Author(s): Komáry, Zs. & Fóthi, E.
Title: Ancient Egyptian skulls from Th ebes in the Anthropological Collection of the Natural History Museum of Paris. I. Skulls from el-Assasi
Year: 2013
Volume: 105
Pages: 259-290.
Abstract: Nineteen skulls from el-Assasif, part of the necropolis of ancient Thebes, Egypt were
examined from the anthropological collection of Musée de l’Homme in Paris. Th e skulls were gathered
by Auguste Mariette and Prisse d’Avennes in the 19th century and are dated to the XVIIIth and
XXIInd Dynasties. Individual craniometric data and indices are presented. The sample contains 4
infant and 2 juvenile crania, women mostly died in adultus, men in maturus age. In the taxonomic
examination morphological and cluster analysis show that out of 6 male crania 5 exhibit similarities
with samples of Nubian origin, and one cranium has Europid characteristics. High occurrence of accessory
sutures indicates periods of starvation. Pathological phenomena as traumatic injuries, cribra
orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, parietal osteodystrophy and a case with multiple cranial osteolytic
lesions are described. Th e lamina cribrosa and/or the foramen magnum were broken only in a small
portion of the cases marking the procedures of mummifi cation. The low number of cases and the unrepresentative
nature of the sample do not allow comprehensive conclusions, although the published
data can contribute to the establishment of the demography and to the assessment of health conditions
of the population represented in the necropolis of ancient Thebes. With 13 figures and 11 tables.Keywords: skull, subspecies, Egypt (Nile), Assasif, craniometrics, Mariette, Prisse d’Avennes, Thebes
Subject: anthropology
Journal: Annales historico-naturales Musei nationalis hungariciJournal abbreviation: Annls hist.-nat. Mus. nat. hung.ISSN: 0521-4726Publisher: Hungarian Natural History Museum, BudapestEditor(s): Merkl, O., Matskási, I. & Fuisz, T. I.