Human Remains; Skeleton

Skeletal remains of an adult male from a rock-cut tomb at Nuerat dating to the early Old Kingdom. At burial the body was placed in a flexed position within a pottery coffin with dome-shaped lid. Within the coffin remnants of woven linen textile with selvedge may represent clothing of the deceased placed over the body. A sample of bone was radiocarbon dated in 2016 and there is a 63.5% chance (95% probability) that the skeleton falls in the date range 2700-2549 calBC. This would be the 3rd – early 4th Dynasty, according to the Oxford University Egyptian historical chronology project radiocarbon models, which matches pottery found on the hillside at Nuerat by Dr Bart Vanthuyne of the Dayr al-Barsha excavation project. Institute of Archaeology (University of Liverpool) catalogue card: "No. 165. Archaic coffin. Pottery. Height 67 cm; Width 63 cm. Oval, flat base, conical cover. Characteristic contracted burial within. From Beni Hasan, about 3rd Dynasty (about 3000 BC)".