THE PROJECT
The ‘Life and Death in Trying Times’ project stems from several decades of archaeological excavations and multidisciplinary research conducted by the Polish-Egyptian Archaeological Mission at Saqqara on the site located immediately to the west of the Step Pyramid, the funerary complex of Pharaoh Djoser (3rd Dynasty). Ever since the systematic excavations began in the late 1980s, the site has revealed rich evidence of funerary activity dating to the late Old Kingdom (5th and 6th Dynasties) and First Intermediate Period (the so-called Lower Necropolis), and from a much later, Graeco-Roman Period (the so-called Upper Necropolis). Coincidentally, these were the times that witnessed major political, social, and climatic and environmental changes that, undoubtedly, had a many-fold impact on the ancient Egyptian population.
Building on the three-decade-strong research of the funerary evidence from the site, including hundreds of inhumations, and supported by the existing research into the impact of climate variability on ancient state formation and collapse, this project seeks to investigate the effect of the changing and often turbulent times on the life and death of the ancient Memphite population at Saqqara.
Aims of the project
The overarching aim of the project is to investigate a link between (1) temporal climate variability and environmental changes, (2) political instability, and (3) social diversity and physical health of the ancient Memphite population at Saqqara, using funerary evidence from two temporally-distant time periods (Old Kingdom/First Intermediate Period and Late/Graeco-Roman Period).
Methodology
The project applies a multidisciplinary approach to the study of funerary contexts from Saqqara, with the focus on bioarchaeological remains. Human remains will be studied to determine demographic composition, individual and population health status and diversity. Information on climatic and environmental conditions during the periods of interest will be obtained through the study of botanical remains and funerary textiles.
The results of the study will be compared with available data from the Memphite and other ancient Egyptian cemeteries in an attempt to determine geographical and temporal variations in health during the periods of interest and in relation to the major socio-political and climatic changes.