LIFE AND DEATH IN A MEDIEVAL NUBIAN FARMING COMMUNITY: THE EXPERIENCE AT MIS ISLAND By Angela Soler A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Anthropology 2012 ABSTRACT LIFE AND DEATH IN A MEDIEVAL NUBIAN FARMING COMMUNITY: THE EXPERIENCE AT MIS ISLAND By Angela Soler Ancient Nubia, located in Sudan from the First to Sixth Cataracts of the Nile River, was at the heart of contact between indigenous African societies and the Egyptian Empire (Edwards 2007). This dissertation focuses on a small farming community on the fringes of the medieval Nubian Christian Kingdom of Makuria, dating from the mid-fifth to the early fifteenth centuries AD. The medieval Nubian era is characterized by an early period of political unification, economic prosperity, and strong political relations with Muslim Egypt that lasted for hundreds of years. However, as the medieval Nubian era continued, the political and economic situation gradually dissolved and political ties with Muslim Egypt became strained. Warfare increased, communities dissolved into feudal strongholds, and the Nubian Kingdoms struggled with political instability and crumbling power, until the Kingdom of Makuria eventually fell to Muslim control in the early fifteenth century AD. In 2006 and 2007 the Sudan Archaeological Research Society and The British Museum excavated three medieval Nubian Christian cemeteries located on Mis Island in the Fourth Cataract of the Nile. This research focuses on a sample of 406 individuals excavated from two of these cemeteries. Cemetery 3-J-11 was used throughout the entire medieval period and dates from approximately AD 300 to AD 1400. Cemetery 3-J-10 represents only late medieval burials and dates to approximately AD 1100 to AD 1500. The main focus of this research is on the skeletal health of a sample of 219 adults from cemeteries 3-J-10 and 3-J-11 at Mis Island. Paleopathological indicators of stress, such as linear enamel hypoplasias, cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, periostitis, and specific infectious diseases are analyzed according to adult age and sex cohorts. These findings are then compared to a medieval site in northern Nubia for an understanding of regional variability in the health of medieval Nubians. In addition, the use of mortuary space in the Mis Island cemeteries are analyzed to determine if there are any statistical patterns according to cemetery chronology or age and sex and whether mortuary practices reflect more communal, familial, or individualized social structures. Results demonstrate that there are high prevalences for many skeletal indicators of stress, including porotic hyperostosis, cribra orbitalia, linear enamel hypoplasias, periostitis, and maxillary sinusitis. Despite high frequencies however, many of the adults exhibit well-healed lesions with minimal expressions, indicating that there is a demonstrated ability to adapt and survive both childhood and adult stressors. Furthermore, mortuary archaeology results demonstrate that there are different organizing principles governing the burial of individuals at cemeteries 3-J-10 and 3-J-11, indicating two different groups. While the meaning behind these distinctions in mortuary treatment remains unclear, the differences did not affect the skeletal health of individuals. Adults from both cemeteries 3-J-10 and 3-J-11 demonstrate the same overall prevalence rates of skeletal stress and there is no significant difference in health between the two sites. Therefore, the environmental and cultural stressors affected the overall population at Mis Island equally, regardless of their membership in specific sex or burial groups. A comparison of these results from sites in northern Nubia demonstrate that health in the remote farming community at Mis Island was particularly harsh and remained relatively stable despite the larger political and social changes happening throughout the greater Nubian Kingdoms. Copyright by Angela Soler 2012 All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Obtainment, curation, and ongoing research of the Mis Island Skeletal Research Collection, now housed at Michigan State University (MSU), is entirely reliant upon the hard work of a number of dedicated individuals. Each of these individuals must be independently recognized, as this dissertation would not have been possible without their efforts. First, a large thanks to The British Museum and Sudan Archaeological Research Society for their commitment to preserving the artifacts and remains of the Nubian peoples located near the Fourth Cataract of the Nile River. Furthermore, a special thanks to archaeology teams from the Sudan Archaeological Research Society, The British Museum, and Michigan State University, and lead archaeologist Andrew Ginns responsible for the detailed excavation of the cemetery sites and human skeletal remains presented in this research. Derek Welsby, director of the Sudan Archaeological Research Society, deserves particular acknowledgement for his trust in MSU bioarchaeology researchers and transfer of the collection to the MSU laboratory. In addition, the support team from The British Museum, such as Rebecca Redfern, Daniel Antoine, and Rebecca Green also deserve appreciation for their advice during the transfer of the collection, initial research on the remains, and creation of the database. In addition, the financial and academic support of the MSU School of Criminal Justice, and director Dr. David Foran, were integral in the obtainment of this skeletal collection. Last but certainly not least, an enthusiastic thanks to Dr. Bob Hitchcock, Chair of the MSU Department of Anthropology, for his support for the Mis Island Nubian Research Collection. The current dissertation and future research produced from this collection is directly due to your determination and efforts. Thank you. v At MSU, the team of students responsible for the cleaning, curation, and research of the Mis Island Skeletal Research Collection must be recognized for their hard work and enthusiasm. Graduate students Julie Fleischman, Ashley Kendell, Emily Niespodziewankski, Jen Vollner, Carolyn Hurst, and Kacie Miner were an incredible help and relieved me of the daily stress of managing a large bioarchaeology laboratory. In addition, undergraduate student volunteers were an invaluable resource and this project would not have been possible without their assistance and dedication to the project. Justin Maiers, Janet Finlayson, Neysa Grider-Potter, Amy Junewick, Jeff Lambert, Lori Mallon, Jessica Osborne, Katie Phalen, Erica Christensen, Lauren Charlton, Abigail Grande, Mari Isa, Brooke Heikkila, Valerie Leah, Shannon Leary, Paige Wojcik, Dan Wright and Margaret Zywicki: thank you so much for your efforts in the lab. It was a joy to work with each and every one of you. I would like to acknowledge my committee members for their invaluable advice and direction throughout my graduate career and for assistance with the completion of this dissertation: Dr. Todd Fenton, Dr. Norm Sauer, Dr. Jon Frey, Dr. Bob Hitchcock, and Dr. Lynne Goldstein. The immense support and contributions of my entire committee made this dissertation study possible. Appreciation is owed to Dr‟s Goldstein, Sauer, and Hitchcock for their encouragement through the years. A special thanks to Dr. Jon Frey for keeping me level-headed and sane throughout the whole process. Your insight and support helped me keep me on track when I began to waver. In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Julie Anderson of The British Museum, for agreeing to be an adjunct committee member and for sharing your immeasurable knowledge of medieval Nubian archaeology and history. I appreciate all of your feedback over the years and thank you for being a guiding light in the initial stages of my research. vi In particular, I would like to thank my chair, Dr. Todd Fenton, for his energy, dedication, and friendship over the years. Thank you for all of the wonderful opportunities that wouldn‟t have been possible without your support. My tenure at MSU was a joy and I will truly miss working with you. Finally, I would like to say a collective thanks to all of the graduate students at MSU for their support and friendship when I needed it most, especially Carolyn Hurst, Jared Beatrice, Cate Bird, and Colleen Milligan. Everyone needs good friends to get them through graduate school and writing a dissertation, and I was lucky enough to have four incredible people by my side. A number of people provided me with immeasurable assistance throughout the dissertation and merit additional thanks. Cindy Craig, in particular, deserves recognition for all of her hard work and efforts creating the ArcGIS maps presented in this dissertation. Cindy‟s expertise in ArcGIS contributed significantly to creating a more holistic research product. Thanks so much for everything Cindy, as I couldn‟t have done it without you! Also, an additional thanks to Andrew Gins for sharing his detailed site maps for the ArcGIS component of this study. In addition, I would like to express my gratitude to Brian Spatola, from the National Museum of Health and Medicine, for providing his advice and expertise on the paleopathological conditions of the remains presented in this research. Finally, Paul Curran from the MSU Center for Statistical Training and Consulting deserves warm thanks for providing me with statistical training and counsel related to this dissertation. Last but not least, I would like to thank my family and friends for