The Colonization/Urbanization of the Tell Area A/II at Tell el-Dab<sup>c</sup>a and its Chronological Implications

Forstner-Müller, Irene

doi:10.1553/aeundl17s83

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The site, located in the northeastern Nile Delta, has revealed a stratigraphy extending over 500 years [14,15] (Fig 2). This settlement was founded in the 12 th dynasty and was known from the 13 th dynasty onwards as Hutwaret [18][19][20]. During the Middle Kingdom, this city was an administrative center and a harbor city that grew in power to finally become the capital of the regional Hyksos Kingdom.…”

Section: The Site Of Tell El-dab C Amentioning

confidence: 99%

Who were the Hyksos? Challenging traditional narratives using strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of human remains from ancient Egypt

et al. 2020

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A foreign dynasty, known as the Hyksos, ruled parts of Egypt between c. 1638-1530 BCE. Their origins are thought to be rooted in the Near East, which is supported by architectural features and grave accoutrements of Tell el-Dab c a. In this former Hyksos capital in the Eastern Nile Delta, burial culture is characterized by a blend of Egyptian and Near Eastern elements. However, investigations are still ongoing as to where the Hyksos came from and how they rose to power. The aim of this study is to elucidate the question of possible provenience. We present the results of strontium isotope (87 Sr/ 86 Sr) ratios of human tooth enamel (n = 75) from Tell el-Dab c a, focusing on comparing pre-and during Hyksos rule and sex-based differences. An influx of non-locals can be observed in the pre-Hyksos period (12 th and 13 th Dynasties, c. 1991-1649 BCE) during the constitution of this important harbor town, while the number of individuals already born in the Delta is larger during the Hyksos period. This is consistent with the supposition that, while the ruling class had Near Eastern origins, the Hyksos' rise to power was not the result of an invasion, as popularly theorized, but an internal dominance and takeover of foreign elite. There is a preponderance of non-local females suggesting patrilocal residence. We discuss our findings against the current evidence of material culture and historiography, but more investigation in Near Eastern comparative sites has to be conducted to narrow our future search for the actual origins of the Hyksos.

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Section: The Site Of Tell El-dab C Amentioning

confidence: 99%

Who were the Hyksos? Challenging traditional narratives using strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of human remains from ancient Egypt

et al. 2020

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“…Therefore, examination of the cemetery assemblages offers a direct assessment of these residents and of the timing and mechanisms of their ascent to rule. During the Middle Kingdom, a settlement was founded in the northeastern Nile Delta as an administrative center and harbor city that grew in power (Czerny 2001;Czerny 2015;Forstner-Müller 2007) to become the capital of the regional Hyksos Kingdom (the 15th Dynasty). It was largely abandoned around 1550 BCE following the campaigns of the southern Theban Kingdom (17th Dynasty) which sought to defeat the Hyksos rulers and found the New Kingdom (Bader 2013;Bietak 1979;Bietak 1997;Bietak 2010a;Bietak 2011;Bietak 2013a;Bietak et al 2016;Mourad 2015;O'Connor 1997).…”

Section: The Site Of Tell El-dab C Amentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-isotopic study of diet and mobility in the northeastern Nile Delta

Stantis

Kharobi

Maaranen

et al. 2021

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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The origin of the Hyksos dynasty (c. 1638–1530 BCE) is thought to be rooted in the Near East given the architectural features and burial customs present at the site of Tell el-Dabca, identified as the capital of Hyksos rule in the Eastern Delta of Egypt. We expand previous 87Sr/86Sr research on the site’s cemetery assemblage using a multi-isotopic methodology: oxygen (δ18O) and carbon (δ13Ccarb) stable isotopes from the carbonate portion of tooth enamel (n = 75), along with collagen (δ13Ccoll, δ15N) analysis of dentine and bone (n = 31). Pairing δ18O with previous 87Sr/86Sr data identifies 60% of the cohort as non-locals (45/75). Although there were a greater proportion of non-local females (24/30, 80%) compared to males (10/20, 50%), there were no significant differences between the sexes in δ13Ccarb or δ18Ocarb values. There were no spatial patterns regarding the three cemetery sites, nor any observable patterns regarding where non-locals were interred in the largest excavated cemetery, Area A/II. Both first-generation immigrants and individuals from the northeastern Nile Delta were buried following elite Asiatic burial customs, suggesting continuation of foreign burial culture. All collagen showed poor preservation; δ13Ccoll and δ15N analysis were not possible. δ13Ccarb showed no significant difference between locals and non-local diet, although non-locals at Tell el-Dabca did eat a broader variety of foods as a group, suggested by a wider δ13Ccarb range (− 13.5 to − 9.6‰ in non-locals compared to locals’ − 12.1 to − 10.3‰). If there is a difference in food culture between immigrants and native Egyptians, it was not observable using isotopic analyses.

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Strategies of survival? Change, continuity and the adaptive cycle across the middle to early late bronze age at Tell el-Dabˁa, Egypt

Mourad

2021

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

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The Colonization/Urbanization of the Tell Area A/II at Tell el-Dab^ca and its Chronological Implications

Cited by 4 publications

References 3 publications

Who were the Hyksos? Challenging traditional narratives using strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of human remains from ancient Egypt

Who were the Hyksos? Challenging traditional narratives using strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of human remains from ancient Egypt

Multi-isotopic study of diet and mobility in the northeastern Nile Delta

Strategies of survival? Change, continuity and the adaptive cycle across the middle to early late bronze age at Tell el-Dabˁa, Egypt

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The Colonization/Urbanization of the Tell Area A/II at Tell el-Dabca and its Chronological Implications

Cited by 4 publications

References 3 publications

Who were the Hyksos? Challenging traditional narratives using strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of human remains from ancient Egypt

Who were the Hyksos? Challenging traditional narratives using strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of human remains from ancient Egypt

Multi-isotopic study of diet and mobility in the northeastern Nile Delta

Strategies of survival? Change, continuity and the adaptive cycle across the middle to early late bronze age at Tell el-Dabˁa, Egypt

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The Colonization/Urbanization of the Tell Area A/II at Tell el-Dab^ca and its Chronological Implications