The New Kingdom’s extensive campaigns into Nubia and the Levant brought Egyptian armies into contact with populations from Sudan to Syria, with opportunities for gene flow in both directions.

What was the genetic relationship between ancient Egypt and its Nubian neighbors?

Nubia — the region south of the first cataract, corresponding to modern southern Egypt and northern Sudan — was in many ways Egypt’s most intimate external relationship.

The two civilizations traded, fought, occasionally ruled each other, and shared religious and artistic traditions across three thousand years of contact.

The ancient DNA record of Nubia is also sparse, and understanding the genetic relationship between ancient Egyptians and ancient Nubians would illuminate one of the most important bilateral relationships in African history.

How does NUE001’s ancestry relate to the ancestry of modern Egyptians?