Date:

Ancient Islamic tombs cluster like galaxies

Sudanese Islamic burial sites are distributed according to large-scale environmental factors and small-scale social factors, creating a galaxy-like distribution pattern according to a study published Jby Stefano Costanzo of the University of Naples “L’Orientale”.

The Kassala region of eastern Sudan is home to a vast array of funerary monuments, from the Islamic tombs of modern Beja people to ancient burial mounds thousands of years old. Archaeologists don’t expect these monuments are randomly placed; their distribution is likely influenced by geological and social factors. Unravelling the patterns of the funerary landscape can provide insight into ancient cultural practices of the people who built them.

- Advertisement -

In this study, Costanzo and colleagues collected a dataset of over 10,000 funerary monuments in the region, distributed over 4000 km2, identified by field work and remote sensing using satellite imagery. They then analysed the arrangement of these sites using a Neyman-Scott Cluster model, originally developed to study spatial patterns of stars and galaxies. This model revealed that, just like stars cluster around centres of high gravity, burials in Kassala cluster in the hundreds around central “parent” points which likely represent older tombs of importance.

The authors hypothesize that the larger scale distribution of tombs is determined by the environment, with “high-gravity” areas cantering on regions with favourable landscapes and available building materials. Smaller scale distribution seems to be a social phenomenon, with tombs commonly built nearby older structures, possibly including recent family burials or more ancient burials of traditional importance. This is the first time this cosmological approach has been applied to archaeology, representing a fresh tool for answering questions about the origins of archaeological sites.

The authors add: “An international team of archaeologists discovered the environmental and societal drivers underlying the creation of the monumental funerary landscape of Eastern Sudan with a novel application of advanced geospatial analysis.”

PLOS

- Advertisement -

Header Image Credit – Stefano Costanzo : CC-BY 4.0

- Advertisement -

Stay Updated: Follow us on iOS, Android, Google News, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, TikTok, LinkedIn, and our newsletter

spot_img
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan is multi-award-winning journalist and the Managing Editor at HeritageDaily. His background is in archaeology and computer science, having written over 8,000 articles across several online publications. Mark is a member of the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW), the World Federation of Science Journalists, and in 2023 was the recipient of the British Citizen Award for Education, the BCA Medal of Honour, and the UK Prime Minister's Points of Light Award.
spot_img
spot_img

Mobile Application

spot_img

Related Articles

The ethereal fire of blue lava

Despite the name, blue lava is not actually molten lava, but rather an extremely rare natural phenomenon caused by the combustion of sulphuric gases emitted from certain volcanoes and fumarole vents.

Centuries-old shipwrecks uncovered in Varberg

Archaeological investigations in advance of the Varbergstunneln project have uncovered historical shipwrecks in Varberg, Sweden.

African figurines found in Israel reveal unexpected cultural connections

Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Cologne University have made an unexpected discovery in Israel’s Negev Desert: carved figurines with apparent African origins.

Ancient ritual drug use found at Chavín de Huántar

Archaeologists have identified traces of psychoactive plants used in ceremonial rituals at Chavín de Huántar in Peru’s Ancash Region.

“Bollock” shaped dagger among new discoveries at Gullberg fortress

A report on the recent excavations at Gullberg fortress is providing new insights into the history of one of Sweden’s most strategically important castles.

Roman coin hoard among largest discovered in Romania

A metal detectorist has unearthed a giant coin hoard from the Roman period near the village of Letţa Veche in southern Romania.

Study reveals vast Aztec trade networks

A new study by Tulane University, in collaboration with Mexico’s Proyecto Templo Mayor, reveals new insights into the extensive obsidian trade networks of the Mexica (Aztecs).

Archaeologists begin exploration of recently discovered Roman town

In 2024, archaeologists from AOC Archaeology, working on behalf of East Park Energy, discovered the remains of a Roman town south of Great Staunton in Cambridgeshire, England.