Bioarchaeology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

31/08/2026

Congratulations to PhD student Christina Shanley
on presenting her research at the 24th EAA - European Anthropological Association Congress in Budapest, Hungary.

Christina presented her research, “Health and lifestyle in the Nabataean Kingdom: A paleopathological analysis of primary burials from Hegra, Saudi Arabia (~100 BCE–200 CE)”, highlighting important insights into health and lived experiences in the ancient Nabataean Kingdom.

26/02/2026

The Bioarchaeology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia project has officially concluded.
Thank you to our field teams, specialists, and collaborators whose expertise and commitment made this research possible. The data generated through this project will continue to inform research into past populations and contribute to broader archaeological understanding in the region.
Stay tuned for upcoming publications and outputs.

10/12/2025

Field Director Dr. Lauren Swift presented on the preliminary results of skeletal analysis for Hegra Tomb 116.1 at the Australasian Society for Human Biology (ASHB) 2025 Conference

31/07/2025

This afternoon Dr. Lauren Swift (field director) gave a presentation on the preliminary findings from the 2025A season and a general project overview in the Archaeology at UWA seminar series.

27/07/2025

All are welcome to this free presentation by field director Dr. Lauren Swift!

Second in Semester 2 - Thursday, 31 July at 3pm - we have an amazing presentation from Dr Lauren Swift, the field director of the Bioarchaeology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia project, on the preliminary findings after their recent sixth and final field season.

Disclaimer: this seminar will include the presentation and discussion of human remains.

Centre for Forensic Anthropology UWA Research

18/07/2025

Last month project director Dr. Daniel Franklin gave a presentation on our findings at the International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East

24/06/2025

Before completing any biological analysis on skeletal remains, we first lay out the bones in anatomical position. This allows us to assess the degree of completion and preservation before moving on to further analysis.

11/06/2025

As our final field season for BAKSAU comes to an end, we would like to thank all the Royal Commission of AlUla (RCU) museum collection and conservation team members who assisted throughout the length of the project. Some, but not all, are pictured.

04/06/2025

2025A Interesting Finds - Sacralised Lumbar
Sacralised lumbar vertebrae, also called lumbosacral transitional vertebrae, have been found in several individuals from Hegra. This is a congenital anomaly where the fifth lumbar vertebra is fused partially or fully to the sacrum. It occurs in around 10-40% of the modern population and may or may not be associated with symptoms.

26/05/2025

2025A Interesting Finds - Associated Artefacts
Fabric and leather remnants have been a common artefact found in association with the skeletal remains from Hegra. Pictured here is an example of leather mummified to a pelvis. The leather was likely part of a shroud, commonly used by the Nabataeans to wrap the deceased prior to burial.