DOI article:
Derry, Douglas Erith: Anatomical report (B)
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18103#0042
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skulls ; the women small oval or coffin-shaped heads ; and in every
case the breadth of the head much exceeded the height, in the two
males by 11 and 9 millimetres respectively, in the females by 6 and 5
millimetres. Added to this, there was absolute orthognathism, both
visible and measurable, and no rounding of the nares. There is no
doubt that here we see the definite influence of alien immigrants such
as were brought to light further north in the Christian cemeteries
excavated last season. Two of these aliens, a man and a woman,
were buried in one grave, No. 16. Grave No. 17 contained another
of the foreigners, the second female, as well as what appeared to be a
pure (male) Sudanese Negro ; while grave No. 18 was that of the
second man referred to above. Thus all four were in adjacent graves,
and it was at first thought that a number of these people might be
buried on the site. This conjecture, however, was not borne out by
the further examination of the contents of the cemetery. All the
graves subsequently examined at random were found to contain the
remains of a very markedly Negroid people, with only one or two
exceptions.
In grave No. 19, for example, there were the remains of four adults,
and four children of ages varying from about 14 or 15 years down to a
few days. The adults were two men and two women. One of either
sex was Negro, and of the remaining two, the male was obviously
Egyptian, while the female, whose face was gone, may have been also
Egyptian, though too much of the skull was absent to permit of a
certain diagnosis. The child of 14 years had a most extraordinarily
prognathous appearance, but on measurement, the facial base was
4 millimetres less than the cranial base. One more broad oval skull
was found, with characters tending to show that it is probably alien,
a^hough there was also a suspicion of a Negro taint.
As grave after grave contained the Negroid type, it was deemed
unnecessary to go right through this section of the cemetery, and
work was therefore begun on the Pre-Christian Nubian burials.
Pke-Chkistian Nubian (X-group) Tombs.
(Cir. 4th-6th century, A.D.)
Out of a total of 22 bodies completely measured in this group, only
six were males ; but what is perhaps more significant is that, with
skulls ; the women small oval or coffin-shaped heads ; and in every
case the breadth of the head much exceeded the height, in the two
males by 11 and 9 millimetres respectively, in the females by 6 and 5
millimetres. Added to this, there was absolute orthognathism, both
visible and measurable, and no rounding of the nares. There is no
doubt that here we see the definite influence of alien immigrants such
as were brought to light further north in the Christian cemeteries
excavated last season. Two of these aliens, a man and a woman,
were buried in one grave, No. 16. Grave No. 17 contained another
of the foreigners, the second female, as well as what appeared to be a
pure (male) Sudanese Negro ; while grave No. 18 was that of the
second man referred to above. Thus all four were in adjacent graves,
and it was at first thought that a number of these people might be
buried on the site. This conjecture, however, was not borne out by
the further examination of the contents of the cemetery. All the
graves subsequently examined at random were found to contain the
remains of a very markedly Negroid people, with only one or two
exceptions.
In grave No. 19, for example, there were the remains of four adults,
and four children of ages varying from about 14 or 15 years down to a
few days. The adults were two men and two women. One of either
sex was Negro, and of the remaining two, the male was obviously
Egyptian, while the female, whose face was gone, may have been also
Egyptian, though too much of the skull was absent to permit of a
certain diagnosis. The child of 14 years had a most extraordinarily
prognathous appearance, but on measurement, the facial base was
4 millimetres less than the cranial base. One more broad oval skull
was found, with characters tending to show that it is probably alien,
a^hough there was also a suspicion of a Negro taint.
As grave after grave contained the Negroid type, it was deemed
unnecessary to go right through this section of the cemetery, and
work was therefore begun on the Pre-Christian Nubian burials.
Pke-Chkistian Nubian (X-group) Tombs.
(Cir. 4th-6th century, A.D.)
Out of a total of 22 bodies completely measured in this group, only
six were males ; but what is perhaps more significant is that, with