# Richard Lobban

Richard Andrew Lobban Jr. (/ˈloʊbən/; born November 3, 1943) is an American anthropologist, archaeologist, Egyptologist, Sudanist, human rights activist, beekeeper, and former war journalist. He is professor emeritus of anthropology and African studies at Rhode Island College, in Providence, Rhode Island, and a lecturer at the Archaeological Institute of America and the Naval War College. He is an expert on Ancient Sudan and Ancient Egypt, with a particular focus on Nubia. He is a co-founder of the Sudan Studies Association.
He is a three-time unsuccessful Democratic party candidate for the New Hampshire General Court. He received the third-most votes in the New Hampshire House of Representatives primary election for the Grafton 9 district in 2020, he was unsuccessful when he ran for New Hampshire's 7th State Senate district against Daniel Innis in 2022, and in 2024 he lost in the general election for the Grafton 10 district against John Sellers.

## Early life and education

Richard Andrew Lobban Jr. was born to Dorothy and Richard Andrew Lobban. His parents were supporters of internationalism and African studies. His paternal grandparents were Sarah and James Lobban. James Lobban was a teacher of Greek and Latin.
Lobban graduated from Bucknell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. He received a Master of Arts degree and Doctor of Philosophy degree in anthropology from Temple University and Northwestern University, respectively.

## Career

Lobban has taught at Dartmouth College, Carnegie-Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, Tufts University, the University of Khartoum, American University in Cairo, Rhode Island College, and the Naval War College. While in Sudan, Lobban discovered a previously unrecorded ancient Meroitic temple believed to have once belonged to a prince. Among items that were discovered was inscriptions of deities such as Hapi and a lintel virtually identical to solar temples dedicated to the god Amun. The temple is believed to have been destroyed during a fourth-century Axumite invasion.
Lobban established the Richard Lobban Family Endowed Lecture in 1999. It is intended to support public presentations on archaeological subjects based upon research on the African continent.

## Publications
### Books

Lobban has also authored numerous books and publications such as the Historical Dictionary of Ancient and Medieval Nubia, Historical Dictionary of Sudan (2002), and Social Networks in Urban Sudan (1973). He has also authored/co-authored books such as Historical dictionary of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau (1997), Cape Verde: Crioulo colony to independent nation (1995), Historical dictionary of Cape Verde (2007), and Middle Eastern women and the invisible economy (1998).
| Year | Title | Series | Publisher | ISBN |
| 2021 | Historical Dictionary of Ancient Nubia | Historical Dictionaries of Ancient Civilizations and Historical Eras | Rowman & Littlefield | 978-1-5381-3338-5 |
| 2020 | Historical Dictionary of Medieval Christian Nubia | Historical Dictionaries of Ancient Civilizations and Historical Eras | Rowman & Littlefield | 978-1-5381-3340-8 |
| 2017 | African Insurgencies: From the Colonial Era to the 21st Century | Praeger Security International | ABC-CLIO, LLC | 978-1-4408-3994-8 |
| 2014 | Libya: History and Revolution | Praeger Security International | ABC-CLIO, LLC | 978-1-4408-2884-3 |

### Articles

* "The Historical Role of the Mahas in the Urbanization of Sudan's 'Three Towns' with Special Reference to Two Communities: Tuti Island and Burri al Mahas". African Urban Notes. VI (2): 24–38. 1971.
* "Eritrean Liberation Front: A Close-Up View". Munger Africana Library Notes. 13 (3): 1–20. 1972.
* "Guinea-Bissau: 24 September 1973 and Beyond". Africa Today. 21 (1): 15–24. Winter 1974. JSTOR 4185637.
* "Alienation, Urbanisation, and Social Networks in the Sudan". The Journal of Modern African Studies. 13 (3): 491–500. 1975. doi:10.1017/S0022278X0005240X. JSTOR 159853.
* "The Eritrean War: Issues and Implications". Canadian Journal of African Studies. 10 (2): 335–346. 1976. doi:10.2307/483836. JSTOR 483836.
* "The Dialectics of Migration and Social Associations in the Urban Sudan". International Journal of Sociology. 7 (2): 99–120. 1977. JSTOR 20629756.
* "Class, Endogamy, and Urbanization in the "Three Towns" of the Sudan". African Studies Review. 22 (3): 99–114. 1979. doi:10.2307/523898. JSTOR 523898.
* "The Law of Elephants and the Justice of Monkeys: Two Cases of Anti-Colonialism in the Sudan". Africa Today. 28 (2): 87–95. 1981. JSTOR 4186003.
* "Class and Kinship in Sudanese Urban Communities". Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. 52 (2): 51–76. 1982. doi:10.2307/1159141. JSTOR 1159141.
* "Pigs and Their Prohibition". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 26 (1): 57–75. 1994. JSTOR 164052.
* "Problems and Strategies in the Decipherment of Meroitic". Northeast African Studies. 1 (2/3): 159–164. 1994. doi:10.1353/nas.1994.0017. JSTOR 41931102.
* "Slavery in the Sudan since 1989". Arab Studies Quarterly. 23 (2): 31–39. 2001. JSTOR 41858372.
* "Was Aesop a Nubian Kummaji (Folkteller)?". Northeast African Studies. 9 (1): 11–31. 2002. JSTOR 41931299.

## Electoral history

New Hampshire House of Representatives primary election for the Grafton 9 district, 2020      Source: :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Catherine Mulholland | 645 | 47 |
| | Democratic | Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban | 435 | 31.7 |
| | Democratic | Richard Lobban | 278 | 20.3 |
| | Democratic | Other | 13 | 1 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,371 | 100 |
New Hampshire Senate general election, 7th District, 2022 :
| Primary election |||||
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Daniel Innis | 13,413 | 54.6 |
| | Democratic | Richard Lobban | 11,146 | 45.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 24,559 | 100 |
New Hampshire House of Representatives general election for the Grafton 10 district, 2024      Source: :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | John Sellers | 1,490 | 53.7 |
| | Democratic | Richard Lobban | 1,284 | 46.3 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,774 | 100 |