Doctoral Dissertation Research: Bioarchaeological Analysis of Diet and Activity Patterns in the Nile Valley

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

It is hypothesized that due to economic motivations for imperial expansion, manual labor may have been manipulated by the Egyptian Empire in order to increase tribute and support colonial outposts within Nubia. However, non-public activities such as diet may have been a venue for local Nubian populations to assert more traditional social identities. This research will examine the dialogue between expansive social powers and peripheral zones in terms of everyday activities. Specifically, the effects of the Egyptian Empire on local Nubian communities during the transition from the Second Intermediate period (c. 1,650-1,550 BC) to the New Kingdom period (c. 1,550-1,069 BC) will be explored. This was a pivotal time period in which Egypt expanded southward, conquering traditional Nubian territories (what is now southern Egypt and northern Sudan). However, the life and diet of native Nubians living under Egyptian domination remain unclear. To address these questions, human skeletal remains will be analyzed for indicators of activity and diet. Osteoarthritis, a degenerative process that occurs within joint systems, and entheseal remodeling, skeletal markers of tendon and ligament attachment sites, are correlated with repetitive and physically demanding activity. These bioarchaeological techniques will be used to discern diachronic alterations to Nubian manual labor and will elucidate imperial demands applied to peripheral territories. Stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen will be conducted, which will inform what types of foods Nubians were consuming during this time. A total of six archaeological sites along the Nile River in Nubia will be examined to better conceptualize variation within this peripheral zone. The project contributes to (1) training and education for graduate women in science, (2) conservation of Sudanese/Nubian cultural heritage, and (3) international research collaboration. Many archaeological sites throughout Nubia are threatened by urban and agricultural expansion, and immediate documentation of this material is important for the prehistoric preservation of the region.