go back to what is known as the Pre-Kerma culture (c. 3500–2500 BCE), and grew in size and complexity afterward through the Early Kerma, Middle Kerma, Classic Kerma, and Recent Kerma periods. Its artisans created unique and exquisite objects and monumental structures illustrating the importance of the civilization.
Most of what we known comes from excavation of the capital city, Kerma and its vast cemeteries. However, the civilization extended to other sites such as Sai Island and later into Southern Upper Egypt itself. Dominating the Nilotic trade route, much like its Hyksos contemporaries in the north, Kerma became wealthy and powerful enough to annex Egyptian territory, sparking a conflict which would end with the creation of the Egyptian Empire in the New Kingdom.
Join Dr Peter Lacovara for this set of 4 lectures delivered over two afternoons.
Sunday 19th July
Lecture 1. Introduction: Nubia in the Bronze Age
Lecture 2. Excavating Kerma
Sunday 26th July
Lecture 3. Kerma Crafts
Lecture 4. Kerma versus Egypt and the aftermath
Dr Peter Lacovara
Peter Lacovara is the Director of The Ancient Egyptian Archaeology and Heritage Fund. He was Senior Curator of Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art at the Michael C. Carlos Museum from 1998 to 2014. Currently, he is also Consulting Curator for the Egyptian Collection at the Albany Institute of History and Art and Visiting Research Scholar at the American University in Cairo. Peter Lacovara has consulted and been engaged in museum installations and exhibitions at numerous museums and he has taught at several Universities including being the W. K. Simpson Distinguished Visiting Professor at the American University in Cairo. He has excavated at the Valley of the Kings, the Palace-City of Amenhotep III at Malqata in Western Thebes, Abydos, Hierakonpolis and at the Giza Plateau, and currently he is directing the survey and restoration of the site of Deir el-Ballas.
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