Excavated between 1998 and 2018, the Kushite cemetery known as R18 is located to the east of the Pharaonic and Kushite town of Kawa. Recent full osteological analysis of the 135 human skeletons available from R18 has revealed valuable insight into the lives of people from the town. This paper discusses the range of diseases and conditions that were present in individuals from the cemetery, including an analysis of infectious and joint diseases, trauma and interpersonal violence, congenital and developmental anomalies, oral pathology, and cancers. The broad demographic represented within the cemetery, which included males, females, and juveniles of different ages, allowed for investigation of sex- and age-specific conditions. In particular, several rare pathological conditions, not commonly noted in archaeological remains from the Middle Nile Valley, were observed in juveniles. In combination with the contextual information provided by excavations of the town itself, the assemblage from R18 provides a remarkably rich dataset for further understanding life in the Middle Nile Valley during this period.

Life and death at the town of Kawa: Findings of the recent osteological analysis of the Kushite cemetery assemblage