Using Mitogenomes to Explore the Social and Ecological Contexts of Crocodile Mummification in Ancient Egypt

Author's Department

Sociology, Egyptology & Anthropology Department

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https://doi.org/10.3374/014.063.0101

All Authors

Evon R. Hekkala, Roger Colten, Seth W. Cunningham, Oliver Smith, Salima Ikram

Document Type

Research Article

Publication Title

Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History

Publication Date

4-21-2022

doi

10.3374/014.063.0101

Abstract

We used isotopic and genomic data to explore the ecological and social context of cultural practices associated with the mummification of crocodiles in ancient Egypt. Ancient DNA was recovered from four mummified crocodile hatchlings held in the collections of the Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University. Previous genetic analyses of crocodile mummies have indicated that most mummies represent the newly resurrected taxon, Crocodylus suchus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1807. However, mitogenomic data for the Yale Peabody Museum mummies indicates that these specimens represent the first genomically authenticated representatives of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus Laurenti, 1768) in museum collections. We explore these findings within the broader context of modern and historical distributions of both crocodile species and the potential implications for our understanding of funerary practices involving crocodiles in ancient Egypt.

First Page

3

Last Page

14

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