A monumental synthesis of a half century of research, this book investigates three communities from the ancient Nubian civilization of the Nile River Valley. Excavations in this region first inspired the "biocultural approach" to human biology now used by anthropologists worldwide, and Life and Death on the Nile exemplifies the very best of this perspective. It is the life's work of two highly accomplished anthropologists. George Armelagos and Dennis Van Gerven present studies of cranial morphology and evolution in Nubian populations. They look at patterns of physiological stress and disease, as well as growth and development, in infants and children. They study bone fractures and age-related bone loss in adults, and they discuss case studies of diseases such as cancers and congenital defects. Focusing on the link between human biology and the cultural and natural environment, they provide a holistic view of the lives of ancient Nubian peoples.

This third volume concerns the funerary remains from the site of Kulubnarti in the Northern Sudan. Graves from two different cemeteries, one on the island of Kulubnarti, the other on the adjacent left bank of the Nile, are described and discussed in terms of their location, descriptions of the grave types within their medieval context, the grave goods and analysis of the skeletal remains. In particular, Nettie Adams provides a detailed study of the well preserved textiles which ascribe to the practice of wrapping the bodies in cloth, sometimes secured with bindings, prior to deposition, occasionally laid on a woven mat. The two cemeteries date to the pre-Christian period and from c.AD 600 to recent times, respectively. Volume I of this report outlines the architectural remains and volume II the artefactual evidence.