The Scandinavian Joint Expedition to Sudanese Nubia (SJE) was one of the substantial contributions of crucial salvage archaeology within the International Nubian Campaign which was pursued in conjunction with the building of the High Dam at Aswan in the early 1960’s. A large quantity of archaeological data was collected by the SJE in a continuous area of northernmost Sudan and published during the subsequent decades. The present study aimed at transferring the geographical aspects of that data into a digital format thus enabling spatial enquires on the archaeological information to be performed in a computerised manner within a geographical information system (GIS). The landscape of the concession area, which is now completely submerged by the water masses of Lake Nasser, was digitally reconstructed in order to approximate the physical environment which the human societies of ancient Nubia inhabited. Information on the nearly 500 indexed archaeological sites of the SJE was classified and imported into the GIS. The potential of the system thereby established, validated against modern remote sensing data and aerial photography, was then demonstrated by a number of spatial analyses at an inter-site level. The resuls of those analyses contribute to discussions on various topics already raised within the SJE publication or elsewhere and includes issues on Nile palaeochannel reconstructions, seasonal habitation patterns and dedicatory orientation of elite tombs. The system hereby developed is intended to be used in further studies of the relevant and information-rich research fields of ancient Nubia for applications similar to those demonstrated in the present project or for educational and research purposes hitherto unpredicted. / Den Samnordiska Expeditionen till Sudanska Nubien (SJE) var en av de omfattande insatser av avgörande räddningsarkeologi inom den Internationella Nubienkampanjen som bedrevs i samband med byggandet av Höga Dammen i Aswan i början av 1960-talet. En stor mängd arkeologisk data samlades in av SJE i ett kontinuerligt område i nordligaste Sudan och publicerades under de efterföljande årtiondena. Denna studie ämnade överföra de geografiska aspekterna av den datan till ett digitalt format och därmed möjliggöra att rumsliga förfrågningar på den arkeologiska information kan utföras på ett datoriserat tillvägagångssätt i ett geografiskt informationssystem (GIS). Landskapet i koncessions-området, vilket nu är helt översvämmat av Nassersjöns vattenmassor, återskapades digitalt med syfte att approximera den fysiska omgivningen vilken de mänskliga samhällena i det forna Nubien bebodde. Information om de nära 500 indexerade fyndplatserna tillhörande SJE klassificerades och importerades in i detta GIS. Potentialen av det system som därmed skapats, validerat mot modern fjärranalysdata och flygfotografi, demonstrerades genom ett antal rumsliga analyser på en mellan-fyndplats-nivå. Resultaten av dessa analyser bidrar till diskussioner om diverse ämnen som redan tagits upp inom SJE-publikationen eller annorstädes och inkluderar frågor kring Nilens äldre dragningar, säsongsmässiga bosättningsmönster och avsiktlig orientering av elitgravar. Systemet som härvid har utvecklats är ämnat att användas i vidare studier av de relevanta och informationsrika forskningsområden som rör det forna Nubien för tillämpningar liknande de som demonstrerats i detta projekt eller för undervisnings- och forsknings-syften som hittills ej förutsetts.

Cette étude propose une synthèse sur les céramiques funéraires de l'époque méroïtique, à travers des recherches réalisées sur du matériel mis au jour dans deux nécropoles de Moyenne Nubie : Saï et Sedeinga. Un catalogue réunissant les typologies de ces deux sites sert de base à l'élaboration d'une typo-chronologie valable pour l'ensemble de la Nubie et, dans une moindre mesure, à l'échelle du royaume méroïtique. La datation de chaque type morphologique permet de fixer des jalons chronologiques sûrs, pour une période où les données font défaut lorsqu'il s'agit d'établir avec précision la succession des événements. Un examen des techniques employées pour le façonnage et la décoration des vaisselles, ainsi qu'une analyse de la diffusion des céramiques à l'intérieur du territoire méroïtique, apportent de nombreux éléments de compréhension au sujet des ateliers, de l'organisation de la production et de la spécialisation des potiers à la période méroïtique. L'évolution des formes et des décors des poteries est aussi regardée dans une perspective historique : les transformations recensées sont le fait de contacts avec l'Égypte hellénistique et romaine, ayant conduit à des échanges de savoir-faire. Aussi, les variations observées témoignent de politiques menées, notamment d'un retour à un archaïsme également perceptible dans l'architecture religieuse, et mettent en lumière les flux économiques animant le royaume méroïtique. Enfin, la céramique, replacée dans un contexte funéraire, contribue à réviser les pratiques et les rites exécutés lors des funérailles. / This study proposes a synthesis on funerary ceramics of the Meroitic period through searches performed on the material unearthed within two necropolis of Middle Nubia: Sai and Sedeinga. A catalog merging the typologies of these two sites serves as a basis for developing a typo-chronology valid for the whole Nubia, and to a lesser extent, for the Meroitic kingdom. The dating of each morphological type allows secure chronological marker in a period for which data are lacking to ascertain the precise sequence of events. A review of techniques used for shaping and decorating ceramics, and the analysis of their distribution within the Meroitic territory, provide many elements of understanding about the workshops, the organization of production and potters' specialization during the Meroitic period. Evolution of potteries' shapes and decoration is also viewed in historical perspective: changes identified are the result of contact with the Hellenistic and Roman Egypt that led to exchanges of know-how. Thus, the observed changes reflect policies, including a return to an archaism also reflected in religious architecture, and economic flows leading the Meroitic kingdom. Finally, the ceramic is placed in a funerary context and helps to review the practices and rituals performed during the funeral.

Human body size and limb proportions can provide important information about adaptation, population movements, and health disparities. This study investigated changes in body size and limb proportions of adult Egyptians temporally and geographically in relation to climatological, sociopolitical and economic developments. It was predicted that Egyptian groups that experienced more environmental stress would be shorter and exhibit less sexual dimorphism. It was also predicted that Egyptians would be intermediate between higher and lower latitude populations in body form and limb length ratios. The main skeletal sample consisted of 492 males and 528 females, all adults from the Predynastic and Dynastic Periods, a time spanning c. 5500 BCE-600 CE. Egyptian body dimensions were compared to Nubian groups, as well as to modern Egyptians and other higher and lower latitude populations. The present study found a downward trend in ancient Egyptian stature for both sexes through time, as well as decreased sexual dimorphism in stature. The decreases may be associated with dietary and social stress with the intensification of agriculture and increased societal complexity. Modern Egyptians in the study's sample are generally taller and heavier than their predecessors; however, modern Egyptians exhibit relatively lower sexual dimorphism in stature. Ancient Egyptians have more tropically adapted limbs in comparison to body breadths, which tend to be intermediate when plotted against higher and lower latitude populations. These results may reflect the greater plasticity of limb lengths compared to body breadth. The results might also suggest early Mediterranean and/or Near Eastern influence in Northeast Africa.

No description available.

The skeletal remains in this study were excavated from the Nubian archaeological island fortress site of Askut (ca. 1850 BC - 1070 BC, New Kingdom/Third Intermediate period), located at the 2nd Cataract of the Nile river in Sudan. These remains were recovered as part of an archaeological expedition from 1962-1964, which was an effort to learn as much as possible about this site before the building of the High Dam in Aswan. Seven fetal skeletons (dated ca. 1260-770 BC) were examined for their biocultural significance. Biological analysis of these individuals indicates a range in developmental age from 36 to 40 weeks gestation. Three of the seven individuals show signs of pathology, including vertebral lesions, a deformed sphenoid, and cranial infectious bone reaction. These individuals, all interred in ceramic pots, were excavated from the pomoerium (the religious/sacred boundary or symbolic wall) of Askut's fortress. The interment style and burial location indicate that these individuals were treated differently in comparison to the children and adults of Askut, who were most likely buried in the cemeteries along the banks of the Nile. As Nubia was an Egyptian colony at this point in history, Egyptian influences and ideology would have had a large impact on Nubian culture, and this is reflected in the burial treatment of these individuals. Biocultural analyses of these individuals are used to interpret the particular burial patterns of these individuals.

Prior to the removal of monumental murals from the cathedral of Pachoras (Faras), the largely unknown cultural entity of Christian Nubia figured in scholarship merely as a peripheral outpost of Byzantine and Egyptian influence. The impressive corpus of visual evidence from Pachoras, located south of the first Nile cataract and now inundated by Lake Nasser, led Kurt Weitzmann to reevaluate its significance in a seminal essay published in 1970. By tracing artistic sources of Christian Nubian art to Egypt, Palestine, and Syria, Weitzmann initiated recognition of the close ties between Nubia and Byzantium. Since that time, however, this subject has received little art historical attention, and it continues to pose interpretive challenges. I endeavor to recuperate the Nubian wall paintings from Pachoras for mainstream Byzantine studies. To that end, I explore the depictions of three of the Pachoras bishops, with particular attention to their original location, relationship with surrounding images, and epigraphic evidence. I conceive of these tenth- and eleventh-century portraits as visual constructions of Nubian episcopal authority mapped out on the cathedral's walls. I also explore the possible meanings of the indigenous elements represented in the images of the Pachoras bishops, while considering their relationships to the eastern Mediterranean textual and visual traditions. Evidence includes the paintings with accompanying inscriptions, fourteenth-century scrolls of Bishop Timotheos, Greek and Coptic epitaphs engraved on ninth- through twelfth-century funerary steles, and a list of bishops, first painted around the turn of the tenth century. / Art History

Cette thèse propose une synthèse sur la « Fin de Méroé ». L’enjeu est cependant considérable. La genèse des tumuli « royaux » d’el-Hobagi ne faisait-elle pas l’objet d’une discussion critique entre les spécialistes, lors de la 8e conférence des études méroïtiques à Londres ? Partice Lenoble n’avait-il pas déjà établi, avec toutes ses connaissances sur le terrain, l’histoire « postpyramidale » de la Nubie après la clôture des cimetières royaux de Méroé ? Aujourd’hui, il pourrait pour certains être inutile de rattraper le retard et de relancer une nouvelle recherche dans ce domaine. Rien n’a changé dit-on, parce que, en réalité, l’on ne dispose toujours pas de cimetières comparables à celui d’el-Hobagi ; il est ainsi effectivement impossible d’appréhender leur genèse, d’approfondir son histoire « postpyramidale ». La thèse présentée ici est là pour répondre à cette question. Constituée par sept chapitres principaux, allant du méroïtique au postméroïtique, ces derniers nous amèneront les uns et les autres aux enjeux auxquels se confrontaient Lenoble et ses collègues. Sans doute, pour notre part, la genèse des tumuli « royaux » d’el-Hobagi, et la chronologie des nécropoles royales de Qoustoul et de Ballana se situent-elles au cœur de la confrontation. / This thesis proposes a synthesis of the “End of Meroe”. The challenge, however, is considerable. The genesis of the “royal” mounds of el-Hobagi was the subject of a critical discussion between experts at the 8th Conference of the Meroitic Studies in London. Partice Lenoble had already established, with all of his knowledge in the field, the “postpyramidal” history of Nubia after the end of the royal cemeteries of Meroe. Today, it might be useless for someone to launch a new research in this domain. Nothing has been changed, one says, because we still lack cemeteries comparable to that of al-Hobagi; thus, it is effectively impossible to understand their genesis, to investigate his “postpyramidal” history. The thesis presented here is to answer this question. Consists of seven main chapters, they bring us to the issues confronted by Lenoble and his colleagues. No doubt, the genesis of the “royal” mounds of el-Hobagi, and the chronology of the royal necropolis of Qoustoul and Ballana are at the heart of our confrontation.

Cette étude du matériel céramique provenant de la région située entre les 2e et 3e cataractes du Nil est anthropologique. Elle consiste dans un premier temps à établir un outil de classification permettant le diagnostic des sites dans lesquels la poterie a été mise au jour. Ce travail préliminaire conduit ensuite à aborder le corpus selon trois axes. Le premier est chronologique et aboutit à la construction de la séquence de l'occupation de Haute Nubie, et ce en trois étapes, céramique, culturelle et périodique. Le deuxième axe est territorial et remplit deux objectifs : d'abord déterminer les frontières des faciès et des cultures de la vallée du Nil moyen ; ensuite appréhender les dynamiques à l'échelle de l'Afrique du nord-est – qu'il s'agisse de diffusions d'objets et d'idées, de migrations de populations ou d'échanges marchands. La dernière partie est consacrée à l'approfondissement de quelques faits sociaux : d'abord l'imbrication du stockage, de la sédentarité et de la hiérarchie, ensuite le dépôt de mobilier dans les tombes, et enfin deux systèmes de croyances, en lien avec le monde animal et l'univers minéral. / This study of the pottery which was discovered in the region situated between the 2nd and the 3rd cataracts of the Nile is an anthropological study. First, it consists in building a classification tool which would help to diagnose the sites where the pottery was unearthed. This preliminary work leads to approach the corpus in three ways. First, the sequence of the occupation of Upper Nubia is built, in three stages: ceramics, cultures and periods. The second area of research is territorial and has two aims: to determine the boundaries of the facies and the cultures of the Middle Nile Valley, and to comprehend the dynamics across the Northeastern Africa – circulation of objects and ideas, migrations of populations, marketable exchanges. The last part is devoted to the study of some social facts: first, the interweaving of storage, sedentarity and hierarchy, then the deposition of artefacts in graves, and finally two systems of beliefs, in connection with the animal and the mineral world.

L’étude prend pour point de départ la conquête arabo-musulmane de l’Égypte (641) qui a mis pour la première fois en contact le monde arabo-musulman avec la Nubie alors dominée par le royaume chrétien de Makouria. Notre enquête se prolonge jusqu’à l’effondrement de ce dernier qui disparaît, dans des circonstances encore nébuleuses, vers la fin du XVe siècle. Durant cette longue période se sont nouées des relations inédites entre l’une des principales puissance du monde musulman et un royaume chrétien installé aux portes du dār al-islāmmais qui ne fut pourtant jamais conquis. Les deux parties de ce mémoire de thèse s’articulent autour de la prise de la citadelle de Qaṣr Ibrīm par Šams al-Dawla Tūrānšāh en 1173 qui marque la fin de l’âge d’or des relations égypto-nubiennes et ouvre une période d’ingérence accrue de l’État égyptien dans les affaires de Nubie. Ce travail se fonde principalement sur l’analyse critique du corpus des sources historiographiques arabes (annales, chroniques, biographie…) que nous avons confronté, le cas échéant, aux sources épigraphiques et documentaires nubiennes. Notre approche se veut aussi attentive au contenu des récits qu’aux conditions de leur élaboration et de leur transmission qui déterminent pour une large part leur compréhension. / Our study begins with the Arab Muslims’ conquest of Egypt in 641, as it was the first ever contact established between the Arab-Muslim world and Nubia, which was – at the time – under the yoke of the Christian kingdom of Makuria. Our enquiry then follows through to the very fall of the aforementioned kingdom, around the end of the fifteenth century, under circumstances that remain hazy to this very day. Throughout this lengthy period of time, groundbreaking ties were forged between one of the foremost powers in the Muslim world and a Christian kingdom that, although located right at the doorstep the dār al-islām, wasnever conquered. The two distinct parts that make up this doctoral dissertation are structured around the 1173 takeover of the Qaṣr Ibrīm citadel by Šams al-Dawla Tūrānšāh, which signaled the end of the golden age of peaceful relations between Egypt and Nubia as well asushered in a phase of increased Egyptian interference into the running of the Nubian State. This work hinges on a critical analysis of the corpus of Arab historiographical sources (annals, chronicles, biographies…) that we have compared, whenever possible, to Nubian epigraphic and documentary sources. Our approach aims at paying just as much attention to the contents of the various accounts we have gathered as to the conditions in which they were recorded and transmitted, as the latter plays a major part in how they should be consideredand understood

This paper will be based on osteological analysis of the animal bones associated with the riverine cultures of ancient Nubia, especially the animal bones from the Pangrave and C-group cemeteries. These bones were excavated by the Scandinavian Joint Expedition in the 1960’s and are now conserved as a part of the Nubian collection at Museum Gustavianum in Sweden. The Nubian collection contains a variety of species and show a vastly differing treatment of the various animals. There are deliberately modified skulls adorned with patterns of red ochre and black sot. But there are some animals which seem to have been dismembered to be cooked or burned at the burial sites, while other animals have been buried intact alongside humans. Using osteological methods and the original research notes from the Scandinavian Joint Expedition I will attempt to create clearer picture of what the Nubian collection consists of and why.