Aspekte der napatanischen Gesellschaft

The cemetery of Sanam is located in northern Sudan and dates to the 8th and 7th century bC. It was excavated in 1911/12 by Francis Ll. Griffith. In 1923 a short preliminary report came out, which until now was the only publication on the findings. The excavation records are still held, however, in the Griffith Institute at the University of oxford and they have now been digitized. The purpose of this study has been to organize the huge amount of data about the graves, burials and findings at the Sanam cemetery in order to better understand its basic structure. until now, nothing has been published on Napatan burial customs, and thus, this study will be a reference work for further research into the funerary culture of this period. The book concludes with an analysis of the data that is presented, including a chronological outline and a description of the region's topography in relation to Sanam. The hierarchical structure of burials has also been examined. With regard to ethnicity and cultural links, distinctive characteristics could be distinguished that reveal various influences (traditional, Egyptian, indigenous adaptations and innovations). Another aim of this study was to provide a focused analysis of individual persons. From the archaeological context it was possible to show that certain combinations of features may have been the result of personal choices. of 1619 tombs and 1560 documentable internments preserved in Sanam, it was possible for the study to determine aspects applying to individual people. In turn, it was possible to link these results to create a picture of Napatan society as well as a framework of the social interactions of particular people, both in the society as a whole and individually.