Tombos during the Napatan period (∼750-660 BC): Exploring the consequences of sociopolitical transitions in ancient Nubia

This study examines the consequences of the sociopolitical transition in the Nile Valley from New Kingdom Egyptian control (18-20th Dynasties of Egypt, ∼1550-1069 BC) to Napatan Nubian rule (25th Dynasty of Egypt, ∼750-660 BC) through the analysis of skeletal remains and mortuary ritual at the site of Tombos in Upper Nubia (modern Sudan). Demographic variables as well as indicators of nutritional deficiency and infectious disease (linear enamel hypoplasia, cribra orbitalia, osteoperiostitis, and femur length) are used to assess the effects of governmental changes on people living in Nubia during these periods. It is evident from the skeletal sample that the Egyptian-Nubian community at Tombos continued to thrive after the fall of the New Kingdom Egyptian empire. Drastic differences in linear enamel hypoplasia and osteoperiostitis are not apparent in the New Kingdom and Napatan components at Tombos. However, an increased level of remodeled cribra orbitalia along with greater average femur length in the Napatan female cohort indicates better recovery from times of nutritional and infectious conditions in comparison with the New Kingdom individuals. Variable circumstances experienced by New Kingdom Egyptian colonists at Tombos, as well as genetic differences, may account for the observed frequencies of these paleopathological indicators.