AN ISOTOPIC PALEOENVIRONMENTAL STUDY OF HUMAN SKELETAL REMAINS FROM THE NILE VALLEY

Stable isotope measurements were carried out on human skeletal remains from the Nile Valley, ranging in age from about 7000 to 1750 yr B.P. and on a set of other samples among which are archaeological food rema ins. Bone samples were analyzed for delta(18)O(PO43-), delta(18)O(CO32 -) and delta(13)C(CO32-) of carbonate hydroxylapatite and delta(13)C a nd delta(15)N of collagen. Food remains and tissue sampler were analyz ed for their delta(13)C and delta(15)N values. The isotopic compositio n of bone collagen, apatite and food remains (partially representative of the diet in ancient Egypt) suggest a mixed diet including C-3 plan t food and,probably, animal resources (both fresh-water fish and C-3 a nimals). A rather surprising observation is the lack of differences be tween isotopic composition of remains of different social classes span ning from the very poor village of Gebelein to the middle class of the rich town of Asyut to the distinguished people who underwent mummific ation processes after their death. From the palaeoclimatological point of view, the delta(18)O(PO43-) values,ranging from 20.6 to 24.5 parts per thousand, seem to reflect the isotopic composition of Nile river water (also related to relative humidity) rather than real climatic (t emperature) variations through time. The oxygen isotope compositions o f carbonate and phosphate of the same samples (from 30.2 to 32.5 and f rom 20.6 to 22.2, respectively) suggest isotopic equilibrium condition s, thus confirming the possibility of also using the carbonate measure ments for palaeoclimatological studies, at least in the case of recent and well preserved samples.