Environmental implications of Ptolemaic Period rodents and shrews from the Sacred Falcon Necropolis at Quesna, Egypt (Mammalia: Muridae and Soricidae).

ABSTRACT:

Background

Assemblages of mummified and preserved animals in necropoleis of Ptolemaic Period Egypt (ca. 332-30 BC) document some aspects of the ceremonial and religious practices of the ancient Egyptians, but study of these animal remains can also provide insight into the local environments in which the animals and humans lived.

Results

Excavations of the Sacred Falcon Necropolis at Quesna in the Nile Delta have yielded many thousands of animal remains, mostly of raptors, but also of a lesser number of small, wild mammals. Among the latter, we identified four species of murid rodents (Rodentia: Muridae) and five species of shrews (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae). The soricids are of particular interest because they represent a more diverse assemblage of species than occurs in the d

SUBMITTER: Woodman N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9789621 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature