Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42044332›Full record

ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2026

Holocene Nile dynamics shaped the physical and cultural landscape of ancient Nubia.

Jan Peeters, Timotheus G Winkels, Pawel Wolf, Tim B B Skuldbøl, Elizabeth L Chamberlain, Saskia Büchner-Matthews, Sami M Elamin, El-Hassan A Mohamed, Geoff Emberling

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Jan PeetersJebel Barkal Archaeological Project, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.ORCID 0000-0002-1032-8224
Timotheus G WinkelsJebel Barkal Archaeological Project, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.ORCID 0000-0003-0207-4655
Pawel WolfJebel Barkal Archaeological Project, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.ORCID 0000-0002-5235-3057
Tim B B SkuldbølJebel Barkal Archaeological Project, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.ORCID 0009-0007-4451-1039
Elizabeth L ChamberlainNetherlands Centre for Luminescence dating, Wageningen University, Wageningen 6700AA, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-3870-5060
Saskia Büchner-MatthewsJebel Barkal Archaeological Project, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.ORCID 0000-0003-4909-2500
Sami M ElaminJebel Barkal Archaeological Project, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.
El-Hassan A MohamedJebel Barkal Archaeological Project, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.
Geoff EmberlingJebel Barkal Archaeological Project, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.ORCID 0000-0002-4811-4029

Funding

Kelsey Museum of Archaeology n/aKitty Picken n/aRoger and Ann Cogswell n/aRust Family Foundation (RFF) RFF-2023-209Steve Klinksy n/a
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The Nile River played a central role in ancient civilizations of Northeast Africa, yet its response to Holocene climate change and its impact on societies along its course remain poorly understood. Here we show how climatic and environmental changes over the past 12,500 y shaped the riverine landscape below the Nile's Fourth Cataract and affected the Nubian empire of Kush in northern Sudan. Using 26 sediment cores dated by optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon, with additional chronological constraints from pottery typology, we reconstruct the evolution of the Nile near Napata, the major urban center of ancient Kush at Jebel Barkal (near present-day Karima). Napata, renowned for its pyramids, temples, and palaces, flourished from about 1070 BCE to 350 CE and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Our results reveal that the Early-Middle Holocene Nile deeply incised its valley, followed by widespread floodplain buildup around 4,000 y ago as rainfall and river flow patterns changed. During the Late Holocene, the Nile River near Jebel Barkal remained remarkably stable, due to its narrow valley with constrained outflow and enhanced sediment deposition from upstream energy dissipation at the cataract. This long-term stability promoted fertile floodplain development and, together with the sacred prominence of Jebel Barkal, fostered enduring settlement and ritual activity. These findings demonstrate how hydroclimatic change, geomorphic stability, and cultural adaptation were intertwined in shaping the environmental foundation of ancient Nubia.

Indexed as

archaeologygeomorphologyJebel BarkalNapataSudan

Identifiers

PMID42044332
PMCPMC13142976

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