Obituary Rudolph Kuper (28 May 1937 – 14 April 2026)

On 14 April 2026, the archaeologist Rudolph Kuper passed away in Cologne. After initial research in German prehistory—already remarkably productive—he discovered, first for himself and then for many others, the settlement history of the Eastern Sahara as the central focus of his life’s work. The Heinrich Barth Institute at the University of Cologne, which he founded, as well as the projects “B.O.S. – Besiedlungsgeschichte der Ostsahara” and “A.C.A.C.I.A. – Cultural and Landscape Change in Arid Africa,” have made fundamental and enduring contributions to the study of the early cultural stages of Egypt and Sudan. At the same time, the projects he initiated also provided important impulses and a wealth of new insights for later periods.

He maintained a close relationship with the German Archaeological Institute for more than four decades. He enriched the Institute’s academic life in lasting ways—not least through his teams with numerous early-career researchers who followed his intellectual drive over many years. Many of them received their formative academic training within his teams; their later independent projects often grew out of initially joint undertakings with Rudolph Kuper. Supporting and mentoring younger colleagues was important to him not only for the future of the discipline but also as a deeply personal commitment. Together with Tarek Tawfik, he initiated and established the joint Master’s programme “Environmental Archaeology” at the Universities of Cairo and Cologne. Several of its graduates are now also working with the German Archaeological Institute.

Not only the archaeology of the desert but also its preservation was a matter close to Rudolph Kuper’s heart. Together with his team and Egyptian partners from the EEAA (Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency), he supported, for example, the development of the Gilf Kebir National Park. As recently as June 2023, he delivered a compelling plea for the protection of archaeological monuments in Egypt’s Eastern Sahara at the colloquium “Egypt through the Eyes of Ahmed Fakhry.” For as long as his health allowed, he continued to travel— and supported, as throughout the years, by his wife Beatrice—to the oases of the Western Desert and to the house of the Heinrich Barth Institute in the Dakhla Oasis.

Rudolph Kuper had an exceptional ability to “read” what is now a hostile desert environment, to convey its significance for the cultural history of Northeast Africa, and to make foundational contributions to its understanding. Through his inspiring enthusiasm for his field of research, he succeeded in awakening the interest of many. The archaeology of Egypt and Sudan has lost an extraordinarily dedicated and accomplished representative of the discipline.

The Cairo Department will remember Rudolph Kuper as a colleague and friend. It extends its sincere condolences to his family and his long-standing project collaborators.