The medieval burial assemblage from Koudiet er Rammadiya, Northern Tunisia. An interdisciplinary bioarchaeological investigation

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-025-02209-3 (2025) 17:97 RESEARCH The medieval burial assemblage from Koudiet er Rammadiya, Northern Tunisia. An interdisciplinary bioarchaeological investigation Ileana Micarelli1 · Martina Di Matteo2 · Fatma Touj3 · Emanuele Cancellieri2 · Kais Trabelsi4 · Mary Anne Tafuri1 · Nouri Boukhchim5,6 · Rocco Rotunno2 · Francesca Castorina7,8 · Savino di Lernia2,9 · Nabiha Aouadi4 Received: 23 July 2024 / Accepted: 16 March 2025 © The Author(s) 2025 Abstract The osteological analysis of human skeletal assemblages offers crucial osteobiographical insights into ancient populations, yet remains largely unexplored in past Tunisia. This paper presents the first archaeological investigation of Tunisian medieval burials, unearthed during excavations between 2016–2017 and 2021–2022. This interdisciplinary study, combining archaeology, bioarchaeology, and paleopathology, examines skeletons from Koudiet er Rammadiya, a site in the Wadi Serrat region. The main aim is to investigate the funerary practices, health, and lifestyle of individuals from medieval North-western Tunisia, shedding light on this underexplored population. The focus is on the site’s final phases of use and occupation, exploring funerary practices and rituals from the early Islamic period. The skeletal assemblage dates to two main periods: the seventh century CE and the fifteenth century CE. Osteological analysis revealed a minimum number of individuals (MNI) of 10, including three young females and two foetuses. A preliminary palaeopathological assessment identified a congenital condition in two individuals. An exploratory stable isotope analysis highlighted dietary practices focused on a predominantly terrestrial diet and a possible shared local origin for all the buried individuals. Keywords North Africa · Middle Ages · Funerary context · Paleopathology · Biomolecular analyses Ileana Micarelli and Martina Di Matteo contribute equally. * Martina Di Matteo 1 Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy 2 Department of Ancient World Studies, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy 3 Independent Researcher, Tunis, Tunisia 4 Institut National du Patrimoine, Tunis, Tunisia 5 Université de Tunis, IPELSHT: Institut Préparatoire Aux Études Littéraires Et Sciences Humaines de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia 6 Laboratoire d’Archéologie Et d’Architecture Maghrébines L.A.A.M, LR13ES10 Tunis, Tunisia 7 Department of Earth Sciences, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy 8 CNR, Istituto Di Geoingegneria E Geologia Ambientale C/o Dipartimento Di Scienze Della Terra, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy 9 GAES, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Introduction From the conclusion of the Late Antique period, marked by the capture of Carthage in 439 CE, to the onset of the ArabIslamic period (6th-7th c. CE), the Tell region and El Kef (North-western Tunisia; Fig. 1A) have been impacted by the spread of tribal groups. The heterogeneous population of this territory reflects the economic evolution and social structures of an area known for its predominantly semi-nomadic rural settlement. Between the 7th and the 13th c. CE, the region became a battleground for numerous tribal conflicts that contributed to the Arabisation of the area (Boukhchim and Marzouki 2024). In the 11th c. CE, this instability led to a complex tribal structure involving Berber tribes and segments of Arab tribes (Araar 2014). From the mid-8th to the 14th c. CE, the region appears to have experienced a movement towards sedentarisation, as evidenced by the establishment of fortified villages and agricultural exploitations. The Berber village, known as Sidi Abdelkader, on the left bank of the Wadi Serrat, seems to be one of the villages founded during this period (Fig. 1B). Vol.:(0123456789) 97 Page 2 of 18 Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025) 17:97 Fig. 1  A Localization of Koudiet er Rammadiya (KR); B: drone orthomosaic of the stretch of Wadi Serrat where KR is located. The black arrow indicates the village of Sidi Abdelkader; C: view of KR during excavation from the South Given the few historical sources and the absence of archaeological data from Medieval Tunisia, this study stands as a unique contribution to understand past populations from North-western Tunisia. It involves the archaeological excavation of the medieval Muslim funerary area atop the Capsian rammadiya of Koudiet er Rammadiya in the el Kef region. This excavation provides unprecedented insights into the funerary practices, demographic insights, and cultural dynamics of medieval North-western Tunisia. This study aims to investigate the temporal and spatial dynamics of the cemetery on the hill during the medieval period. The research will focus on understanding patterns of site use and their possible relationship to the prominent position of the hill in the landscape. In addition, the study aims to examine burial practices across the site, exploring the possible expansion of burials from the hilltop to its slopes over time. This research explores the socio-cultural significance of the archaeological site of Koudiet er Rammadiya as a medieval burial context through the analysis of human skeletal remains. The research contextualises the biological profiles of individuals, including sex, age at death and stature, while also examining palaeopathological indicators and biomechanical activity markers to assess health and lifestyle conditions. Dietary patterns were analysed using stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C ‰), nitrogen (δ15N ‰) and sulphur (δ34S ‰), providing insights into subsistence strategies. In addition, strontium isotope ratios (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) were used to determine past geographic origins and mobility patterns. Finally, this study aims to provide important osteobiographical insights into ancient populations through the osteological analysis of past individuals, thereby filling a significant research gap in the study of medieval Tunisia. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences Page 3 of 18 (2025) 17:97 Regional setting The Wadi Serrat, a tributary of the Wadi Mellegue in the High Tell of North-western Tunisia near the Algerian border, lies within a mountainous region averaging 700 m in altitude and covering approximately 15,000 sq km. Known as the "Tunisian water reservoir," this area forms the country’s primary hydrographic nexus (Zielhofer and Faust 2008; Ben Ghazi 2021). The Wadi Serrat basin spans 2188 sq km and sits around 700 m asl, with a semiarid continental climate experiencing harsh winters with occasional snowfall. Temperatures vary significantly between winter and summer. Predominant winds can elevate temperatures to 40–45 °C. Rainfall averages over 500 mm, reaching 700 mm in the Djebel Dyr Mountains (Faust et al. 2004; Zielhofer and Faust 2008). Geologically, the region lies between the central and North (...truncated)