Michele R Buzon | Purdue University (original) (raw)
Papers by Michele R Buzon
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2009
PNAS, 2022
Climate change is an indisputable threat to human health, especially for societies already co... more Climate change is an indisputable threat to human health, especially for societies already confronted with rising social inequality, political and economic uncertainty, and a cascade of concurrent environmental challenges. Archaeological data about past climate and environment provide an important source of evidence about the potential challenges humans face and the long-term outcomes of alternative short-term adaptive strategies. Evidence from well-dated archaeological human skeletons and mummified remains speaks directly to patterns of human health over time through changing circumstances. Here, we describe variation in human epidemiological patterns in the context of past rapid climate change (RCC) events and other periods of past environmental change. Case studies confirm that human communities responded to environmental changes in diverse ways depending on historical, sociocultural, and biological contingencies. Certain factors, such as social inequality and disproportionate access to resources in large, complex societies may influence the probability of major sociopolitical disruptions and reorganizations—commonly known as “collapse.” This survey of Holocene human–environmental relations demonstrates how flexibility, variation, and maintenance of Indigenous knowledge can be mitigating factors in the face of environmental challenges. Although contemporary climate change is more rapid and of greater magnitude than the RCC events and other environmental changes we discuss here, these lessons from the past provide clarity about potential priorities for equitable, sustainable development and the constraints of modernity we must address.
The International Encyclopedia of Biological Anthropology
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2009
... sample from Nabta Playa revealed conflicting evidence between wear patterns and caries levels... more ... sample from Nabta Playa revealed conflicting evidence between wear patterns and caries levels, suggesting ... Understanding a population's diet is an essential component of analysing dental health, as it ... In order to properly study the rates of dental disease in Tombos and other ...
African Archaeological Review, Apr 27, 2023
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Climate change is an indisputable threat to human health, especially for societies already confro... more Climate change is an indisputable threat to human health, especially for societies already confronted with rising social inequality, political and economic uncertainty, and a cascade of concurrent environmental challenges. Archaeological data about past climate and environment provide an important source of evidence about the potential challenges humans face and the long-term outcomes of alternative short-term adaptive strategies. Evidence from well-dated archaeological human skeletons and mummified remains speaks directly to patterns of human health over time through changing circumstances. Here, we describe variation in human epidemiological patterns in the context of past rapid climate change (RCC) events and other periods of past environmental change. Case studies confirm that human communities responded to environmental changes in diverse ways depending on historical, sociocultural, and biological contingencies. Certain factors, such as social inequality and disproportionate ac...
The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Nubia
Bioarchaeology is the excavation and analysis of human remains from archaeological sites. Through... more Bioarchaeology is the excavation and analysis of human remains from archaeological sites. Through numerous campaigns related to the building of dams and other projects, thousands of skeletal remains have been excavated from ancient Nubian sites. Paleopathological and morphological analyses of these collections have provided significant information about the lifeways of past inhabitants, including health, disease, activity patterns, traumatic injuries, diet, and biological relationships. From early case studies of pathological curiosities and racial typology to contextualized biocultural analyses of changes in health and population composition, Nubian bioarchaeology has adapted and expanded together with methodological and theoretical advancements in bioarchaeology more broadly. The integration of bioarchaeology within the larger archaeological research project from planning through analyses encourages more contextualized interpretations that combine skeletal evidence with settlement...
Applied Geochemistry
Abstract This study reports new trace element and Pb and Sr isotope compositions of tooth enamel ... more Abstract This study reports new trace element and Pb and Sr isotope compositions of tooth enamel from archaeological remains at a Medieval (Christian) cemetery located adjacent to the Kushite royal cemetery of El-Kurru, Sudan. The archaeological site of El-Kurru is located along the Nile River on the southern edge of the Nubian Plateau; the bedrock geology consists of Neoproterozoic crystalline basement and is overlain by fluvial sandstones and mudstones of Cretaceous age. El-Kurru is situated between two well-developed drainage basins, and in the past has been subjected to periodic (wadi-related) flooding as a result of intense local precipitation events. Enamel samples were taken from 18 individuals of varying ages and both sexes. Trace element abundances for a significant number of samples record elevated concentrations relative to modern (“in-vivo”) enamel, including Pb and U; however, the abundances for both elements do not correlate significantly with the contents of the remaining trace elements (Ba, Fe, Mg, Mn, Nd, Sr) investigated here. The calculated enrichment factors for all trace elements studied here relative to average crustal values are not consistent with exposure to Pb ores for human purposes, which is corroborated by the Pb isotope results. The Sr isotope compositions define 2 main groups that yield 87Sr/86Sr ratios that are either higher or lower than 0.7072 with similar Sr abundances (range between ~100 and ~400 ppm). The Pb isotope compositions are extremely variable and correlate well with their corresponding U/Pb ratios; the former overlap Pb isotope ratios for proximal Neoproterozoic rocks belonging to the Saharan Metacraton and Arabian Nubian Shield tectonic provinces. The combined trace element abundances and Sr and Pb isotope compositions for the enamel samples located within the Christian cemetery at El-Kurru are best interpreted to record interaction with groundwater that occurred post-mortem during flooding events. As reported in previous anthropological studies of a similar nature, the Pb isotope results reported here are particularly sensitive to monitoring post mortem diagenetic alteration given their extremely low abundances in non-altered tooth enamel. In contrast, the 87Sr/86Sr ratios have been minimally perturbed by post mortem alteration, and therefore most likely represent individuals with distinct Sr isotopic signatures inherited from different geographic regions.
American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 2022
Modeling Cross-Cultural Interaction in Ancient Borderlands, 2018
Ancient Egypt and Nubia have a long history of interaction that led to both cultural and biologic... more Ancient Egypt and Nubia have a long history of interaction that led to both cultural and biological entanglements. Cultural and political boundaries shifted over time, with Egypt absorbing parts of its southern neighbor into an eventually far-reaching empire but also with independent Nubian kingdoms dominating Egypt at different periods, at one point with its kings ruling as Pharaohs. This chapter examines the influences that flowed back and forth between Egyptian colonizers and indigenous Nubians, mapping the flows and intensity of cultural and biological exchanges diachronically through the Cross-Cultural Interaction Model, with the addition of side-by-side comparisons that link to the circular diagrams. This model can allow us to take into account the complex nature of interactions between Egyptians and Nubians and the multifaceted role that individual agency played in creating complex outcomes that simultaneously reflect multiple groups with varied interests.
Nubia, once colonized by the Egyptian Empire during the New Kingdom Period (ca. 1550-1070 BCE), b... more Nubia, once colonized by the Egyptian Empire during the New Kingdom Period (ca. 1550-1070 BCE), became increasingly independent and powerful with the rise of the Napatan State during the Third Intermediate and Napatan Periods (ca. 1070-664 BCE). This research addresses the social impacts of the New Kingdom/Napatan political and economic transition via the bioarchaeological examination of diet (carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis) and dental health (ante-mortem tooth loss, caries). We focus on skeletal remains from the archaeological site of Tombos due to the unique cultural and geopolitical positioning at the Third Cataract of the Nile River, but also make comparisons with other Nubian populations. The assessment of dental health (n=66) suggests a decrease in negative health indicators between the New Kingdom and Napatan Periods, indicating an improvement in overall health. Dietary reconstruction at Tombos is less conclusive; tentatively, the local Tombos diet does not appear to have changed substantially between the two periods (n=11); however, further testing is necessary. In conclusion, the local Tombos population appears to have maintained similar dietary habits and good health during the New Kingdom/Napatan transition.
Th is study uses a bioarchaeological approach to examine the cultural and biological relation- sh... more Th is study uses a bioarchaeological approach to examine the cultural and biological relation- ships between two groups who lived in ancient Nubia during the Bronze Age, C-Group and Kerma. While archaeological evidence indicates that these groups show many cultural similarities, refl ections of behaviors such as pottery use and mortuary practices suggest that C-Group and Kerma displayed their ethnic diff erences in specifi c situations within a multi-ethnic context. Biological affi nities assessed using cranial measurements suggest a common ancestry with few shape diff erences between the populations. Overall, the Kerma crania are larger than the C-Group crania, which could be accounted for by environmental and/or social variation. With the combination of data used in this research, a more nuanced understanding of these two contemporaneous Nubian populations is achieved.
Bioarchaeology International, 2017
Historical Archaeology, 2005
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2014
Due to its critical location on the Nile River controlling trade from the south, Tombos is an imp... more Due to its critical location on the Nile River controlling trade from the south, Tombos is an important ancient site to explore the interaction between Egyptians and Nubians. To assess population continuity at Tombos through sociopolitical transitions, the appendicular skeleton of people from the New Kingdom and Napatan periods was examined. Using morphometric and statistical analyses, body proportions on the upper and lower limbs were studied on each element through size (i.e. length, breadth, and width) and shape (bone's measurements with size removed). The Napatan component (when Nubia ruled Egypt) was consistently larger in size than the earlier New Kingdom component (when Egypt ruled Nubia), with little variation in shape. More variability in both size and shape was observed in males. When compared with other Nubians (C-group and Kerma) and Egyptians (Middle and New Kingdom), the Tombos Napatan sample (males and females) was generally larger, whereas the Tombos New Kingdom sample was generally smaller than other Nubians and similar in size to Egyptians. Some of the variability between the Tombos samples may be the result of gene flow, or rather changes in migration to the area through time and sociopolitics. However, the numerous differences in size with few in shape provide more support for an environmental explanation since size is more susceptible to nutritional stress, disease, and physical activity. These results show that the people of Tombos underwent biological alterations during these major sociopolitical changes from Egyptian rule over Nubia during the New Kingdom to Nubia ruling Egypt during the Napatan period. This study also demonstrates that morphometric analyses of multiple bones and measurements are an important supplement to other bioarchaeological analyses to provide a broader of view of physical changes that occur over time. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Homo : internationale Zeitschrift für die vergleichende Forschung am Menschen, 2014
The origins of one of the most powerful sociopolitical entities of the Nile Valley, the Napatan S... more The origins of one of the most powerful sociopolitical entities of the Nile Valley, the Napatan State (850-650BCE), are debated. Some scholars have suggested local development of this influential Nubian State, while others propose foreign involvement. This study uses a bioarchaeological approach to examine the biological affinity of these Ancient Nubians. The focal site of this research, Tombos, is one of few non-central Napatan Period sites that have been excavated and can, therefore, shed light on the broader Napatan populace. Dental non-metric trait frequencies were examined in the Tombos sample as well as in 12 comparative samples to elucidate the biological affinities of these populations. Analyses indicate that Tombos dental non-metric trait frequencies were not significantly different from the majority of Egyptian and Nubian samples examined here. Therefore, we propose that gene flow, encouraged by long-term coexistence and intermarriage in Nubia, created an Egyptian/Nubian t...
International Journal of Paleopathology, 2014
This study examines the consequences of the sociopolitical transition in the Nile Valley from New... more This study examines the consequences of the sociopolitical transition in the Nile Valley from New Kingdom Egyptian control (18-20th Dynasties of Egypt, ∼1550-1069 BC) to Napatan Nubian rule (25th Dynasty of Egypt, ∼750-660 BC) through the analysis of skeletal remains and mortuary ritual at the site of Tombos in Upper Nubia (modern Sudan). Demographic variables as well as indicators of nutritional deficiency and infectious disease (linear enamel hypoplasia, cribra orbitalia, osteoperiostitis, and femur length) are used to assess the effects of governmental changes on people living in Nubia during these periods. It is evident from the skeletal sample that the Egyptian-Nubian community at Tombos continued to thrive after the fall of the New Kingdom Egyptian empire. Drastic differences in linear enamel hypoplasia and osteoperiostitis are not apparent in the New Kingdom and Napatan components at Tombos. However, an increased level of remodeled cribra orbitalia along with greater average femur length in the Napatan female cohort indicates better recovery from times of nutritional and infectious conditions in comparison with the New Kingdom individuals. Variable circumstances experienced by New Kingdom Egyptian colonists at Tombos, as well as genetic differences, may account for the observed frequencies of these paleopathological indicators.
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2009
PNAS, 2022
Climate change is an indisputable threat to human health, especially for societies already co... more Climate change is an indisputable threat to human health, especially for societies already confronted with rising social inequality, political and economic uncertainty, and a cascade of concurrent environmental challenges. Archaeological data about past climate and environment provide an important source of evidence about the potential challenges humans face and the long-term outcomes of alternative short-term adaptive strategies. Evidence from well-dated archaeological human skeletons and mummified remains speaks directly to patterns of human health over time through changing circumstances. Here, we describe variation in human epidemiological patterns in the context of past rapid climate change (RCC) events and other periods of past environmental change. Case studies confirm that human communities responded to environmental changes in diverse ways depending on historical, sociocultural, and biological contingencies. Certain factors, such as social inequality and disproportionate access to resources in large, complex societies may influence the probability of major sociopolitical disruptions and reorganizations—commonly known as “collapse.” This survey of Holocene human–environmental relations demonstrates how flexibility, variation, and maintenance of Indigenous knowledge can be mitigating factors in the face of environmental challenges. Although contemporary climate change is more rapid and of greater magnitude than the RCC events and other environmental changes we discuss here, these lessons from the past provide clarity about potential priorities for equitable, sustainable development and the constraints of modernity we must address.
The International Encyclopedia of Biological Anthropology
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2009
... sample from Nabta Playa revealed conflicting evidence between wear patterns and caries levels... more ... sample from Nabta Playa revealed conflicting evidence between wear patterns and caries levels, suggesting ... Understanding a population's diet is an essential component of analysing dental health, as it ... In order to properly study the rates of dental disease in Tombos and other ...
African Archaeological Review, Apr 27, 2023
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Climate change is an indisputable threat to human health, especially for societies already confro... more Climate change is an indisputable threat to human health, especially for societies already confronted with rising social inequality, political and economic uncertainty, and a cascade of concurrent environmental challenges. Archaeological data about past climate and environment provide an important source of evidence about the potential challenges humans face and the long-term outcomes of alternative short-term adaptive strategies. Evidence from well-dated archaeological human skeletons and mummified remains speaks directly to patterns of human health over time through changing circumstances. Here, we describe variation in human epidemiological patterns in the context of past rapid climate change (RCC) events and other periods of past environmental change. Case studies confirm that human communities responded to environmental changes in diverse ways depending on historical, sociocultural, and biological contingencies. Certain factors, such as social inequality and disproportionate ac...
The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Nubia
Bioarchaeology is the excavation and analysis of human remains from archaeological sites. Through... more Bioarchaeology is the excavation and analysis of human remains from archaeological sites. Through numerous campaigns related to the building of dams and other projects, thousands of skeletal remains have been excavated from ancient Nubian sites. Paleopathological and morphological analyses of these collections have provided significant information about the lifeways of past inhabitants, including health, disease, activity patterns, traumatic injuries, diet, and biological relationships. From early case studies of pathological curiosities and racial typology to contextualized biocultural analyses of changes in health and population composition, Nubian bioarchaeology has adapted and expanded together with methodological and theoretical advancements in bioarchaeology more broadly. The integration of bioarchaeology within the larger archaeological research project from planning through analyses encourages more contextualized interpretations that combine skeletal evidence with settlement...
Applied Geochemistry
Abstract This study reports new trace element and Pb and Sr isotope compositions of tooth enamel ... more Abstract This study reports new trace element and Pb and Sr isotope compositions of tooth enamel from archaeological remains at a Medieval (Christian) cemetery located adjacent to the Kushite royal cemetery of El-Kurru, Sudan. The archaeological site of El-Kurru is located along the Nile River on the southern edge of the Nubian Plateau; the bedrock geology consists of Neoproterozoic crystalline basement and is overlain by fluvial sandstones and mudstones of Cretaceous age. El-Kurru is situated between two well-developed drainage basins, and in the past has been subjected to periodic (wadi-related) flooding as a result of intense local precipitation events. Enamel samples were taken from 18 individuals of varying ages and both sexes. Trace element abundances for a significant number of samples record elevated concentrations relative to modern (“in-vivo”) enamel, including Pb and U; however, the abundances for both elements do not correlate significantly with the contents of the remaining trace elements (Ba, Fe, Mg, Mn, Nd, Sr) investigated here. The calculated enrichment factors for all trace elements studied here relative to average crustal values are not consistent with exposure to Pb ores for human purposes, which is corroborated by the Pb isotope results. The Sr isotope compositions define 2 main groups that yield 87Sr/86Sr ratios that are either higher or lower than 0.7072 with similar Sr abundances (range between ~100 and ~400 ppm). The Pb isotope compositions are extremely variable and correlate well with their corresponding U/Pb ratios; the former overlap Pb isotope ratios for proximal Neoproterozoic rocks belonging to the Saharan Metacraton and Arabian Nubian Shield tectonic provinces. The combined trace element abundances and Sr and Pb isotope compositions for the enamel samples located within the Christian cemetery at El-Kurru are best interpreted to record interaction with groundwater that occurred post-mortem during flooding events. As reported in previous anthropological studies of a similar nature, the Pb isotope results reported here are particularly sensitive to monitoring post mortem diagenetic alteration given their extremely low abundances in non-altered tooth enamel. In contrast, the 87Sr/86Sr ratios have been minimally perturbed by post mortem alteration, and therefore most likely represent individuals with distinct Sr isotopic signatures inherited from different geographic regions.
American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 2022
Modeling Cross-Cultural Interaction in Ancient Borderlands, 2018
Ancient Egypt and Nubia have a long history of interaction that led to both cultural and biologic... more Ancient Egypt and Nubia have a long history of interaction that led to both cultural and biological entanglements. Cultural and political boundaries shifted over time, with Egypt absorbing parts of its southern neighbor into an eventually far-reaching empire but also with independent Nubian kingdoms dominating Egypt at different periods, at one point with its kings ruling as Pharaohs. This chapter examines the influences that flowed back and forth between Egyptian colonizers and indigenous Nubians, mapping the flows and intensity of cultural and biological exchanges diachronically through the Cross-Cultural Interaction Model, with the addition of side-by-side comparisons that link to the circular diagrams. This model can allow us to take into account the complex nature of interactions between Egyptians and Nubians and the multifaceted role that individual agency played in creating complex outcomes that simultaneously reflect multiple groups with varied interests.
Nubia, once colonized by the Egyptian Empire during the New Kingdom Period (ca. 1550-1070 BCE), b... more Nubia, once colonized by the Egyptian Empire during the New Kingdom Period (ca. 1550-1070 BCE), became increasingly independent and powerful with the rise of the Napatan State during the Third Intermediate and Napatan Periods (ca. 1070-664 BCE). This research addresses the social impacts of the New Kingdom/Napatan political and economic transition via the bioarchaeological examination of diet (carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis) and dental health (ante-mortem tooth loss, caries). We focus on skeletal remains from the archaeological site of Tombos due to the unique cultural and geopolitical positioning at the Third Cataract of the Nile River, but also make comparisons with other Nubian populations. The assessment of dental health (n=66) suggests a decrease in negative health indicators between the New Kingdom and Napatan Periods, indicating an improvement in overall health. Dietary reconstruction at Tombos is less conclusive; tentatively, the local Tombos diet does not appear to have changed substantially between the two periods (n=11); however, further testing is necessary. In conclusion, the local Tombos population appears to have maintained similar dietary habits and good health during the New Kingdom/Napatan transition.
Th is study uses a bioarchaeological approach to examine the cultural and biological relation- sh... more Th is study uses a bioarchaeological approach to examine the cultural and biological relation- ships between two groups who lived in ancient Nubia during the Bronze Age, C-Group and Kerma. While archaeological evidence indicates that these groups show many cultural similarities, refl ections of behaviors such as pottery use and mortuary practices suggest that C-Group and Kerma displayed their ethnic diff erences in specifi c situations within a multi-ethnic context. Biological affi nities assessed using cranial measurements suggest a common ancestry with few shape diff erences between the populations. Overall, the Kerma crania are larger than the C-Group crania, which could be accounted for by environmental and/or social variation. With the combination of data used in this research, a more nuanced understanding of these two contemporaneous Nubian populations is achieved.
Bioarchaeology International, 2017
Historical Archaeology, 2005
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2014
Due to its critical location on the Nile River controlling trade from the south, Tombos is an imp... more Due to its critical location on the Nile River controlling trade from the south, Tombos is an important ancient site to explore the interaction between Egyptians and Nubians. To assess population continuity at Tombos through sociopolitical transitions, the appendicular skeleton of people from the New Kingdom and Napatan periods was examined. Using morphometric and statistical analyses, body proportions on the upper and lower limbs were studied on each element through size (i.e. length, breadth, and width) and shape (bone's measurements with size removed). The Napatan component (when Nubia ruled Egypt) was consistently larger in size than the earlier New Kingdom component (when Egypt ruled Nubia), with little variation in shape. More variability in both size and shape was observed in males. When compared with other Nubians (C-group and Kerma) and Egyptians (Middle and New Kingdom), the Tombos Napatan sample (males and females) was generally larger, whereas the Tombos New Kingdom sample was generally smaller than other Nubians and similar in size to Egyptians. Some of the variability between the Tombos samples may be the result of gene flow, or rather changes in migration to the area through time and sociopolitics. However, the numerous differences in size with few in shape provide more support for an environmental explanation since size is more susceptible to nutritional stress, disease, and physical activity. These results show that the people of Tombos underwent biological alterations during these major sociopolitical changes from Egyptian rule over Nubia during the New Kingdom to Nubia ruling Egypt during the Napatan period. This study also demonstrates that morphometric analyses of multiple bones and measurements are an important supplement to other bioarchaeological analyses to provide a broader of view of physical changes that occur over time. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Homo : internationale Zeitschrift für die vergleichende Forschung am Menschen, 2014
The origins of one of the most powerful sociopolitical entities of the Nile Valley, the Napatan S... more The origins of one of the most powerful sociopolitical entities of the Nile Valley, the Napatan State (850-650BCE), are debated. Some scholars have suggested local development of this influential Nubian State, while others propose foreign involvement. This study uses a bioarchaeological approach to examine the biological affinity of these Ancient Nubians. The focal site of this research, Tombos, is one of few non-central Napatan Period sites that have been excavated and can, therefore, shed light on the broader Napatan populace. Dental non-metric trait frequencies were examined in the Tombos sample as well as in 12 comparative samples to elucidate the biological affinities of these populations. Analyses indicate that Tombos dental non-metric trait frequencies were not significantly different from the majority of Egyptian and Nubian samples examined here. Therefore, we propose that gene flow, encouraged by long-term coexistence and intermarriage in Nubia, created an Egyptian/Nubian t...
International Journal of Paleopathology, 2014
This study examines the consequences of the sociopolitical transition in the Nile Valley from New... more This study examines the consequences of the sociopolitical transition in the Nile Valley from New Kingdom Egyptian control (18-20th Dynasties of Egypt, ∼1550-1069 BC) to Napatan Nubian rule (25th Dynasty of Egypt, ∼750-660 BC) through the analysis of skeletal remains and mortuary ritual at the site of Tombos in Upper Nubia (modern Sudan). Demographic variables as well as indicators of nutritional deficiency and infectious disease (linear enamel hypoplasia, cribra orbitalia, osteoperiostitis, and femur length) are used to assess the effects of governmental changes on people living in Nubia during these periods. It is evident from the skeletal sample that the Egyptian-Nubian community at Tombos continued to thrive after the fall of the New Kingdom Egyptian empire. Drastic differences in linear enamel hypoplasia and osteoperiostitis are not apparent in the New Kingdom and Napatan components at Tombos. However, an increased level of remodeled cribra orbitalia along with greater average femur length in the Napatan female cohort indicates better recovery from times of nutritional and infectious conditions in comparison with the New Kingdom individuals. Variable circumstances experienced by New Kingdom Egyptian colonists at Tombos, as well as genetic differences, may account for the observed frequencies of these paleopathological indicators.
Nubia, once colonized by the Egyptian Empire during the New Kingdom Period (ca. 1550-1070 BCE), b... more Nubia, once colonized by the Egyptian Empire during the New Kingdom Period (ca. 1550-1070 BCE), became increasingly independent and powerful with the rise of the Napatan State during the Third Intermediate and Napatan Periods (ca. 1070-664 BCE). This research addresses the social impacts of the New Kingdom/Napatan political and economic transition via the bioarchaeological examination of diet (carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis) and dental health (ante-mortem tooth loss, caries). We focus on skeletal remains from the archaeological site of Tombos due to the unique cultural and geopolitical positioning at the Third Cataract of the Nile River, but also make comparisons with other Nubian populations.
The assessment of dental health (n=66) suggests a decrease in negative health indicators between the New Kingdom and Napatan Periods, indicating an improvement in overall health. Dietary reconstruction at Tombos is less conclusive; tentatively, the local Tombos diet does not appear to have changed substantially between the two periods (n=11); however, further testing is necessary. In conclusion, the local Tombos population appears to have maintained similar dietary habits and good health during the New Kingdom/Napatan transition.
This volume introduces the Cross-Cultural Interaction Model (CCIM), a visual tool for studying th... more This volume introduces the Cross-Cultural Interaction Model (CCIM), a visual tool for studying the exchanges that take place between different cultures in borderland areas or across long distances. The model helps researchers untangle complex webs of connections among people, landscapes, and artifacts, and can be used to support multiple theoretical viewpoints.
Through case studies, contributors apply the CCIM to various regions and time periods, including Roman Europe, the Greek province of Thessaly in the Late Bronze Age, the ancient Egyptian-Nubian frontier, colonial Greenland in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Mississippian realm of Cahokia, ancient Costa Rica and Panama, and the Moquegua Valley of Peru in the early Middle Horizon period. They adapt the model to best represent their data, successfully plotting connections in many different dimensions, including geography, material culture, religion and spirituality, and ideology. The model enables them to expose what motivates people to participate in cultural exchange, as well as the influences that people reject in these interactions.
These results demonstrate the versatility and analytical power of the CCIM. Bridging the gap between theory and data, this tool can prompt users to rethink previous interpretations of their research, leading to new ideas, new theories, and new directions for future study.
![Research paper thumbnail of Maintaining the Ramesside empire: isotopic evidence for elite migration to Upper Nubia under pharaonic rule [co-authored with Michaela Binder, Michele Buzon, Jamie Woodward, Mark Macklin and Antonio Simonetti]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/116606398/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Journal of African Archaeology, 2024
Pharaonic Egypt ruled Upper Nubia (now northern Sudan) from around 1450 to 1070 BCE: previous res... more Pharaonic Egypt ruled Upper Nubia (now northern Sudan) from around 1450 to 1070 BCE: previous research has demonstrated how co-opted local elites and descendants of earlier immigrants held senior administrative positions following the initial conquest. Strontium isotope date from 39 individuals, combined with archaeological and epigraphic evidence from the colonial centre of Amara West, enable us to demonstrate that elite families continued to arrive from outside Nubia in the last 150 years of pharaonic rule, settling amongst long-standing communities. Migration to the occupied territory clearly remained a key component of the colonial project, at a time when indigenous Nubian material culture and practice had become more visible within the pharaonic towns. This pattern of elite immigration seems to have ceased following the pharaonic state losing control of the region.