Sunday, March 04, 2012

Nubian skeletons reveal secrets of ancient times

The State News (Caleb Hordgren)

Nubia was a kingdom just south of Egypt, and in medieval times, it was very influential in trade from the Mediterranean to sub-Saharan Africa because it controlled a large portion of the Nile, said Carolyn Hurst, a graduate student who manages Fenton’s lab. However, she said that’s about the extent of modern knowledge about Nubia.

“We don’t know a whole lot about (Nubia),” Hurst said. “Their language hasn’t been cracked, so we’re basically laying the foundation of Nubian history.”

Fenton said the team is trying to understand how Nubians lived their lives, including examining bones for health and disease.

Anthropology and history senior Paige Wojcik, a team member, said the group mostly has been working on collecting data to contribute to the British Museum’s database, such as the age of each skeleton and whether it is a complete skeleton. 

   



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