La Impronta de la Vida Cotidiana. La caracterización biomecánica de poblaciones norteafricanas antiguas a partir del análisis de actividad física
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The process of formation of the first state in ancient Egypt was very long. From chiefdoms to regional, and then all-Egyptian kings, the entire predynastic period took place, from the 4th millennium B.C., when the Nagada culture developed in Southern Egypt. The largest were local territories in Hierakonpolis, Nagada and Abydos. Already in the Nagada I phase, there were social elites under a leader — in chiefdoms, and in the Nagada II phase, institutions of regional kings arose in social property societies. In protodynastic times, during the Nagada III phase, significant changes occurred. The leaders of Hierakonpolis, Nagada and Abydos became the collectors of all Egyptian lands, assimilating the Lower Nile. For a long time in Egyptology, it was believed that already in early times there were two kingdoms in Egypt: The Northern in Lower Egypt and the Southern in the Nile Valley. The Palermo Stone depicts the red-crowned kings of Lower Egypt. And in a fragment from the Cairo Museum, they are already wearing a double crown: the white crown of Southern Egypt is inserted into the red crown of the Lower. And this is evidence of the unification of Egypt into a single kingdom. But who were these first Egyptian kings? Modern archaeological excavations in combination with long-known artifacts allow us to reinterpret these dark pages of the creation of the first dual state. It is believed that the Lower Egypt was annexed to Upper Egypt in protodynastic times. In this article, the author hypothesizes that from late predynastic times, the Northern Kingdom was headed by elites who were appointed by the king of a united Egypt.
Several biological and mechanical factors produce morphological changes in the spine’s articular surfaces, some of pathological order. This work aims to determine the factors that interacted in the presence and distribution of marginal osteophytes, Schmörl’s nodules, and degenerative disc disease in the vertebral bodies, and of marginal osteophytes, porosity, eburnation, remodeling of margins, and degenerative joint disease in the zygapophyses of the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral sectors of hunter- gatherers from the southern extreme of La Plata basin (Argentina). Forty-one adult individuals of both sexes were analyzed through bivariate statistical tests, generalized linear models and principal component analysis. The results corroborate the multifactorial etiology. Age and, possibly, genetic factors influenced bone changes and joint pathologies. Also, most of the distribution patterns of bone changes correspond to the expected pattern according to the spine’s curvature and the mechanical pressures imposed by our bipedal posture. However, some differences between the sexes and the presence of bone changes among young adults (20-35 years) could be due to a differentiation in daily activities with their onset during adolescence.
Osteoarchaeology: A Guide to the Macroscopic Study of Human Skeletal Remains covers the identification of bones and teeth, taphonomy, sex and ancestry assessment, age estimation, the analysis of biodistances, growth patterns and activity markers, and paleopathology. The book aims to familiarize the reader with the main applications of osteoarchaeology and provide the necessary knowledge required for the implementation of a broad range of osteological methods. It is ideal as a complement to existing textbooks used in upper level undergraduate and graduate courses on osteoarchaeology, human osteology, and, to some extent, forensic anthropology. Pedagogical features include ample illustrations, case study material, revision exercises, and a glossary. Additional features comprise macros that facilitate data processing and analysis, as well as an extensive chapter on applied statistics.
Throughout Egypt and Nubia’s state formation periods (4400‐1750 BCE), broad transformations impacted Nile Valley communities, which experienced agricultural consolidation, sedentarization, and more complex social organization. The current study examines the various patterns and levels of physical activity in the skeletal remains of 259 predynastic and early dynastic individuals from Nubia (Northern Dongola Reach) and Egypt (el‐Badari, Naqada, el‐Ballas, and Hu). Using entheseal changes in the upper and lower limbs and non‐parametric tests, we have observed changes in behavior patterns between the 5th and 2nd millennia BCE in the Nile Valley. These transformations include an increased impact on the evolution of physical activity and possibly specialized occupations in the Old Kingdom. In this regard, we discovered differences in activity based on the type of burial and the tasks performed by females compared with males. Furthermore, we found additional evidence to support the hypothesis that the Nubian state of Kerma was based on a highly mobile pastoral way of life.
Survey on the east bank of the Nile by the Sudan Archaeological Research Society between 1993 and 1996 was able to chart in detail changes in human settlement patterns. These reflect the political situation and developments in the agro-economy, but most importantly, fundamental changes in the hydrology of the Nile and in the local climate. In the Kerma periods the braided Nile channel was able to support a large population probably aided by greater local rainfall. With the demise of the eastern Nile channels and increasing aridity this population density became unsustainable and by the early 1st millennium bce the region, apart from the bank of the main Nile channel, was largely abandoned.