Skeletal Evidence of a Nilotic Nubia?

[Xareen]

I’ve been searching for the past hour or so, and I can’t find any material suggesting biological affinities with a historical Nubian group (Neolithic and forward) and Nilotes.

I ask because I know there was a Nilotic presence and yet everything from dental to craniometric analyses seem to allude to a VERY ‘Caucasoid’ Nubia. Everything down to the hair texture and pigmentation is uncharacteristic of any Sub-Saharan African nation.

On skeletal affinities, generally they plot sometimes with Horners and other times with Egyptians (who we know for a fact were ‘Caucasoid’). What comes to mind is a quote from Strouhal on the progenitors of Nubian civilisation, the A Group:

"In contrast to the sturdy nomadic or semi-sedentary human groups of presumed Saharan origin, the first agriculturalists and cattle-breeders, living in Nubia with a culture labelled by archaeologists as Group A in the 5th millennium BC, were slim and gracile, dolichocranic, with small faces and slightly broader noses. Their physical features were Caucasoid, not distinguishable from the contemporary Predynastic Upper Egyptians of the Badarian and Nagadian cultures"

On hair type and pigmentation, it seems Nubians could have blondeish hair, though dark brown was most common, while their hair went from straight to curly. No really kinky hair as we’d expect from Nilotes as far as I’m aware.

I have more I could say but I think you get the point. Any material to the contrary would be appreciated.

 

[Som]

I’ve been searching for the past hour or so, and I can’t find any material suggesting biological affinities with a historical Nubian group (Neolithic and forward) and Nilotes.

I ask because I know there was a Nilotic presence and yet everything from dental to craniometric analyses seem to allude to a VERY ‘Caucasoid’ Nubia. Everything down to the hair texture and pigmentation is uncharacteristic of any Sub-Saharan African nation.

On skeletal affinities, generally they plot sometimes with Horners and other times with Egyptians (who we know for a fact were ‘Caucasoid’). What comes to mind is a quote from Strouhal on the progenitors of Nubian civilisation, the A Group:


On hair type and pigmentation, it seems Nubians could have blondeish hair, though dark brown was most common, while their hair went from straight to curly. No really kinky hair as we’d expect from Nilotes as far as I’m aware.

I have more I could say but I think you get the point. Any material to the contrary would be appreciated.

We should be wary of cranial and skeletal classification. According to cranial studies Somalis are close to pre dynastic Egyptians but this doesn't indicate any particular genetic similarity.
Nubians were a diverse group that included nilotes (the black dudes represented I'm Egyptian art) and cushites/afroasiatic people who were closer to somalis. We don't have many samples from ancient Nubia however the kulubnarti mummies (dating back to 4th century AD during the Christian era) are about 40ish percent Nilotic. These were individuals found not far from Egypt and may have been mixed individuals this not representative of the Nubian population as a whole.
Ancient Nubians may have been more Nilotic but my guess is they were pretty much similar to horn Africans (50-60% nilotic 50-40% Eurasian)

 

[Som]

I’ve been searching for the past hour or so, and I can’t find any material suggesting biological affinities with a historical Nubian group (Neolithic and forward) and Nilotes.

I ask because I know there was a Nilotic presence and yet everything from dental to craniometric analyses seem to allude to a VERY ‘Caucasoid’ Nubia. Everything down to the hair texture and pigmentation is uncharacteristic of any Sub-Saharan African nation.

On skeletal affinities, generally they plot sometimes with Horners and other times with Egyptians (who we know for a fact were ‘Caucasoid’). What comes to mind is a quote from Strouhal on the progenitors of Nubian civilisation, the A Group:


On hair type and pigmentation, it seems Nubians could have blondeish hair, though dark brown was most common, while their hair went from straight to curly. No really kinky hair as we’d expect from Nilotes as far as I’m aware.

I have more I could say but I think you get the point. Any material to the contrary would be appreciated.

Also generally speaking the Nubians are not nilotic this is well established. They may have been Nilo-Saharan which is not the same. Modern and old Nubian are both Nilo Saharan languages, there's debate on wether ancient Nubian (meroitic) was Nilo Saharan or cushitic, certainly it was influenced by both groups. In conclusion if you want evidence of Nubians being black/subsaharan there's plenty evidence from language, genetics and history that supports the view that the Nubians were indeed black people. Black can mean different things though, so probably the Nubians resembled modern Nubians in Arab Sudan (who tend to look a bit like us) and not Dinka south Sudanese

 

[Cognitive]

Perhaps you can search for certain data during New Kingdom. Theoretically that period should mark an influx of more SSA-ish people in Nubia, as "New Kingdom Nubia" as we know it was a client state of the Egyptian empire that stretched all the way to the sixth cataract.
That aside, how about the Nuba mountains? Could that be the main "home" of those niote-like people seen on wall paintings? We know Kerma has been established in arhcaeology as a key trading spot between Egyptians, Lower Nubians, and Upper Nubians. Myabe Kerma's skeletal description of a trend toward a more "negroid" profile overtime was a result of trade with further south?