Biological and Ethnic Identity in New Kingdom Nubia
2006; University of Chicago Press; Volume: 47; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1086/506288
ISSN1537-5382
Autores Tópico(s)Paleopathology and ancient diseases
ResumoPast studies of culture contact have often used the concepts of unidirectional modification of a subordinate population by a socially dominant group. Reevaluations of these ideas suggest that this paradigm is not appropriate for all situations. The examination of power relations in such alternative circumstances provides insights into human agency, as it highlights the dynamic, bidirectional interactions that can occur between two cultures. The relationship between the peoples of ancient Nubia and Egypt provides an excellent opportunity to study alternative power relations in a welldocumented cultural context.During the New Kingdom period (ca. 15501050 BC), Egypt succeeded in occupying most of Nubia. At the site of Tombos, located in northern Sudan, Egyptianization of Nubians makes it impossible to judge from textual and archaeological evidence who ruled Nubia: Egyptian colonists or Nubian leaders. Analysis of cranial measurements of individuals from Tombos and other comparable sites, in conjunction with archaeological indications of ethnicity, suggests that Tombos was inhabited by an ethnically and biologically mixed group of people who used ethnic symbols in advantageous ways.
Referência(s)