Bioarchaeology of the Near East, 19:1-16 (2025)

A bioarchaeological assessment of pubertal timing at Tombos, Sudan (1400–700 BCE)

Emily Eiseman (*1), Abigail Taylor (2), Heidi Joelle Althaus (2), Michele R. Buzon (2), Katie M. Whitmore (3)
(1) Amentum supporting the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency,
4800 Westfields Blvd, Suite 400, Chantilly, VA 20151, USA
email: ereiseman@gmail.com (corresponding author)
(2) Department of Anthropology, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN 47907, USA
(3) SNA International supporting the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency,
500 Montgomery Street, Suite 500 Alexandria, VA 22314, USA

Abstract: This study aims to estimate pubertal timing and evaluate the method applicability in a sample from the ancient Egyptian and Nubian site of Tombos (modern-day Sudan), which dates to the New Kingdom through the Napatan periods (c. 1400–700 BCE) In individuals aged 7–21 years, pubertal development was observed by grading eight skeletal elements. Each grade was attributed to a pubertal phase: pre-puberty, initiation/ onset, acceleration, Peak Height Velocity (PHV), deceleration, maturation, and post-puberty. Many individuals were found to be in a combined pubertal range such as PHV/deceleration. Precise determination of PHV was challenging due to the small sample size and short timeframe of the pubertal stage. Initiation occurred between 8 to 12 years, acceleration and PHV showed a broader range of 10 to 20 years, and the deceleration phase was predominantly observed in individuals aged 13 to 21 years. Menarche is associated with females at Tombos aged 15 to 20 years. Deceleration occurred earlier in females and revealed broader transitional phases in males. Males and females showed varied fusion between elements, such as the radius and ulna. Individuals with absent features, due to poor preservation, resulted in broader ranges of pubertal stages. These results bring important insights into research on pubertal analysis and methodology of ancient skeletal remains and expand regional coverage of pubertal data. Additionally, morphological variation in the Tombos sample is noted in comparison with published literature and some suggestions for future research are provided.

Key words: New Kingdom; Nubia; adolescence; Egypt

https://doi.org/10.47888/bne-1901 | Received 12 August 2024; accepted 7 May 2025; published online 19 October 2025.

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