A. J. Arkell
Encyclopedia
Anthony John Arkell known as A. J. Arkell, was a British archaeologist and colonial administrator noted for his work in the Sudan
and Egypt
.
, Kent, England. He saw service with the Royal Flying Corps
and Royal Air Force
in World War I before joining the Sudan Political Service in 1920. A former official of the British colonial government, Arkell conducted several surveys, documenting among other things: the existence of massive iron works in Meroe
, which he dubbed "the Birmingham of Africa", and the extensive pre-dynastic culture of Egypt, notably the Badarians. Arkell was instrumental in ending the slave trade between the Sudan
and Ethiopia
, and in establishing villages for the freed slaves, who named themselves "the Sons of Arkell". In 1938, he was appointed commissioner for archaeology and anthropology and undertook a series of digs that revealed information about Sudanese prehistory for the first time. In 1948, he became the curator of the Flinders Petrie Collection of Egyptian Antiquities and professor of Egyptology at University College, University of London
, where he catalogued the collection and wrote his History of the Sudan (1955).
Arkell retired in 1963 and was ordained a minister. He died in Chelmsford
at the age of eighty-one.
. Some have criticised Arkell's conclusions, alleging that he divided Sudanic areas into vaguely defined populations including a superior "Brown" race (Arab or Semitic) and "Negro" races, and that he held that progress among the Negro aborigines was due to Egyptianisation, rather than to independent development. Others point, however, to Arkell's surveys as proof against what they consider to be racist
assumptions about Africa, namely that any significant cultural or technological development is due to the outside influence of Caucasoid invaders or migrants.
Such "outsider development" theories, most notably the "Hamitic myth
", have since been abandoned by modern scholarship. Arkell's work in the Sudan shows that several important cultural elements such as cattle herding
, were already in place and in use by indigenous Negroid peoples, prior to the arrival of mysterious Causacoid or "Hamitic" migrants who supposedly ushered in an era of progress. His work on Meroe also shows iron-works in operation by Negroid peoples and this has been used as a basis for the idea that Meroitic cultures were responsible for the spread of iron-making to other parts of the African continent as opposed to theories of vague Caucasoid outsiders. His research on the Pre-dynastic Badarians shows their culture shared some similarities with the Negroid peoples of the Sudan, bolstering various Afrocentric claims of a black presence in Egypt.
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
Biography
Arkell was born in HinxhillHinxhill
Hinxhill is a hamlet to the east of Ashford, Kent, England. It is part of the Wye with Hinxhill parish, located near Willesborough, Brook and Wye....
, Kent, England. He saw service with the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
and Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in World War I before joining the Sudan Political Service in 1920. A former official of the British colonial government, Arkell conducted several surveys, documenting among other things: the existence of massive iron works in Meroe
Meroë
Meroë Meroitic: Medewi or Bedewi; Arabic: and Meruwi) is an ancient city on the east bank of the Nile about 6 km north-east of the Kabushiya station near Shendi, Sudan, approximately 200 km north-east of Khartoum. Near the site are a group of villages called Bagrawiyah...
, which he dubbed "the Birmingham of Africa", and the extensive pre-dynastic culture of Egypt, notably the Badarians. Arkell was instrumental in ending the slave trade between the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, and in establishing villages for the freed slaves, who named themselves "the Sons of Arkell". In 1938, he was appointed commissioner for archaeology and anthropology and undertook a series of digs that revealed information about Sudanese prehistory for the first time. In 1948, he became the curator of the Flinders Petrie Collection of Egyptian Antiquities and professor of Egyptology at University College, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, where he catalogued the collection and wrote his History of the Sudan (1955).
Arkell retired in 1963 and was ordained a minister. He died in Chelmsford
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
at the age of eighty-one.
Arkell and Afrocentrism
Arkell's work has received recent attention resulting from the debate over AfrocentrismAfrocentrism
Afrocentrism is cultural ideology mostly limited to the United States, dedicated to the history of Black people a response to global racist attitudes about African people and their historical contributions by revisiting this history with an African cultural and ideological center...
. Some have criticised Arkell's conclusions, alleging that he divided Sudanic areas into vaguely defined populations including a superior "Brown" race (Arab or Semitic) and "Negro" races, and that he held that progress among the Negro aborigines was due to Egyptianisation, rather than to independent development. Others point, however, to Arkell's surveys as proof against what they consider to be racist
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
assumptions about Africa, namely that any significant cultural or technological development is due to the outside influence of Caucasoid invaders or migrants.
Such "outsider development" theories, most notably the "Hamitic myth
Hamitic
Hamitic is an historical term for the peoples supposedly descended from Noah's son Ham, paralleling Semitic and Japhetic.It was formerly used for grouping the non-Semitic Afroasiatic languages , but since, unlike the Semitic branch, these have not been shown to form a phylogenetic unity, the term...
", have since been abandoned by modern scholarship. Arkell's work in the Sudan shows that several important cultural elements such as cattle herding
Herding
Herding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group , maintaining the group and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those. While the layperson uses the term "herding", most individuals involved in the process term it mustering, "working stock" or...
, were already in place and in use by indigenous Negroid peoples, prior to the arrival of mysterious Causacoid or "Hamitic" migrants who supposedly ushered in an era of progress. His work on Meroe also shows iron-works in operation by Negroid peoples and this has been used as a basis for the idea that Meroitic cultures were responsible for the spread of iron-making to other parts of the African continent as opposed to theories of vague Caucasoid outsiders. His research on the Pre-dynastic Badarians shows their culture shared some similarities with the Negroid peoples of the Sudan, bolstering various Afrocentric claims of a black presence in Egypt.