Environmental factors in the preservation of human remains and funerary textiles in the late Old Kingdom burials at Saqqara West, Egypt

Introduction This paper investigates a link between intra-regional climatic changes and the preservation of human remains and funerary textiles in a representative group of burials from the late Old Kingdom/early First Intermediate Period cemetery (5th–8th Dynasties; c. 2498–2160 BCE) at Saqqara West, Egypt. Methods The study integrates geological, geoarchaeological, and archaeological evidence from the site, contemporary with the 4.2ka BP aridification event, with macro- and microscopic bioarchaeological assessment of human remains, funerary textiles, and burial conditions. Results Human remains exhibited excellent preservation, with little to no evidence of weathering or cortical erosion. The varying state of textile preservation reflects a spectrum of burial microenvironments driven by a complex interplay between anthropogenic factors (underground shaft-tomb design; coffin materials) and environmental variables (bedrock porosity and permeability; pluvial water accumulation). Discussion By synthesizing multidisciplinary findings from the Saqqara West cemetery, this study demonstrates that the preservation of funerary textiles depended on the interaction between microclimatic events and burial attributes. These findings refine current understanding of the Old Kingdom burial practices, highlighting the value of organic remains as proxies for environmental and cultural changes.

Archaeological evidence · Beaker · Coffin · Human bone · Kingdom · Period (music) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis · Paleopathology and ancient diseases

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