This book contains the proceedings of a session of the 20th International Rock Art Congress IFRAO 2018, which took place from 29 August to 2 September 2018 in Valcamonica/Darfo Boario Terme, Italy, under the motto ‘Standing on the shoulders of giants‘. The organization of Session 2B Current Research in the Rock Art of the Eastern Sahara (30 August 2018) responded to a broad call from scholars to bring Egypt and the Eastern Sahara into the spotlight within rock art studies. Traditionally, Egyptian rock art has been discussed primarily within Egyptological contexts, often overshadowed by the monumental architecture and dynastic history that dominate the study of ancient Egypt. Yet the Eastern Sahara has been a cultural crossroads since the Palaeolithic era. The region's rock art offers invaluable insigths into the lives, beliefs, and movements of its ancient peoples. Rock art is not only an artistic e pression but also a key to understanding prehistoric, protohistoric, and historical developments across the region. This session was conceived to more fully integrate the rock art of the Eastern Sahara into the broader discourse of international rock art research. By including these discussions in congresses such as IFRAO, the aim was to bridge the gap between traditional Egyptological studies and the rich field of rock art research. This approach fosters a more holistic understanding of the region, encouraging collaboration between scholars with diverse research foci on the ancient landscape, its people, and their artistic heritage. Session 2B at IFRAO 2018 thus served as a platform to highlight regional interconnections, bringing together scholars who are advancing the study of rock art in Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Libya, and beyond. We also dedicate this session and its resulting publication to the memory of Dirk Huyge (1957-2018), a true giant in this field of research, whose contributions to the study of Egyptian rock art are immeasurable. His work laid the foundations for much of today's research and continues to shape our understanding of rock art's role in Egypt's prehistory and its broader Saharan context. Dirk's leadership and vision were instrumental in advancing this field, and it is fitting that this volume reflects the diversity of approaches and findings that he championed. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the contributors for their great patience and continued support throughout the extended publication process. We also wish to acknowledge and apologise for the significant delay, which was due not only to the unforeseen disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also to overlapping academic commitments and institutional responsibilities. All in all, it has taken a full seven years since the congress and Dirk's passing before these proceedings are finally available in print. However, in view of the persistently difficult political situation in the countries concerned, which has led to considerable restrictions in field research or even its complete cancellation, this delay is perhaps not so significant. Instead of new field campaigns yielding new material, it was possible to intensify and profitably advance the processing, detailed analysis and evaluation of previously collected data, as some of the contributions presented in this book illustrate. Anyway, we deeply appreciate all authors' valuable contributions and their dedication to advancing the study of rock art in the Eastern Sahara