Joanna A Ciesielska
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 107797 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Joanna A Ciesielska |
| NOMBRES | Joanna A |
| APELLIDO | Ciesielska |
| FIRMA | CIESIELSKA J A |
| AFILIACIONES | University of Warsaw |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8087-3079 |
| VERIFICADO | Sí |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 17 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 16 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 17 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2018 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 2 |
From skeletons to stories
Medieval Nubia (ca. sixth–fifteenth centuries CE) is frequently portrayed as a culturally uniform landscape—Christianized, politically cohesive, and materially consistent from Nobadia to Alwa. This apparent homogeneity, reinforced by standardized mortuary customs and limited textual evidence, has long shaped interpretations of the period. Yet bioarchaeological sciences increasingly reveal a far more complex picture. Drawing on recent studies, thi…
Bridging Worlds
This study investigates the subsistence patterns of the inhabitants of Soba, the capital of the medieval Kingdom of Alwa in modern Sudan. Dental enamel of 28 individuals was sampled for the isotopic analysis of carbon (δ 13 C) and oxygen (δ 18 O). Overall, the δ 13 C values indicate overwhelming reliance of Soba inhabitants on C 4 plants and/or faunal produce from C 4 ‐fed animals. The results of oxygen analysis (δ 18 O) fall within the expected …
Early settlers of Soba
The Silent Language of Dress in Modern Sudan
The toub, Sudan's most emblematic women's garment, serves as a strong and dynamic medium for expressing identity, signaling hierarchies, and preserving cultural heritage. This study explores the cultural significance of the toub through ethnographic fieldwork in the rural Mahas community of Miseeda and the ethnically diverse suburb of Soba. In Miseeda, the white toub indexes elder authority in Sufi gatherings and ceremonial supervision, while in …
Isotopic Evidence for Socio-economic Dynamics Within the Capital of the Kingdom of Alwa, Sudan
Between the sixth and fifteenth c. CE, a vast expanse of central and southern Sudan belonged to the kingdom of Alwa, ruled from the urban metropolis of Soba. Renewed investigation of the city unearthed a small cemetery in the northern part of the site. The heterogeneity of burial practices raised some questions as to the cultural and religious affinities of the deceased and suggested potential multiculturalism of the local urban population. We ap…
Archaeological survey in Miseeda, Sudan (season 2022–2023)
The general aim of the archaeological survey in Miseeda was to understand the archaeological context of the church at site MAS021. The survey is part of a larger project entitled “The Good Shepherd of Miseeda. An image in the context of the changing cultural landscape of the Third Cataract of the Nile” directed by Dobrochna Zielińska (Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw). A total of 294 archaeological sites covering the periods from preh…
Multi-Isotopic Investigation of Population Dynamics and Mobility among Rural Medieval Christian Communities at Ghazali, Northern Sudan
The archaeological site of Ghazali (northern Sudan) provides a rare opportunity to investigate the dynamics of mixed economies and mobility on the fringes on the Nile valley at the time of Christian expansion in Nubia. Thanks to its particular hydrological conditions, Sudan has a long history of diverse groups pursuing different economic activities, with agricultural communities settled along the fertile Nile valley and various mobile pastoralist…
Monks on the move? An assessment of mobility at the medieval Nubian monastery of Ghazali, Sudan (ca. 680–1,275 CE)
The location of Ghazali monastery away from the Nile valley within the relatively isolated environs of the Bayuda desert presents a landscape suggestive of mobility toward the monastery by those who chose to reside there as monks. To assess this potentiality, a sample of 37 individuals from the monastic cemetery (Cemetery 2) were analysed for 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and δ 18 O to assess residency during dental enamel formation. The data generated bring into…
Social inference from mortuary remains in medieval Nubia
An almost thousand-year-long period of Sudanese history starting in the sixth century AD comprises the period during which Christian kingdoms existed in Nubia. The newly introduced Christian faith
The spatial organisation of Soba
Recent geophysical exploration and excavations, together with new radiocarbon dates, have shed light on the spatial organisation of medieval Soba in Sudan, and can partly be connected to the oral histories of the city's demise
Multi-isotope analysis of dietary variation among the early Christian communities of northern Sudan
Interdisciplinary Research into the Legacy of the Medieval Metropolis of Soba in a Modern Khartoum Suburb
Recent research at Soba focuses on the tangible and intangible heritage of the medieval capital of Alwa kingdom, whose remains cover approximately 275 ha. About 222 ha of this area has been built up or transformed into agricultural land in the past 30 years. An ethnographic survey was also carried out in the built-up area to understand how the residents engage with the archaeological heritage and material remains. The undeveloped area of the capi…
An Isotopic Assessment of Makurian Monastic Diet at the Medieval Nubian Monastery of Ghazali, Sudan (Ca. 680–1,275 CE)
In contrast to contemporaneous Byzantine and Egyptian textual accounts, little is known about medieval Nubian monastic diets. Femur samples from 30 monks interred at Ghazali monastery (occupied ca. 680–1,275 CE), Sudan were examined for δ 13 C col and δ 15 N. δ 13 C averaged ‐ 17.0‰ ± 1.0‰ (range: −14.7‰ to −19.0‰); δ 15 N averaged 11.3‰ ± 1.1‰ (range: 7.5‰ to 13.4‰), suggesting primarily mixed C 3 /C 4 diets with variable animal protein consumpt…
Proximal femur fractures among a medieval Christian population of northern Sudan
The current paper investigates the prevalence and aetiology of proximal femur fractures in two temporally distinctive groups of medieval Christian Nubia: the monastic community (ca. late 7th to half of 13th c. AD) and a later group of post‐monastic, intrusive interments (ca. 13th c. AD) from Cemetery 2 at Ghazali, northern Sudan. Four cases of proximal femur fractures were identified macroscopically among the skeletal remains of 86 adult individu…
Vertebral infection in a male individual buried in the monastic cemetery (Cemetery 2) at Ghazali (ca. 670–1270 CE), northern Sudan
Possible neurogenic disorder in a female buried in the monastic cemetery at Ghazali (ca. 670–1270 CE), northern Sudan
During the archaeological excavations of a Christian monastic cemetery in northern Sudan, a double‐vaulted tomb was discovered housing the remains of three individuals, among them a 50+‐year‐old female. The skeletal remains of this individual displayed significant asymmetry of the lower limbs, with apparent muscle atrophy and shortening of the left extremity, in combination with other symptoms suggestive of a neurogenic background of the conditio…
Qatar Sudan Archaeological Project Excavations at the Ghazali monastery from 2014 to 2016
The excavation report covers eight months of fieldwork at the site of Ghazali, which resulted in the clearing of the entire monastery and the discovery of three annexes located on the north and west of the complex. The spiritual part of the monastery included two churches located in the southeastern corner of the complex, a household compound on the west side and a refectory and dormitory in between. Conservation work focused on the reconstructio…
The spatial organisation of Soba
Recent geophysical exploration and excavations, together with new radiocarbon dates, have shed light on the spatial organisation of medieval Soba in Sudan, and can partly be connected to the oral histories of the city's demise
An Isotopic Assessment of Makurian Monastic Diet at the Medieval Nubian Monastery of Ghazali, Sudan (Ca. 680–1,275 CE)
In contrast to contemporaneous Byzantine and Egyptian textual accounts, little is known about medieval Nubian monastic diets. Femur samples from 30 monks interred at Ghazali monastery (occupied ca. 680–1,275 CE), Sudan were examined for δ 13 C col and δ 15 N. δ 13 C averaged ‐ 17.0‰ ± 1.0‰ (range: −14.7‰ to −19.0‰); δ 15 N averaged 11.3‰ ± 1.1‰ (range: 7.5‰ to 13.4‰), suggesting primarily mixed C 3 /C 4 diets with variable animal protein consumpt…
Interdisciplinary Research into the Legacy of the Medieval Metropolis of Soba in a Modern Khartoum Suburb
Recent research at Soba focuses on the tangible and intangible heritage of the medieval capital of Alwa kingdom, whose remains cover approximately 275 ha. About 222 ha of this area has been built up or transformed into agricultural land in the past 30 years. An ethnographic survey was also carried out in the built-up area to understand how the residents engage with the archaeological heritage and material remains. The undeveloped area of the capi…
Proximal femur fractures among a medieval Christian population of northern Sudan
The current paper investigates the prevalence and aetiology of proximal femur fractures in two temporally distinctive groups of medieval Christian Nubia: the monastic community (ca. late 7th to half of 13th c. AD) and a later group of post‐monastic, intrusive interments (ca. 13th c. AD) from Cemetery 2 at Ghazali, northern Sudan. Four cases of proximal femur fractures were identified macroscopically among the skeletal remains of 86 adult individu…
Isotopic Evidence for Socio-economic Dynamics Within the Capital of the Kingdom of Alwa, Sudan
Between the sixth and fifteenth c. CE, a vast expanse of central and southern Sudan belonged to the kingdom of Alwa, ruled from the urban metropolis of Soba. Renewed investigation of the city unearthed a small cemetery in the northern part of the site. The heterogeneity of burial practices raised some questions as to the cultural and religious affinities of the deceased and suggested potential multiculturalism of the local urban population. We ap…
Multi-Isotopic Investigation of Population Dynamics and Mobility among Rural Medieval Christian Communities at Ghazali, Northern Sudan
The archaeological site of Ghazali (northern Sudan) provides a rare opportunity to investigate the dynamics of mixed economies and mobility on the fringes on the Nile valley at the time of Christian expansion in Nubia. Thanks to its particular hydrological conditions, Sudan has a long history of diverse groups pursuing different economic activities, with agricultural communities settled along the fertile Nile valley and various mobile pastoralist…
Monks on the move? An assessment of mobility at the medieval Nubian monastery of Ghazali, Sudan (ca. 680–1,275 CE)
The location of Ghazali monastery away from the Nile valley within the relatively isolated environs of the Bayuda desert presents a landscape suggestive of mobility toward the monastery by those who chose to reside there as monks. To assess this potentiality, a sample of 37 individuals from the monastic cemetery (Cemetery 2) were analysed for 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and δ 18 O to assess residency during dental enamel formation. The data generated bring into…
Social inference from mortuary remains in medieval Nubia
An almost thousand-year-long period of Sudanese history starting in the sixth century AD comprises the period during which Christian kingdoms existed in Nubia. The newly introduced Christian faith
Multi-isotope analysis of dietary variation among the early Christian communities of northern Sudan
Possible neurogenic disorder in a female buried in the monastic cemetery at Ghazali (ca. 670–1270 CE), northern Sudan
During the archaeological excavations of a Christian monastic cemetery in northern Sudan, a double‐vaulted tomb was discovered housing the remains of three individuals, among them a 50+‐year‐old female. The skeletal remains of this individual displayed significant asymmetry of the lower limbs, with apparent muscle atrophy and shortening of the left extremity, in combination with other symptoms suggestive of a neurogenic background of the conditio…
Qatar Sudan Archaeological Project Excavations at the Ghazali monastery from 2014 to 2016
The excavation report covers eight months of fieldwork at the site of Ghazali, which resulted in the clearing of the entire monastery and the discovery of three annexes located on the north and west of the complex. The spiritual part of the monastery included two churches located in the southeastern corner of the complex, a household compound on the west side and a refectory and dormitory in between. Conservation work focused on the reconstructio…
Vertebral infection in a male individual buried in the monastic cemetery (Cemetery 2) at Ghazali (ca. 670–1270 CE), northern Sudan
Possible neurogenic disorder in a female buried in the monastic cemetery at Ghazali (ca. 670–1270 CE), northern Sudan
During the archaeological excavations of a Christian monastic cemetery in northern Sudan, a double‐vaulted tomb was discovered housing the remains of three individuals, among them a 50+‐year‐old female. The skeletal remains of this individual displayed significant asymmetry of the lower limbs, with apparent muscle atrophy and shortening of the left extremity, in combination with other symptoms suggestive of a neurogenic background of the conditio…
Proximal femur fractures among a medieval Christian population of northern Sudan
The current paper investigates the prevalence and aetiology of proximal femur fractures in two temporally distinctive groups of medieval Christian Nubia: the monastic community (ca. late 7th to half of 13th c. AD) and a later group of post‐monastic, intrusive interments (ca. 13th c. AD) from Cemetery 2 at Ghazali, northern Sudan. Four cases of proximal femur fractures were identified macroscopically among the skeletal remains of 86 adult individu…
Multi-isotope analysis of dietary variation among the early Christian communities of northern Sudan
Interdisciplinary Research into the Legacy of the Medieval Metropolis of Soba in a Modern Khartoum Suburb
Recent research at Soba focuses on the tangible and intangible heritage of the medieval capital of Alwa kingdom, whose remains cover approximately 275 ha. About 222 ha of this area has been built up or transformed into agricultural land in the past 30 years. An ethnographic survey was also carried out in the built-up area to understand how the residents engage with the archaeological heritage and material remains. The undeveloped area of the capi…
An Isotopic Assessment of Makurian Monastic Diet at the Medieval Nubian Monastery of Ghazali, Sudan (Ca. 680–1,275 CE)
In contrast to contemporaneous Byzantine and Egyptian textual accounts, little is known about medieval Nubian monastic diets. Femur samples from 30 monks interred at Ghazali monastery (occupied ca. 680–1,275 CE), Sudan were examined for δ 13 C col and δ 15 N. δ 13 C averaged ‐ 17.0‰ ± 1.0‰ (range: −14.7‰ to −19.0‰); δ 15 N averaged 11.3‰ ± 1.1‰ (range: 7.5‰ to 13.4‰), suggesting primarily mixed C 3 /C 4 diets with variable animal protein consumpt…
Social inference from mortuary remains in medieval Nubia
An almost thousand-year-long period of Sudanese history starting in the sixth century AD comprises the period during which Christian kingdoms existed in Nubia. The newly introduced Christian faith
The spatial organisation of Soba
Recent geophysical exploration and excavations, together with new radiocarbon dates, have shed light on the spatial organisation of medieval Soba in Sudan, and can partly be connected to the oral histories of the city's demise
Archaeological survey in Miseeda, Sudan (season 2022–2023)
The general aim of the archaeological survey in Miseeda was to understand the archaeological context of the church at site MAS021. The survey is part of a larger project entitled “The Good Shepherd of Miseeda. An image in the context of the changing cultural landscape of the Third Cataract of the Nile” directed by Dobrochna Zielińska (Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw). A total of 294 archaeological sites covering the periods from preh…
Multi-Isotopic Investigation of Population Dynamics and Mobility among Rural Medieval Christian Communities at Ghazali, Northern Sudan
The archaeological site of Ghazali (northern Sudan) provides a rare opportunity to investigate the dynamics of mixed economies and mobility on the fringes on the Nile valley at the time of Christian expansion in Nubia. Thanks to its particular hydrological conditions, Sudan has a long history of diverse groups pursuing different economic activities, with agricultural communities settled along the fertile Nile valley and various mobile pastoralist…
Monks on the move? An assessment of mobility at the medieval Nubian monastery of Ghazali, Sudan (ca. 680–1,275 CE)
The location of Ghazali monastery away from the Nile valley within the relatively isolated environs of the Bayuda desert presents a landscape suggestive of mobility toward the monastery by those who chose to reside there as monks. To assess this potentiality, a sample of 37 individuals from the monastic cemetery (Cemetery 2) were analysed for 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and δ 18 O to assess residency during dental enamel formation. The data generated bring into…
The Silent Language of Dress in Modern Sudan
The toub, Sudan's most emblematic women's garment, serves as a strong and dynamic medium for expressing identity, signaling hierarchies, and preserving cultural heritage. This study explores the cultural significance of the toub through ethnographic fieldwork in the rural Mahas community of Miseeda and the ethnically diverse suburb of Soba. In Miseeda, the white toub indexes elder authority in Sufi gatherings and ceremonial supervision, while in …
Isotopic Evidence for Socio-economic Dynamics Within the Capital of the Kingdom of Alwa, Sudan
Between the sixth and fifteenth c. CE, a vast expanse of central and southern Sudan belonged to the kingdom of Alwa, ruled from the urban metropolis of Soba. Renewed investigation of the city unearthed a small cemetery in the northern part of the site. The heterogeneity of burial practices raised some questions as to the cultural and religious affinities of the deceased and suggested potential multiculturalism of the local urban population. We ap…
Bridging Worlds
This study investigates the subsistence patterns of the inhabitants of Soba, the capital of the medieval Kingdom of Alwa in modern Sudan. Dental enamel of 28 individuals was sampled for the isotopic analysis of carbon (δ 13 C) and oxygen (δ 18 O). Overall, the δ 13 C values indicate overwhelming reliance of Soba inhabitants on C 4 plants and/or faunal produce from C 4 ‐fed animals. The results of oxygen analysis (δ 18 O) fall within the expected …
Early settlers of Soba
From skeletons to stories
Medieval Nubia (ca. sixth–fifteenth centuries CE) is frequently portrayed as a culturally uniform landscape—Christianized, politically cohesive, and materially consistent from Nobadia to Alwa. This apparent homogeneity, reinforced by standardized mortuary customs and limited textual evidence, has long shaped interpretations of the period. Yet bioarchaeological sciences increasingly reveal a far more complex picture. Drawing on recent studies, thi…
Archaeology (10 obras) · History (10 obras) · Ancient Egypt and Archaeology (8 obras) · Ancient history (7 obras) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (6 obras) · Archaeology and Historical Studies (5 obras) · Geography (5 obras) · Geology (5 obras) · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies (4 obras) · History (4 obras)