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Thesis – Fall 2009 (.Pdf) A BIOCULTURAL ANALYSIS OF NUBIAN FETAL POT BURIALS FROM ASKUT, SUDAN by LAUREN R. BRITTON B.A. Arizona State University, 2006 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Anthropology in the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Fall Term 2009 © 2009 Lauren R. Britton ii ABSTRACT The skeletal remains in this study were excavated from the Nubian archaeological island fortress site of Askut (ca. 1850 BC - 1070 BC, New Kingdom/Third Intermediate period), located at the 2nd Cataract of the Nile river in Sudan. These remains were recovered as part of an archaeological expedition from 1962-1964, which was an effort to learn as much as possible about this site before the building of the High Dam in Aswan. Seven fetal skeletons (dated ca. 1260-770 BC) were examined for their biocultural significance. Biological analysis of these individuals indicates a range in developmental age from 36 to 40 weeks gestation. Three of the seven individuals show signs of pathology, including vertebral lesions, a deformed sphenoid, and cranial infectious bone reaction. These individuals, all interred in ceramic pots, were excavated from the pomoerium (the religious/sacred boundary or symbolic wall) of Askut’s fortress. The interment style and burial location indicate that these individuals were treated differently in comparison to the children and adults of Askut, who were most likely buried in the cemeteries along the banks of the Nile. As Nubia was an Egyptian colony at this point in history, Egyptian influences and ideology would have had a large impact on Nubian culture, and this is reflected in the burial treatment of these individuals. Biocultural analyses of these individuals are used to interpret the particular burial patterns of these individuals. iii “Life’s like a movie, write your own ending Keep believing, keep pretending We’ve done just what we set out to do Thanks to the lovers, the dreamers, and you” (Henson et al., 2005: 171). iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my advisor, Tosha Dupras, for her feedback and patience during my years at the University of Central Florida, as well as as to the other members of my committee for their input, John Schultz and Libby Cowgill. In addition thanks to the rest of the UCF anthropology department’s faculty, staff, and other graduate students. I am also grateful to the Fowler Museum at University of California, Los Angeles for allowing me to examine these remains, and to Dr Stuart Smith for providing images and background information on Askut. And ultimately I would like to give a personal heartfelt thank you to the following: mom and dad, my sisters, the dogs, the rest of my family, the friends who always listened and never complained (you know who you are), and God. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................ 7 Nubia: The Fortress of Askut .......................................................................................... 7 The Relationship between Ancient Egypt and Nubia ................................................... 15 The A and C Group Cultures: Their Burials ................................................................. 19 Kerma Culture and Graves ............................................................................................ 24 Other Nubian Burials .................................................................................................... 30 Egyptian Burials............................................................................................................ 31 Brief Overview of the Bioarchaeology of Children ...................................................... 32 Fetal and Juvenile Osteology ........................................................................................ 33 CHAPTER 3: MATERIALS AND METHODS .............................................................. 39 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS .................................................................................................. 52 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION ............................................................................................ 75 Age and Socioeconomic Implications .......................................................................... 75 Speculation Regarding Infanticide and Pathology ........................................................ 81 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION ......................................................................................... 87 APPENDIX : INVENTORY OF POT BURIALS FROM ASKUT ................................. 89 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 96 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Map showing Egypt and Nubia along the Nile, including many of the second cataract forts, such as Askut (circle). Note the location of Upper and Lower Nubia (adapted from Smith, 1995). ............................................................................................... 2 Figure 2: Map indicating location of Askut (circled) and other fortresses along the Nile in Sudan (adapted from Nibbi, 1992)...................................................................................... 9 Figure 3: Askut in the Middle Kingdom (left) and Second Intermediate Period/New Kingdom (right) showing the rebuilding phase at the site with the pomerium indicated in red (adapted from Smith, 2003). The New Kingdom shows the abandonment of the main fortress (granary and barracks) including the pomerium where the skeletons were found. The New Kingdom plan of Askut also shows expansion to include the chapel. .............. 11 Figure 4: Final plan of the chapel at Askut (adapted from Smith, 2003). ........................ 13 Figure 5: Pot burial from Egypt (adapted from Baker et al., 2005), suggesting that such burial practices are not exclusively a Nubian practice. ..................................................... 17 Figure 6: Illustrations of A-Group Burial patterns (adapted from Adams, 1977). The images in column A represent the burial style utilizing a circular pit, and the images in column B depict the rectangular chamber used in other burial styles. ............................. 22 Figure 7: C-Group burial patterns (adapted from Adams, 1977) depicting the various burial styles. Graves found earlier in the C Group horizon are depicted in column A, those in column B are later style burials. The circular masonry outside of the grave is considered to be the unique aspect of C Group burials, particularly when compared to the A Group. ........................................................................................................................... 24 Figure 8: Kerma style burial (adapted from Adams, 1977). This image depicts two individuals (Adams does not state whether one individual is supposed to represent a sacrificial victim) and commonly associated grave goods, (*) indicates examples of Kerma Beaker Ware. ......................................................................................................... 27 Figure 9: Map of Nubia and Askut indicating the East Pomoerium, where the individuals were recovered during the excavation (inset map courtesy of S. Smith). ......................... 40 Figure 10: An example of one of the fetal pot burials found in situ (courtesy of S. Smith). ........................................................................................................................................... 41 Figure 11: A second example of one of the fetal pot burials as found in situ (courtesy of S. Smith). .......................................................................................................................... 42 Figure 12: Photo of burial from Pomerium East Box 151 (not all bones present included in photo). ........................................................................................................................... 43 Figure 13: photo of burial identification number 765 400-406 Box 153 (not all bones present included in picture). .............................................................................................. 44 Figure 14: Photo of burials identification number 2186 (not all bones present included in picture). ............................................................................................................................. 45 Figure 15: Photo of burial identification number 765 which only contained cranial remains, a deformed sphenoid was also present in this individual. .................................. 46 Figure 16: Photo of burial identification number 2189 (not all bones present included in photo). ............................................................................................................................... 47 vii Figure 17: Photo of burial identification number 400-291 Box 152. This burial contained two individuals. ................................................................................................................. 48 Figure 18: Overview image of the fort of Askut (courtesy of S. Smith). ........................
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