Description du projet
Pratiques funéraires des classes moyennes et inférieures en Égypte ancienne
Les pratiques funéraires de l’Égypte ancienne étaient complexes et impliquaient des rituels de momification pour assurer une transition réussie vers l’au-delà. Cependant, les recherches actuelles tendent à négliger les coutumes funéraires des Égyptiens des classes moyennes et inférieures. Le projet HEADS, financé par le programme MSCA, se penchera sur les segments sous-représentés de la population égyptienne, englobant les adultes et les jeunes d’Assiout et de Gebelein. Il s’appuiera sur les progrès des méthodologies scientifiques pour l’analyse des restes humains. Cela facilitera l’identification des composants et des techniques d’embaumement, l’évaluation du bien-être des personnes décédées avant leur mort et la détermination de l’âge chronologique des restes. En discernant le sexe biologique et l’âge au moment du décès, le projet explorera également comment ces facteurs ont influencé le traitement de la mortalité et de la santé.
Objectif
In ancient Egypt, death was the beginning of a new life, and the body was the anchor for the soul. Complex mummification practices and burial rituals were needed to ensure a successful transition to the afterlife. These have so far mainly been explored through the study of texts and archaeological contexts, which are principally focused on the elites. However, thanks to scientific advances in the study of human remains, it is possible to make the life of underrepresented categories of Egyptian people come to the fore.
HEADS, through a collaboration with the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the University of Turin (MAET), offers the unique opportunity to study a relatively unexplored section of society, including adult and juvenile males and females from the low and middle classes of two key archaeological sites in Egypt (Assiuit and Gebelin). Four methods will be employed to generate a clearer picture of their past and provide the MAET with new datasets: lipid residue analysis, palaeoproteomics, CT scanning, and radiocarbon dating. These will be applied to 1) identify the ingredients and procedures used in embalming and how these differ based on body parts, 2) characterise the health of the deceased, and 3) date the remains. Identification of biological sex and age-at-death will further elucidate how gender and age influenced treatment in death and health.
In answering these questions, HEADS will be the first comprehensive biomolecular study on the mummified remains from the MAET, using an innovative multidisciplinary approach that goes beyond the current state-of-the art. The combined methodologies will allow HEADS to paint a detailed picture of mummification practices and the past health of an ancient lower- and middle-class Egyptian population and place these within a robust chronological framework, filling lacunae in our knowledge of the non-elite Egyptian community.
Champ scientifique
Mots‑clés
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Régime de financement
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European FellowshipsCoordinateur
10124 Torino
Italie