Egyptian bioarchaeology

Although the bioarchaeology (study of biological remains in an archaeological context) of Egypt has been documented in a desultory way for many decades, it is only recently that it has become an inherent part of excavations in Egypt. This volume consists of a series of essays that explore how ancient plant, animal, and human remains should be studied, and how, when they are integrated with texts, images, and artefacts, they can contribute to our understanding of the history, environment, and culture of ancient Egypt in a holistic manner.Topics covered in this volume relating to human remains include analyses of royal, elite and poor cemeteries of different eras, case studies on specific mummies, identification of different diseases in human remains, an overview of the state of palaeopathology in Egypt, how to analyse burials to establish season of death, the use of bodies to elucidate life stories, the potential of visceral remains in identifying individuals as well as diseases that they might have had, and a protocol for studying mummies. Faunal remains are represented by a study of a canine cemetery and a discussion of cat species that were mummified, and dendroarchaeology is represented by an overview of its potentials and pitfalls for dating Egyptian remains and revising its chronology.Leading international specialists from varied disciplines including physical anthropology, radiology, archaeozoology, Egyptology, and dendrochronology have contributed to this groundbreaking volume of essays that will no doubt provide much fodder for thought, and will be of interest to scholars and laypeople alike.Contents:Burials under the Temple of Millions of Years of Amenhotep II - Luxor, West ThebesGiovanna Bellandi, Roberta De Marzo, Stefano Benazzi & Angelo SesanaBioarchaeology, TT 65 Project, Hungarian Mission in ThebesJerome S. Cybulski, Robert J. Stark & Tamás A. BácsThe Bioarchaeology of Akhetaten: Unexpected Results from a Capital CityGretchen R. Dabbs, Jerome C. Rose & Melissa ZabeckiBirth in Ancient Egypt: Timing, Trauma, and Triumph? Evidence from the Dakhleh OasisTosha L. Dupras, Sandra M. Wheeler, Lana Williams & Peter SheldrickToward a Protocol for Studying Ancient Egyptian Mummies in the FieldSalima IkramA Case of Metastatic Carcinoma in an Old Kingdom-Period Skeleton from SaqqaraIwona Kozieradzka-OgunmakinStudy of Growth Arrest Lines upon Human Remains from Kharga OasisRoger LichtenbergFrom Egypt to Lithuania: Marija Rudzinskaite-Arcimaviciene's Mummy and its Radiological InvestigationDario Piombino-Mascali, Lidija McKnight, Aldona Snitkuviene, Rimantas Jankauskas, Algirdas Tamošiunas, Ramunas Valancius, Wilfried Rosendahl & Stephanie PanzerCanopic Jars: A New Source for Old QuestionsFrank J. Rühli, Abigail S. Bouwman and Michael E. HabichtA Decade of Advances in the Paleopathology of the Ancient EgyptiansLisa SabbahyResolving a Mummy MismatchBonnie M. SampsellThe People of Sayala During the Late Roman to Early Byzantine PeriodEugen StrouhalRoyal Musical Chairs: To Whom Does the New Pyramid in Saqqara Belong?Afaf Wahba"Behind Every Mask there is a Face, and Behind that a Story." Egyptian Bioarchaeology and Ancient IdentitiesSonia ZakrzewskiDogs at El DeirFrançoise Dunand, Roger Lichtenberg & Cécile CallouFeline Descendant of the Red or the Black Land: A Multidisciplinary Investigation of an unusually large Ancient Egyptian Cat MummyCarolin Johansson, Geoffrey Metz & Margareta UhlhornThe Potential of Dendrochronology in Egypt: Understanding Ancient Human/Environment InteractionsPearce Paul Creasman