‘Entangled Africa’ researchers appointed directors of German Archaeological Institute departments

During their annual meeting in May 2021 the DAI’s directors decided on the new leadership of the Commission for Archaeology of Non-European Cultures (KAAK) and the Cairo Department (DAI Cairo) of the Institute. We are particularly pleased that both new directors come from the ranks of the SPP: Jörg Linstädter will succeed Burkhard Vogt at the KAAK in October 2021; Dietrich Raue will succeed Stephan Seidlmayer at the DAI Cairo starting in October 2022. The SPP 2143 ‘Entangled Africa’ congratulates!

Jörg Linstädter has been committed to the research on Africa since his studies at the Universities of Berlin (HU) and Cologne. As second director of the KAAK in Bonn, his research and his support of teaching and infrastructure for archaeology focusses on Eswatini and Mozambique. He also strives to give greater prominence to African archaeology in Germany. With this aim, he initiated the priority program ‘Entangled Africa’, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) since 2018. He is also actively involved in the DAI’s TransArea Network Africa (TANA), which connects DAI projects all over Africa. Furthermore, he is engaged in the Panafrican Congress (PanAf) of the Society of Africanist Archaeologists (SAFA), the Union Internationale des Sciences Préhistoriques et Protohistoriques (UISPP) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) through workshops, publications and expert reports on the archaeology of Africa.

However, with his lecture “#Farbe” (#Color) on 02.02.2021, he showed that his research interests are not limited to the continent of Africa. Using the color red in all its implication and meanings, he was able to highlight exciting issues that link the KAAK’s research worldwide. This approach promises interesting and unusual perspectives for the future of the Commission in Bonn.

Dietrich Raue returns to the DAI with his appointment as its first director. From 2000 to 2010 he already worked as an Associated Researcher at the Cairo department, in particular entrusted with the excavation project Elephantine. In addition to his work as curator of the Egyptian Museum – Georg Steindorff – of the University of Leipzig, he focused since 2010 on his habilitation on the topic of “Elephantine and Nubia from 4th – 2nd millennium BC” and was appointed Professor at Leipzig University in 2021. In addition, he returned to the place of his interest since his doctoral thesis – Heliopolis, now a part of the Cairo metropolitan area, called Matariya.This excavation project, carried out in Egyptian-German cooperation, uncovers one of the most important temple complexes of Ancient Egypt. In addition, emphasis is placed on aspects of capacity building and outreach to the public.

As one of three project directors of the ‘Routes of Interaction’ (P07) project, he is expanding his research scope far beyond the borders of Pharaonic Egypt as part of the ‘Entangled Africa’ program. Among other things, he thus picks up the work of his predecessor Stephan Seidlmayer to embed Egypt in the network of Ancient Africa. We are looking forward to further successful cooperation in this endeavor.

Lastly, let us not only wish the future directors of KAAK and DAI Cairo all the best in their careers. We also hope that the two departing directors of the DAI, Burkhard Vogt (KAAK) and Stephan Seidlmayer (DAI Cairo), will remain with us as researchers and colleagues long beyond their tenure. We would like to thank them for their tireless commitment to research, the promotion of young researchers, and the protection of historical monuments, for their personal dedication in times of crisis for the benefit of the DAI’s departments and all their staff, and of course for their paving exciting future paths for the DAI’s two departments.