In March, we invited applications from early-career Egyptologists for grants from our Centenary Fund. This year, the Society was able to make a total of £7,000 available for these Awards, an increase of 15% on the previous year.
The Centenary Awards are intended to fund small research projects that would otherwise not be undertaken, and to provide not only funding but also valuable experience in planning and delivering a fieldwork or research project – usually in Egypt. Recipients are expected to share the results of their work online, and through the Egypt Exploration Society’s publications and events programme.
We had eighteen applicants for the grants, and, as ever, there were many interesting projects that could not be funded, due to the budgetary constraints.
We are delighted to announce that awards will be made to fund the following three projects:
- Hassan Ramadan Aglan– Documentation of the recently discovered tombs in Central Dra’ Abu el-Naga, West Bank, Luxor
- Tessa Dickinson– Compositional analysis of mudbrick at Hierakonpolis
- Yaser Mahmoud Hussein– South Abydos Excavation, Early Dynastic Cemetery
Left to right: Hassan Aglan, Tessa Dickinson and Yaser Mahmoud Hussein at work on their respective sites
We are very pleased to be able to fund these three projects, and look forward to sharing the results in due course. The Centenary Award recipients follow in the footsteps of previous Award winners, many of whom have gone on to become distinguished Egyptologists and to hold senior positions at institutions around the world. We wish Hassan, Tessa and Yaser the same success!
In addition, the Fieldwork and Research Committee decided that one of the Centenary Award applications should be funded from the main Excavation Fund, since it brings to publication the output of previous Society work at Saqqara. Sanda Heinz will study and publish the caches of bronze statuettes and cult equipment discovered by the Society at the Sacred Animal Necropolis of North Saqqara. (Left: Sanda at work in the Alexandria Maritime Museum)
The Society is committed to supporting the next generation of Egyptologists, through these awards, bursaries to assist students attending the annual Current Research in Egyptology conference, and the EES Scholarships for Egyptian researchers.