Nubian Antiquities at the Museum of Archaeology at the University of Stavanger – the trip from Bergen

Norway is mostly known to the outside world as the land of the fjords. The landscape in the regions of Hordaland and Rogaland, the prefectures where Bergen and Stavanger are the capital cities respectively, is very scenic and dramatic. The fjords have deep significance for human communications and the best way to apprehend this is to travel between these two cities by car. No less than two ferries and three undersea tunnels were needed in order to make this trip of ca. 200 kilometers feasible in ca. 4-5 hours! One can of course take the plane and spend just 37 minutes in the air to cover the same distance. Or indulge in the journey over sea, along the route called “Way to the North” that has given Norway its name! But this most traditional way of covering this itinerary does not last less than the car trip… With such an adventure separating our base in Bergen from Stavanger, one may wonder what made us travel here today. The reasons are known to the readers of our blog: On the one hand, the X-Group and Medieval antiquities from the Scandinavian Joint Expedition to Sudanese Nubia are housed in the Archaeological Museum of Stavanger; on the other hand, we are attempting to bring to life the museological presence of Nubia in Norway! More at the end of our work in Stavanger…