Nubian identity in the Bronze Age. Patterns of cultural and biological variation

Th is study uses a bioarchaeological approach to examine the cultural and biological relationships between two groups who lived in ancient Nubia during the Bronze Age, C-Group and Kerma. While archaeological evidence indicates that these groups show many cultural similarities, refl ections of behaviors such as pottery use and mortuary practices suggest that C-Group and Kerma displayed their ethnic diff erences in specifi c situations within a multi-ethnic context. Biological affi nities assessed using cranial measurements suggest a common ancestry with few shape diff erences between the populations. Overall, the Kerma crania are larger than the C-Group crania, which could be accounted for by environmental and/or social variation. With the combination of data used in this research, a more nuanced understanding of these two contemporaneous Nubian populations is achieved.