Multi-isotopic study of diet and mobility in the northeastern Nile Delta

Bibliographic Data

ID5408745
AuthorsC Stantis (0000-0001-7645-0233, Bournemouth University, corresponding author), Arwa Kharobi (0000-0002-5642-3526, Bournemouth University), N Maaranen (0000-0001-5821-1167, Bournemouth University), Cluny Macpherson (0000-0001-5302-6405, Durham University), Manfred Bietak (0000-0003-2867-8617, Austrian Academy of Sciences), Silvia Prell (0000-0001-7797-6026, Austrian Academy of Sciences), Holger Schutkowski (0000-0001-9527-4618, Bournemouth University)
Year2021
Volume13
Issue6
Publication date2021-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArchaeological and Anthropological Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1866-9557 • E-ISSN: 1866-9565
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s12520-021-01344-x
OpenAlexW3166603704
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited104

The origin of the Hyksos dynasty (c. 1638-1530 BCE) is thought to be rooted in the Near East given the architectural features and burial customs present at the site of Tell el-Dabca, identified as the capital of Hyksos rule in the Eastern Delta of Egypt. We expand previous 87Sr/86Sr research on the site's cemetery assemblage using a multi-isotopic methodology: oxygen (δ18O) and carbon (δ13Ccarb) stable isotopes from the carbonate portion of tooth enamel (n = 75), along with collagen (δ13Ccoll, δ15N) analysis of dentine and bone (n = 31). Pairing δ18O with previous 87Sr/86Sr data identifies 60% of the cohort as non-locals (45/75). Although there were a greater proportion of non-local females (24/30, 80%) compared to males (10/20, 50%), there were no significant differences between the sexes in δ13Ccarb or δ18Ocarb values. There were no spatial patterns regarding the three cemetery sites, nor any observable patterns regarding where non-locals were interred in the largest excavated cemetery, Area A/II. Both first-generation immigrants and individuals from the northeastern Nile Delta were buried following elite Asiatic burial customs, suggesting continuation of foreign burial culture. All collagen showed poor preservation; δ13Ccoll and δ15N analysis were not possible. δ13Ccarb showed no significant difference between locals and non-local diet, although non-locals at Tell el-Dabca did eat a broader variety of foods as a group, suggested by a wider δ13Ccarb range (− 13.5 to − 9.6‰ in non-locals compared to locals' − 12.1 to − 10.3‰). If there is a difference in food culture between immigrants and native Egyptians, it was not observable using isotopic analyses

Ancient history · Archaeology · Assemblage (archaeology · Biology · Delta · Geography · Isotope analysis · Nile delta · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · History · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Ecology