Examining the population history of three medieval Nubian sites through craniometric analyses

Three kingdoms ruled medieval Nubia from ~550-1500 AD, geographically spanning from the first cataract of the Nile Valley to the confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers. There is scant historical information on the origin of the Nobadia, the northern-most kingdom, Makuria, the middle Nubian kingdom, and Alwa, the southern kingdom. It is believed that Nobadia and Makuria united politically to defend the territory from the different Egyptian rulers while Alwa was a likely trading hub for Egypt and other merchants from the Red Sea. The medieval kingdoms began to disintegrate and Arabic Muslims began to take up residence in the region changing the dynamics of the land.;This dissertation sets out to examine the population history of three Nubian sites through craniometric analyses. Each site was located in a different medieval kingdom, Kulubnarti was within Nobadia, Mis Island was within Makuria, and Gabati was within Alwa. A total of 25 cranial measurements were obtained from 209 individuals buried at Kulubnarti (n=89), Mis Island (n=93), and Gabati (n=27). In addition, Howells' (1973) and Spradley's (2006) African samples were used to contextualize the Nubian samples within a wider geographic region.;This dissertation found that there were no statistically significant intra-site differences at Kulubnarti and Mis Island using a MANOVA. There was statistically significant intra-site differences between the three time periods represented at Gabati as evidenced by a MANOVA. However, these differences do not appear to support a mass migration into the region, but do support secular change over time. When comparing the three Nubians sites, a MANOVA determined they were statistically significantly different. Additionally, the ANOVAs discovered 22 of 25 cranial measurements differed significantly. These findings indicate that there was no mass migration into any of the sites, but there was differentiation between them indicating extra-regional gene flow into the sites and/or genetic isolation between the sites.;The second focus of this dissertation was to examine the amount of gene flow as evidenced by phenotypic variance within the Nubian samples and how that compared with other African samples. Rmet 5.0, a computer program, was used to estimate levels of gene flow and found that both Kulubnarti and Mis Island appear to have been relatively isolated, whereas Gabati has evidence of extra-regional gene flow. Additionally, comparing the Nubian samples to the other African samples Gabati was closely related to Egypt while Kulubnarti and Mis Island were not as closely related. This may indicate Egyptian gene flow into Gabati catalyzed by the known trade economy between the two populations. Finally, examining the mobility of each sex within the Nubian sites, Kulubnarti and Mis Island males had greater mobility while Gabati females had greater mobility. However, the sex-specific differences at each site were not statistically significant. These mobility patterns may be related to differences in cultural norms for post-marital residence.;This study examined the craniofacial variation within and between three Nubian sites to better understand the medieval period. This study was designed in order to examine the medieval skeletal remains to add to the history pieced together by the historical and archaeological record of the Nile Valley. This population history study examined where these individuals came from, what populations they were closely related to and how much extra-regional gene flow they experienced.