Diet and Dental Health in Predynastic Egypt

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Diet and Dental Health in Predynastic Egypt DIET AND DENTAL HEALTH IN PREDYNASTIC EGYPT: A COMPARISON OF HIERAKONPOLIS AND NAQADA A DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By Tammy R. Greene, M.S. Fairbanks, Alaska May 2006 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3229734 Copyright 2006 by Greene, Tammy Renee All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3229734 Copyright 2006 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DIET AND DENTAL HEALTH IN PREDYNASTIC EGYPT: A COMPARISON OF HIERAKONPOLIS AND NAQADA By Tammy R. Greene RECOMMENDED: APPROVED: Dean, College of Liberal Arts Dean of the Graduate School Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Seven dietary indicators on 364 dentitions of working class Predynastic Egyptians from Hierakonpolis and Naqada are examined in this dissertation. The majority of the samples from both sites date to the Naqada II period (3500-3200 BC), during which these were the two main urban centers for Upper Egypt. Both sites are located on the west bank of the Nile approximately 130 km from one-another. The samples consist of adults and juveniles ranging from 6 years to over 50 years of age. The dietary indicators, which include caries, calculus, abscess, periodontal disease, macrowear, microwear, and hypoplastic enamel defects are used to look for statistically significant differences between working class inhabitants of the two sites as well as between the sex and age groups within each site. The analysis is used to address four main research questions. (1) What combination of the above indicators is the best for establishing an overall picture of diet and dental health? Results illustrate the importance of using a wide array of indictors. (2) Which of the available flora and fauna were being eaten? While each specific food could no be identified individually, cultivated items, such as wheat, barley or millet were being eaten in the form of bread, that raw vegetables were consumed by all individuals at Hierakonpolis but mostly women and children at Naqada, and that at least some meat and/or fish was consumed at both sites. (3) Were food types found as burial offerings being eaten? Consumption of at least two burial offerings, bread and yellow nutsedge (Hierakonpolis only), are supported by the data. (4) Were the working class inhabitants of Hierakonpolis and Naqada consuming the same diet? Differences and similarities in the diet and dental health between inhabitants of the two sites are examined. While the major Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. portions of the diet appear to be similar, this study found both dietary and behavioral differences between the working class members of these sites. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. V TABLE OF CONTENTS Page SIGNATURE PAGE................................................................................................................. i TITLE PAGE.............................................................................................................................ii ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................................................................v LIST OF FIGURES...............................................................................................................xiv LIST OF TABLES.................................................................................................................xvi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................. xxii DEDICATION..................................................................................................................... xxiv CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION...................................................................................1 Objectives............................................................................................................................4 Hypotheses and Research Questions............................................................................. 6 Research Question One ............................................................................................... 7 Research Questions Two and Three .......................................................................... 8 Research Question Four .............................................................................................. 9 Significance .........................................................................................................................9 CHAPTER TWO PREDYNASTIC EGYPT................................................................... 15 Chronology .......................................................................................................................17 Origins of Upper Egyptian Populations ....................................................................... 19 Lifeways in Predynastic Egypt..................................................................................... 20 Badarian.......................................................................................................................20 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. vi Naqada I .......................................................................................................................21 Naqada I I.....................................................................................................................24 Naqada III............................................................................................. 31 CHAPTER THREE ECOLOGY OF ANCIENT EGYPT............................................34 Climate and the Nile .......................................................................................................34 Flora in Ancient Egypt ...................................................................................................37 Water Plants.................................. 40 Fruits ............................................................................................................................40 V ines.............................................................................................................................41 Grasses .........................................................................................................................42 Edible Weeds...............................................................................................................44 Vegetables ................................................................................................................... 45 Tubers ..........................................................................................................................45 Fauna in Ancient Egypt................................................................................................. 46 Fish ...............................................................................................................................46 Reptiles and Birds.......................................................................................................47 Wild G am e.................................................................................................................. 48 Domesticated Animals .............................................................................................. 48 Prepared F ood ................................................................................................................. 50 B read............................................................................................................................50 Milk and Cheese.........................................................................................................51 O ils................................................................................................................................52 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. vii Honey ...........................................................................................................................52 S a lt................................................................................................................................ 53 Alcoholic Beverages
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