Recent excavations at the royal cemetery at Nuri in Sudan indicate continued use of the necropolis by multiple cultural groups following Napatan occupation through historic times. Here, we explore a group of Meroitic individuals and their relatedness to the various cultural groups interred at Nuri, as well as those across the Valley. Disentangling these relationships serves to enhance our understanding of the temporal occupation of Nuri and its significance after the Napatan period, addressing questions of biological and cultural continuity throughout the history of this site. More than 20 earthen mounds represent a Meroitic burial ground dating to ca. 400 BCE–365 CE. These mounds are marked with rock rings covering shafts leading to burial niches, unique in their style given the absence of blocking walls. Individuals are interred in a flexed or semi-flexed position on their left side and facing south. Grave goods include beaded or metal jewelry, decorated ceramics, animal-hide burial mats, and iron arrows. Bioarchaeological analysis suggests that the graves are occupied mainly by adult females and a few young adult males. All individuals display non-specific lesions consistent with physiological stress and half with biomechanical stress. This is the first overview of another group characterizing the Nuri necropolis.

Bioarcheological and archaeological investigations of Meroitic burials: first insights into occupation at Nuri