Multi-isotopic study of diet and mobility in the northeastern Nile Delta

The origin of the Hyksos dynasty (c. 1638–1530 BCE) is thought to be rooted in the Near East given the architectural features and burial customs present at the site of Tell el-Dab c a, identified as the capital of Hyksos rule in the Eastern Delta of Egypt. We expand previous 87 Sr/ 86 Sr research on the site’s cemetery assemblage using a multi-isotopic methodology: oxygen (δ 18 O) and carbon (δ 13 C carb ) stable isotopes from the carbonate portion of tooth enamel ( n = 75), along with collagen (δ 13 C coll , δ 15 N) analysis of dentine and bone ( n = 31). Pairing δ 18 O with previous 87 Sr/ 86 Sr data identifies 60% of the cohort as non-locals (45/75). Although there were a greater proportion of non-local females (24/30, 80%) compared to males (10/20, 50%), there were no significant differences between the sexes in δ 13 C carb or δ 18 O carb values. There were no spatial patterns regarding the three cemetery sites, nor any observable patterns regarding where non-locals were interred in the largest excavated cemetery, Area A/II. Both first-generation immigrants and individuals from the northeastern Nile Delta were buried following elite Asiatic burial customs, suggesting continuation of foreign burial culture. All collagen showed poor preservation; δ 13 C coll and δ 15 N analysis were not possible. δ 13 C carb showed no significant difference between locals and non-local diet, although non-locals at Tell el-Dab c a did eat a broader variety of foods as a group, suggested by a wider δ 13 C carb range (− 13.5 to − 9.6‰ in non-locals compared to locals’ − 12.1 to − 10.3‰). If there is a difference in food culture between immigrants and native Egyptians, it was not observable using isotopic analyses.