Department of Anthropology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2012 Sep;149(1):60-70. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.22094. Epub 2012 May 28.
The effects of Egyptian imperial expansion into Nubia during the New Kingdom Period (1,550-1,069 BC) have been debated. Here, the impacts of the Egyptian Empire are investigated through an examination of osteological indicators of activity at the archaeological site of Tombos. Entheseal changes to fibrocartilaginous attachment sites and osteoarthritis are examined to infer what types of physical activities this colonial town was engaging in. Many of the skeletal remains at Tombos were commingled due to looting in antiquity; undisturbed burials are presented as a subsample of the population (n = 28) in which age, sex, and body size can be considered. The total sample (n = 85) is then analyzed to better understand overall levels of activity. A number of Nile River Valley bioarchaeological samples are used as points of comparison to the Tombos population. Results indicate that the inhabitants of Tombos had relatively low entheseal remodeling scores; this is highlighted when Tombos is juxtaposed with comparative samples, particularly in men. Furthermore, osteoarthritis, as assessed by eburnation, was also markedly infrequent at Tombos. Collectively, these results indicate a relatively low level of activity and support the hypothesis that Tombos may have served as an administrative center.
古埃及新王国时期（公元前 1550 年至 1069 年）向努比亚地区扩张的影响一直存在争议。在这里，通过对 Tombos 考古遗址的骨骼活动指标的研究，探讨了埃及帝国的影响。检查纤维软骨附着点的骨膜变化和骨关节炎，以推断这个殖民城镇从事哪些类型的体力活动。由于古代的掠夺，Tombos 的许多骨骼遗骸都混杂在一起；未受干扰的墓葬作为人群的一个子样本（n=28），其中可以考虑年龄、性别和体型。然后对总样本（n=85）进行分析，以更好地了解整体活动水平。对尼罗河河谷的多个生物考古样本进行了分析，以与 Tombos 人群进行比较。结果表明，Tombos 的居民的骨膜重塑评分相对较低；与比较样本相比，尤其是在男性中，这一点更为明显。此外，通过骨硬化评估，Tombos 的骨关节炎也明显罕见。总的来说，这些结果表明活动水平相对较低，支持了 Tombos 可能是行政中心的假设。
