Trauma and interpersonal violence in ancient Nubia during the Kerma Period (ca. 2500-1500 BC)

"Interpersonal violence is a critical social and health problem in modern society, and as a result has generated a wealth of research that facilitates the interpretation of interpersonal violence among ancient societies. The dual goals of this investigation were to develop critical methods of evaluating interpersonal violence, and to integrate these methods into the assessment of interpersonal violence among the ancient Nubians of the Kerma period (ca. 2500-1500 BC), an era of trade and conquest between Egypt and Upper Nubia. A general trauma analysis of all bones revealed that violence-related injuries (skull trauma, the ulna parry fracture, and multiple injuries) were comparatively high among both rural (n = 55) and urban (n = 223) people of the Kerma culture in contrast to other Nile Valley skeletal samples, and may have been influenced by violence-associated activities at the state level..."