2024/12/17 by Jared Carballo Pérez, Uroš Matić, Rachael Hall +2 · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · #Ancient Egypt and Archaeology #Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies #Archaeology and Historical Studies
paper · doi:10.1016/j.jaa.2024.101652
openalex publication_date 2024/12/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/16
• Integration of skeletal, iconographic, and ethnographic evidence reveals gendered load carrying at Bronze Age Abu Fatima in Sudan. • Women carried loads using their head and back, while men used a single shoulder for load carrying. • Changes in activities among old adult men were detected. • The use of tumplines is tentatively suggested for women. This paper investigates different body techniques for carrying heavy loads by individuals buried at Abu Fatima, a Nubian Bronze Age cemetery in Sudan. Drawing on iconographic evidence from ancient Egypt and Nubia, as well as African and other ethnographic records, the paper aims to understand gendered patterns behind load-carrying practices and their traces on skeletal remains. A multi-proxy approach was employed, using various skeletal modifications associated with mechanical loading. Examination of entheseal changes, osteoarthritis-related alterations, and degenerative vertebral changes was conducted to investigate the impacts of muscle loading, joint stress, and spinal adaptations. Additionally, unintentional cranial modifications, specifically changes caused by tumpline use, were also considered. The results indicate gender-specific load-carrying techniques among the individuals buried at Abu Fatima. Men displayed evidence of unilateral entheseal changes and humeroscapular osteoarthritis, indicating involvement in activities that necessitated bearing load on one shoulder. Women displayed distinct degenerative changes to the cervical vertebrae indicating frequent musculoskeletal use of the upper neck.