STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS OF HAIR FROM CHRISTIAN PERIOD KULUBNARTI IN SUDANESE NUBIA by HILLARY JANE GLASGOW B.S., Kansas State University, 2006 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Anthropology 2011 This thesis entitled: Stable Isotope Analysis of Hair from Christian Period Kulubnarti in Sudanese Nubia written by Hillary Jane Glasgow has been approved by the Department of Anthropology Dr. Matt Sponheimer Dr. Dennis Van Gerven Dr. Michelle Sauther Date The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. ii Glasgow, Hillary Jane (M.A., Department of Anthropology) Stable Isotope Analysis of Hair from Christian Period Kulubnarti in Sudanese Nubia Thesis directed by Associate Professor Matt Sponheimer Stable isotope analysis of hair was used to investigate the dietary patterns of individuals from the Christian period Sudanese Nubian site of Kulubnarti, taking into consideration established patterns of health. Over three decades of research has shown consistent differences between two cemetery populations, believed to represent diachronic periods of use. In this study, carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were analyzed to reconstruct aspects of diet, while oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios were analyzed to evaluate the belief that S cemetery dates to the Early Christian period (A.D. 600-850), while the R cemetery dates to the Late Christian period (A.D. 1100-1400). These isotopic data suggest that diets were very similar between the two populations, and therefore did not directly cause the observed differential patterns of stress. Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic data supports the diachronicity of the two cemeteries, an idea which has been called into question by a recent textile analysis. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank my advisor Dr. Matt Sponheimer for his time and isotopic expertise, Dr. Dennis Van Gerven for allowing me access to the Kulubnarti collection and for providing statistical guidance, and to Dr. Michelle Sauther for all of her encouragement. I would also like to express my appreciation to Dr. Andrew Wilson and Andy Gledhill of the Stable Light Isotope Facility at the University of Bradford, UK for analyzing my samples, as well as Khudooma Al Na’imi who assisted in the preparation of my original 29 isotope samples in Bradford. An additional 50 samples were analyzed by Andrew Wilson in 2005 as part of research funded by the Wellcome Trust Bioarchaeology Programme. The inclusion of these samples greatly enhances my analysis and I am extremely thankful for all of his assistance. My fellow graduate students at the University of Colorado have provided a great deal of support, for which I would like to offer my sincere thanks. In particular, Paul Sandberg was extremely helpful, and I am grateful for his advice. Finally, I would like to thank my family. My fiancé David Williams always knew when words of encouragement were needed, and I am extremely thankful for all of his love and patience. The two people I am most indebted to are my parents, Larry and Linda Glasgow, who have provided boundless emotional and financial support as well as unconditional love for over two and a half decades. iv CONTENTS ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................1 Statement of Purpose ..........................................................................1 Nubia ...................................................................................................3 The Christian Period (A.D. 600 – A.D. 1500) ..............................7 The End of Medieval Nubia ..........................................................9 The Archaeology of Nubia................................................................11 The Aswan High Dam ................................................................12 Excavations at Kulubnarti .................................................................13 Life at Kulubnarti ........................................................................15 The Present Investigation ..................................................................16 II. METHODS & MATERIALS .................................................................17 An Introduction to Stable Isotope Analysis ......................................17 Isotopes .......................................................................................18 Fractionation ...............................................................................19 Units and Notation ......................................................................20 v Carbon Isotopes ................................................................................22 Nitrogen Isotopes ..............................................................................25 Oxygen Isotopes................................................................................26 Hydrogen Isotopes ............................................................................27 Hair ...................................................................................................28 Anthropological Applications of Stable Isotope Analysis ................30 Dietary Reconstruction ...............................................................31 Human Mobility ..........................................................................34 Materials and Methodology ..............................................................35 Interpretive Considerations .........................................................38 Statistical Analysis ............................................................................38 III. RESULTS ...............................................................................................39 Carbon and Nitrogen .........................................................................39 Variation By Cemetery ...............................................................42 Variation By Age and Sex ..........................................................46 Oxygen and Hydrogen ......................................................................49 Variation By Cemetery ...............................................................53 Variation By Age and Sex ..........................................................55 IV. DISCUSSION .........................................................................................56 Carbon and Nitrogen Variation By Cemetery ..................................57 Carbon and Nitrogen Variation By Age and Sex ..............................58 Oxygen and Hydrogen Variation By Cemetery ................................60 Oxygen and Hydrogen Variation By Age and Sex ...........................62 vi The Diachronicity of Cemeteries R and S ........................................63 Comparison to Other Stable Isotope Research .................................64 V. CONCLUSIONS.....................................................................................67 REFERENCES CITED ................................................................................................71 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Average Terrestrial Abundances for H, C, N, and O Isotopes ...............18 2.2 Carbon Isotope Values for Plants Used in Ancient Nubia ......................24 2.3 Nitrogen Isotope Values for Plants Used in Ancient Nubia ...................26 3.1 Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Data from R Cemetery ............................40 3.2 Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Data from S Cemetery .............................41 3.3 Summary Statistics for Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes ...........................43 3.4 Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotope Data from R and S Cemeteries .............50 3.5 Summary Statistics for Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotopes ........................51 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1 Map of Nubia ............................................................................................4 1.2 The Nile River Valley and the Batn el Hajar ............................................5 1.3 The Island of Kulb in the Batn el Hajar ....................................................7 3.1 Bivariate scattergram comparing δ13C and δ15N for R and S cemeteries ............................................................................45 3.2 Bivariate scattergram comparing δ13C and δ15N for sub-adults in R and S cemeteries ......................................................45 3.3 Bivariate scattergram comparing δ13C and δ15N for infants, sub-adults, and adults ...........................................................47 3.4 Comparison of δ15N for different age classes .........................................47 3.5 Bivariate scattergram comparing δ13C and δ15N for R cemetery infants and sub-adults ....................................................49 3.6 Bivariate scattergram comparing δ18O and δ2H for R and S cemeteries ............................................................................54