An archaeological site in the northern region of Sudan reveals a stunning discovery about the country's ancient history. Located at the Tombos, the site offered a glimpse of ancient burial tombs that are also called tumuli.
These burial spaces were utilized by the place's ancestors as early as 2,500 BC. People who created these tombs are what we know as Nubians or Kush.
The skeletal remains of the Tombos site are filled with clues from the country's past. Bioarchaeologists had been studying the sector for over 20 years, discussing each of the numerous remains and artifacts hidden underneath the tombs.
Nubian Civilization Overshadowed by Ancient Egypt Studies
Big Think reports that most research on Africa's ancient history is commonly focused on the existence of the Egyptian civilization. But contrary to popular belief, there are other groups around the Nile River Valley that rose to power and spread their lineage across the region.
In the third millennium BC, the famous river became part of our collective knowledge about Egypt. However, the studies unintentionally overshadowed nearby civilizations, especially those that are located in the southern part of the country, particularly the Kush people.
This group rivaled and in other accounts conquered ancient Egypt. Studies on the Kush, unfortunately, were influenced by cultural bias, which ultimately buried the achievements and contributions of the southern civilization, reports The Conversation.
Experts from the University of California Santa Barbara and Purdue University have been studying the forgotten civilization and culture of the Kush for a while now. In their recent excavations, the site in Tombos showed key elements that explained how life in southern Egypt was in ancient times.
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Clearer View of How Kush Culture Lived Discovered in Tombos, Sudan
According to the experts, the burial tombs in Tombos contain substantial evidence of the physical activities, nutrition, as well as health status of the ancient Kush people. Medical conditions such as heart problems and even cancer were also discovered from the remains. Death and other impacts of hard labor during the time were also identified.
These clues showing how the ancient Kush people strive and how they faced many epidemiologists could give a better reference to the social contexts and health of modern-day Sudan.
In one study, there was also a burial tomb on the Tombos that was found with cultural practices from both Nubia and Egypt. This case was discovered with artifacts that mirror the iron age in Nubia, as well as magical paraphernalia originating from Egypt.
Other influences of ancient Egypt were discovered in the Nubian tombs. During the New Kingdom empire, which occurred around 1,200 BC, immigrant Egyptians and local Kush people built some chambers according to the style of northern pyramids. Some people selected their local tumulus designs, showing that there was quite an open choice for selecting burial structures at the time.
Many of the ancient cultures and fascinating details of ancient Sudan are still unknown, but the scientists are continuing their efforts to recover more of these puzzle pieces that give the world, especially the modern-day Sudan citizens, a chance to see the forgotten heritage.
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