In the 19th and 20th centuries, Nubian history was seen as a series of disconnected episodes, each characterized by the migration or hybridization of different human groups. Changes in funerary customs were often attributed to the movement of peoples, and the evidence for migration was reinforced by osteoarchaeological observations. In fact, until WWII anthropology was mainly aimed at the metric study of human remains to arrive at population comparisons and racial determinations. In particular, it was assumed that the distribution of ‘cranial types’ resulted from the movement of different groups and that both biological and cultural history could be assessed from similarities/differences in cranial morphology. An example of this approach is provided by an anthropological report written by Edoardo Pardini, who took part in the IAMSK activities in the area of Kassala in 1981. In his report, after determining the sex and age of the individuals based on morphometric observation of the skulls, Pardini includes a list of cranial measurements to compare with those of other populations «to identify the anthropological types to which the individuals can be ascribed». Today, the exploration of mobility patterns is still crucial for the IAEES, but bioanthropology resorts to DNA and Strontium isotopic analyses.

1981-2021: How the bioanthropological approach of the IAEES in exploring mobility patterns in Prehistoric Sudan has changed in forty years