Annett Dittrich

I am an archaeologist based in Berlin, Germany, where I had the great opportunity to study the archaeology of Sudan. When I came to Sudan for the first time in the year 2000, I was very impressed by the friendliness and the hospitality of the Sudanese people who made archaeological work in Sudan an unforgettable experience. I still find it fascinating to think that the modern river Nile has been a centre of ‘life’ for people, animals and plants for more than 10,000 years. Rivers are part of human culture and I believe that understanding them helps us to understand human activities – both in the past and in the present. This reminds me of the ancient Greek saying that life is flowing like a river and “you never get on the same river twice”.