Migration in the Nile Valley during the New Kingdom period: a preliminary strontium isotope study
Introduction
Researchers have established strontium isotope analysis as an exceptionally useful tool for examining human migration in the past. Archaeological questions regarding human residential mobility have been addressed in various areas of the world where strontium ratios are sufficiently varied to show differences between potential places of origin. Strontium isotope ratios have been used to identify immigrants in locations such as ancient Maya communities (Hodell et al., 2004, Wright, 2005a, Wright, 2005b), the North American Southwest and Mexico (Ezzo et al., 1997, Ezzo and Price, 2002, Price et al., 1994, Price et al., 2000, Price et al., 2006), Central Europe (Bentley et al., 2003, Bentley et al., 2004, Grupe et al., 1997, Price et al., 1998, Price et al., 2001, Price et al., 2004, Schweissing and Grupe, 2003), Bolivia and Peru (Knudson et al., 2004, Knudson et al., 2005), South Africa (Cox and Sealy, 1997, Sillen et al., 1995, Sillen et al., 1998), and Britain (Budd et al., 2004, Evans et al., 2006, Montgomery et al., 2000, Montgomery et al., 2003, Montgomery et al., 2005). The success of these studies in revealing local and immigrant individuals demonstrates the value of this technique and the potential for identifying residential mobility patterns in other areas that have been previously unexplored using strontium isotope analysis.
In this paper, we examine the feasibility of using strontium isotope analysis to identify first generation immigrants at the New Kingdom period Egyptian colonial site of Tombos, located in ancient Nubia (modern-day Sudan). We also investigate if the most likely place of origin for immigrants at Tombos, Thebes, Egypt (based on textual sources), is reflected in the 87Sr/86Sr ratio data and provide preliminary conclusions regarding evidence of residential mobility at this site.
Section snippets
Tombos and New Kingdom period residential mobility in the Nile Valley
Historically, the populations of Nubia and Egypt had a long, dynamic history of interaction, ranging from diplomatic coexistence to total invasion. The Egyptian New Kingdom colonial occupation of Nubia is a particularly momentous episode in this history. It is during this time that the foundations of the Nubian Napatan Kingdom, which later ruled Egypt as the 25th Dynasty, were first established. Scholars disagree about who controlled Nubia during this important time: Egyptian colonists or
Principles of strontium isotope analysis
Strontium, found in rock, groundwater, soil, plants, and animals is composed of four isotopes: 84Sr, 86Sr, 87Sr, and 88Sr. 87Sr is the only radiogenic isotope, produced by the slow radioactive decay of 87Rb (Faure, 1986). Because the relative mass difference between strontium isotopes is small, no isotopic fractionation through biological processes occurs (Faure and Powell, 1972). Strontium concentrations and ratios differ according to variations in local geology. 87Sr/86Sr ratios reflect the
Geology and strontium sources of the Nile Valley, Tombos, and Thebes
The region considered in this study is the Nile Valley of ancient Nubia and Egypt. This area includes all of modern Egypt and northern Sudan (Fig. 1). Ancient Nubia extended from the First cataract of the Nile in Egypt south approximately to the modern city of Khartoum (Edwards, 2004, Morkot, 2000). In particular, two areas in this Nile Valley region are of interest for this study: the Third cataract area where Tombos is located and Middle Egypt, near Thebes. Based on information from Egyptian
Materials and methods
This study included tooth enamel samples from 49 individuals buried in the Tombos chamber pits and the alleyway surrounding the pyramid in order to determine if individuals lived in the Tombos local area as children (during tooth development). The minimum number of individuals excavated at Tombos is 100; with the exception of two individuals excavated after analyses were complete, it appears that all of the burials in the non-elite portion of site have been excavated. The 49 individuals sampled
Isotopic results for human enamel samples
Fig. 3 illustrates the 87Sr/86Sr ratios of the 49 human enamel samples from Tombos. The values for the individuals buried at Tombos range from 0.70712 to 0.70911 (Table 1). Of interest, some values for the enamel samples (Table 1) are similar and corroborate the 87Sr/86Sr value of ∼0.7075 recorded by Nile River delta sediments during the New Kingdom period (Krom et al., 2002). The 87Sr/86Sr ratios do not show a correlation with the strontium concentration (ppm) for each sample (Table 1),
Feasibility of strontium isotope analysis of residential mobility in the Nile Valley
The variable strontium isotope values recorded for human tooth enamel, faunal remains, and burial matrix samples from the Tombos area display a range that exceeds those obtained from Nile water during the New Kingdom Period (Krom et al., 2002), suggesting that the biologically available strontium within the Tombos region comes from the soil (which is then incorporated into plants, etc.) rather than the water. Given the somewhat complex local geological situation at Tombos, the strontium isotope
Conclusions and future research
The preliminary data in this exploratory study confirm the feasibility of using strontium isotope analysis to examine migration at Tombos. This analysis has revealed that the biologically available strontium within the Tombos region likely comes from the soil, rather than only Nile water and is thus influenced by the variable local geology. The group from Tombos analyzed in this study appears to contain some individuals of non-local origin (possibly from Thebes), based on the local strontium
Acknowledgments
This research was supported in part by the Killam Trust (to MRB), the Institute for Bioarchaeology (to MRB), American Philosophical Society Franklin Research Grant (to MRB), and the National Geographic Society (grant to Tombos director Dr. Stuart Tyson Smith). The Radiogenic Isotope Facility at the University of Alberta is supported, in part, by an NSERC Major Facilities Access grant. We extend our gratitude to Jaime Donnelly for sample preparation and GuangCheng Chen for assistance with the
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