North Kharga Oasis Survey 2003. Preliminary Report: Umm el-Dabadib

This article contains a first description of the results of the third season of the North Kharga Oasis Survey, that in 2003 focussed on the late-Roman site of Umm el-Dabadib, in the Kharga Oasis. An introductory paragraph on the methodology that has been adopted to survey such a complex site is followed by a description of the archaeological remains, which includes three main settlements, called Northern, Eastern, and ‘Fortified’, a Coptic church, a temple decorated in Egyptian style, ten cemeteries, seven underground aqueducts and large patches of ancient cultivations. The majority of the standing remains date to the third and fourth century AD, but there is evidence that the site had been occupied at least from the Ptolemaic Period

North Kharga Oasis Survey 2004. Preliminary Report: Ain Tarakwa and Ain el-Dabashiya

The goals of the North Kharga Oasis Survey (NKOS) have been to identify, record and survey the major archaeological sites of the northern part of Kharga Oasis. The work of the final season in the first cycle of exploration of the area focussed on the sites of Ain el-Tarakwa and Ain el-Dabashiya, and the Darb Ain Amur, the desert route between Ain Umm el-Dabadib and Ain Amur. In the former areas the survey recorded two temples, several tombs, an animal cemetery, and a variety of buildings, including a church. The Darb Ain Amur survey yielded many rock-art sites, as well as several locations that marked the route between the two springs

New Kingdom Activities in the Kharga Oasis: the Scribe User-hat Travels Westwards

Note on the hieroglyphic inscription mentioning the New Kingdom scribe User-hat, found by the North Kharga Oasis Survey along the ancient caravan route connecting the oases of Kharga and Dakhla

Environmental implications of Ptolemaic Period rodents and shrews from the Sacred Falcon Necropolis at Quesna, Egypt (Mammalia: Muridae and Soricidae)

BACKGROUND: Assemblages of mummified and preserved animals in necropoleis of Ptolemaic Period Egypt (ca. 332–30 BC) document some aspects of the ceremonial and religious practices of the ancient Egyptians, but study of these animal remains can also provide insight into the local environments in which the animals and humans lived. RESULTS: Excavations of the Sacred Falcon Necropolis at Quesna in the Nile Delta have yielded many thousands of animal remains, mostly of raptors, but also of a lesser number of small, wild mammals. Among the latter, we identified four species of murid rodents (Rodentia: Muridae) and five species of shrews (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae). The soricids are of particular interest because they represent a more diverse assemblage of species than occurs in the delta today. They include one species, Crocidura gueldenstaedtii (Pallas, 1811), that no longer occurs in the delta and another, C. fulvastra (Sundevall, 1843), that is now extirpated from Egypt. CONCLUSIONS: The coexistence of this diverse small mammal community suggests that a greater availability and variety of mesic habitats were present during the Ptolemaic Period than occur there now. The local mammal faunas recovered at Quesna and other well-studied ancient Egyptian sites together provide evidence of a richer, more complex regional environment along the Nile Valley. They also provide important insight regarding the biogeography of the individual species comprising the faunas and about the extent of faunal turnover since the Ptolemaic Period. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12862-022-02101-x

A new addition to the embalmed fauna of ancient Egypt:Güldenstaedt’s White-toothed Shrew, Crocidura gueldenstaedtii (Pallas, 1811) (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae)

The Falcon Necropolis at Quesna in the Nile Delta of Egypt is considered to have been founded by the priest Djedhor, the Saviour, of Athribis (Tell Atrib in modern Benha) at the beginning of the Ptolemaic Period. Recent excavations here have revealed abundant avian remains from mummies dedicated to the ancient Egyptian god Horus Khenty-Khety. Among the few mammal remains from the site are five species of shrews (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae), including some that we identified as Güldenstaedt's White-toothed Shrew, Crocidura gueldenstaedtii (Pallas, 1811). Discovery of this species at Quesna increases the number of shrews recovered from ancient Egyptian archaeological sites to eight species. Crocidura gueldenstaedtii no longer occurs in the Nile Delta, and its presence in a diverse shrew fauna at Quesna that includes one other extirpated species, Crocidura fulvastra (Sundevall, 1843), supports the hypothesis of a moister regional environment 2000-3000 years ago. Inadvertently preserved local faunas, such as that from Quesna, can provide valuable information about ancient environments and subsequent turnover in faunal communities

Tracking turtles in the past:Zooarchaeological evidence for human-turtle interactions in the ancient Eastern Mediterranean

Turtles are important barometers of human impact on marine biodiversity. Very little, however, is known about the deep history of human-turtle interactions and whether this is reflected in the present-day vulnerability of Mediterranean turtle populations. Here, the authors critically assess the zooarchaeological evidence for the nature and intensity of past human interactions with green, loggerhead turtles and Nile soft-shell turtles in the Eastern Mediterranean. Species and sex identifications, estimates of relative abundance, and size reconstructions at five coastal archaeological sites demonstrate the variety in interactions, from turtle capture to processing, and allow informative comparisons with present-day distributions of these species across the region

The catacombs of Anubis at North Saqqara

Although animal cults are a widely recognised feature of religion in ancient Egypt, little is known about the nature of the catacombs and mummies associated with the temples dedicated to animal gods. Here the authors present a biography of the Catacombs of Anubis at North Saqqara in Egypt, from their peak activity in the Late Period to their exploitation in modern times for raw materials. This research highlights the hitherto unappreciated scale of burial practices associated with animal cults, and the industries they supported and were supported by. The evidence suggests that the animal cults played a significant economic role, both in ancient Egypt and in subsequent eras

Backroom Treasures: CT Scanning of Two Ibis Mummies from the Peabody Museum Collection

Museum collections of Egyptian human and animal mummies have great potential for research and museums often curate larger collections than those on exhibit. Scheduling access for medical imaging projects is often complicated for mummies on display because of the important environmental controls under which they are kept. Consequently, collections in storage are often more numerous and more readily available, in terms of time and physical access, than those on exhibit. Application of computed tomography (CT) to the study of mummified remains allows for detailed three-dimensional evaluations, without the difficulties of superimposition that characterise plain film radiographs. Three-dimensional visualisation, multi-planar reformats (MPR), maximum intensity projections (MIP), and curve-linear reconstructions of these mummies were especially valuable for close examination of the complex curves of the spine and the contents of the gizzard. These manipulations are no less important in the study of animal mummies than they are in those of humans.

Crocodile rock! Senovės Egipto roplių iš Lietuvos nacionalinio muziejaus bioarcheologinis tyrimas

Remnants of what was believed to be a single baby crocodile, originating from ancient Egypt and curated in the National Museum of Lithuania, have been recently assessed using noninvasive and nondestructive techniques. These had been donated in 1862 to the then Museum of Antiquities by the prominent Polish-Lithuanian collector Count Michał Tyszkiewicz. After careful investigation of the three mummified reptile fragments available, the authors were able to identify at least two individuals based on morpho-anatomical characteristics. This indicates that the two small crocodiles originally described in historic records are still present within the collection and that none of these items was lost during the different lootings perpetrated throughout the museum’s history. Information regarding the post-mortem treatment of these animals was also obtained. This is the first scientific study of animal mummies in the Baltic States, and it should be followed by proper conservation and display of these findings.Pasitelkus neinvazinius ir neardomuosius metodus, ištirtos trys, kaip iki šiol manyta, vieno mumifikuoto krokodiliuko dalys, saugomos Lietuvos nacionaliniame muziejuje. Buvo žinoma, kad 1862 metais dvi senovės Egipto krokodiliukų mumijas tuometiniam Senienų muziejui padovanojo žymus Lenkijos ir Lietuvos kolekcininkas, egiptologas grafas Mykolas Tiškevičius. Šiuo metu muziejuje saugomi trys nedideli roplių fragmentai leido manyti, kad iki mūsų dienų yra išlikęs tik vienas individas. Kruopščiai ištyrę mumifikuotas krokodilo dalis nustatėme, kad jos yra ne vieno, o mažiausiai dviejų individų liekanos. Tai rodytų, kad istoriniuose dokumentuose minimi du M. Tiškevičiaus dovanoti krokodiliukai tebėra muziejaus kolekcijoje ir nė vienas iš šių eksponatų nebuvo prarastas per pastarųjų amžių muziejaus grobstymus ir kitas negandas. Be to, atlikti tyrimai suteikė informacijos, kaip ropliai buvo apdoroti mumifikacijos metu. Tai pirmas mokslinis gyvūnų mumijų tyrimas Baltijos šalyse, kurio rezultatai turėtų padėti tinkamai saugoti ir eksponuoti tokio tipo radinius

Evaluating species distribution model predictions through time against paleozoological records.

Species distribution models (SDMs) are widely used to project how species distributions may vary over time, particularly in response climate change. Although the fit of such models to current distributions is regularly enumerated, SDMs are rarely tested across longer time spans to gauge their actual performance under environmental change. Here, we utilise paleozoological presence/absence records to independently assess the predictive accuracy of SDMs through time. To illustrate the approach, we focused on modelling the Holocene distribution of the hartebeest, Alcelaphus buselaphus, a widespread savannah-adapted African antelope. We applied various modelling algorithms to three occurrence datasets, including a point dataset from online repositories and two range maps representing current and 'natural' (i.e. hypothetical assuming no human impact) distributions. We compared conventional model evaluation metrics which assess fit to current distributions (i.e. True Skill Statistic, TSSc, and Area Under the Curve, AUCc) to analogous 'paleometrics' for past distributions (i.e. TSSp, AUCp, and in addition Boycep, F2-scorep and Sorensenp). Our findings reveal only a weak correlation between the ranking of conventional metrics and paleometrics, suggesting that the models most effectively capturing present-day distributions may not be the most reliable to hindcast historical distributions, and that the choice of input data and modelling algorithm both significantly influences environmental suitability predictions and SDM performance. We thus advocate assessment of model performance using paleometrics, particularly those capturing the correct prediction of presences, such as F2-scorep or Sorensenp, due to the potential unreliability of absence data in paleozoological records. By integrating archaeological and paleontological records into the assessment of alternative models' ability to project shifts in species distributions over time, we are likely to enhance our understanding of environmental constraints on species distributions