Search

Between c. 300 BC and AD 350, the Meroitic kingdom dominated the Middle Nile Valley; following its breakdown, it was replaced by a series of smaller successor polities. Explanation for this change centres on socio-political and economic instability. Here, the authors investigate the role of climate and environment using stable carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of human and faunal dental enamel from 13 cemeteries. The results show increasing [delta][sup.18]O values towards the end of the Meroitic kingdom and in the postMeroitic period, combined with less negative [delta][sup.13]C values. These trends suggest a shift towards more arid conditions associated with changes in agricultural practices and land use that may have contributed to the kingdom's dissolution. Keywords: Sudan, Upper Nubia, Meroitic kingdom, isotope analysis, climate change, collapse, Introduction Kush was one of several early states that formed along the Middle Nile, flourishing for centuries until its fall towards the end of the Meroitic period (c. 300 BC-AD [...]

New excavations at the Jebel Moya cemetery in Sudan reveal previously unknown, continuous burial activity from the third millennium BC to c. 2000 years ago. Radiometric dates, archaeobotanical analyses and new approaches to the pottery sequence reveal a long-lasting and vibrant community in what was previously dismissed as a marginal environment in south-central Sudan. Keywords: Sudan, Jebel Moya, Sahel, agropastoralism, mortuary, Introduction Jebel Moya is the largest known cemetery in the southern Gezira plain of south-central Sudan (Figure 1). Between 1911 and 1914, Henry Wellcome removed 3135 human burials in his [...]

Copyright of Libyan Studies is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Published by Cambridge University Press, 26 October 2018.In the article by Brass et al. (2018), the affiliation and funding information supplied for Iwona Kozieradzka-Ogunmakin was incorrect. The correct affiliation is [...]

This report presents the latest data from ongoing excavations at Jebel Moya, Sudan. This year saw the opening of five new trenches and continued excavation of an archaeologically rich trench. We have recovered four individual burials, a mud brick wall and a number of animal and archaeobotanical remains. The excavations also yielded a longer pottery sequence, showing clearly that the site was in use by at least the sixth millennium BC. This season confirms the long and complex history of Jebel Moya and provides the material for future studies on population health and subsistence. This season also saw an increase in community engagement and a more detailed study of the various historical trajectories that make up the biography of Jebel Moya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fieldwork of the Polish--Egyptian Mission to Saqqara in the 2020 season continued on the eastern bank of the Dry Moat, resulting in the discovery of a rock-cut structure directly south of Corridor 1. Fieldwork also included exploration of a rock-cut chapel adjacent to the tomb of Merefnebef, part of the Sixth Dynasty funerary complex located south of the tomb. Both areas yielded new burials belonging to the so-called Upper Necropolis, which overlies the remains of late Old Kingdom funerary structures. Conservation work constituted an important part of the 2020 fieldwork program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper is the second of two that explore metric sex estimation of ancient Egyptian human skeletons. The purpose of the study is to create metric sex estimation methods that are specific to ancient Egyptians, and to ensure the methods will be of value to other researchers by testing them on a dissimilar sample from the same population. The population-specific methods were created using a reference sample consisting of 318 adult individuals. The majority of individuals were recovered from cemeteries in Giza, which date to the Old Kingdom (n=106) or the Late Period (n=154). In addition, 43 individuals date to Predynastic Period Keneh, 13 individuals to Middle Kingdom Sheikh Farag, and two individuals to Ramesside Period Thebes. Sex was estimated using standard morphological techniques. Discriminant function analysis with a stepwise approach was used to create the metric methods. The test sample consists of the skeletal remains of 119 (81 male, 38 female) adult individuals recovered from the Saqqara-West cemetery site. This site consists of burials dated to both the late Old Kingdom (n=28) and the Ptolemaic Period (n=91). The results of this test demonstrate that a number of the population-specific methods presented herein might be of value to other researchers working in Egypt, provided their sample derives from the same time period(s) and geographic locations as the reference and test samples used in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A skeletal collection from 105 burials excavated at the Old Kingdom and Ptolemaic Period cemetery in Saqqara, Egypt, was investigated for evidence of ante-mortem fractures of long bones. The collection comprised 57 males, 30 females, 14 unsexed sub-adults, and 4 unsexed mature individuals. The majority of the skeletons were complete or almost complete, despite the disturbance caused by tomb looters in antiquity. Fractures were recorded by bone, side, location, type and state of healing. The prevalence of fractures was calculated in male and female populations, as well as in individual age groups. The state of healing of the fractures was examined in order to investigate the possibility of medical treatment provided. No evidence of fractures was recorded in sub-adults. Evidence of single fractures were found in fourteen adults, and a further five individuals sustained two fractures to different bones of the upper limb. The frequency of fractures by bone count was the highest among the Middle and Old Adults. Fractures to the radius (37.5%) and the ulna (33.3%) were the most common, while no fractures were recorded in the tibia. Angulation, rotation and shortening were observed among the healed bones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]