Mummies of Olive Baboons and Barbary Macaques in the Baboon Catacomb of the Sacred Animal Necropolis at North Saqqara

Abstract

The major objective of the investigation of the Baboon Catacomb in Saqqara in 1996 was to establish the species, sex and age at death of all its surviving monkey cranial material. 146 of the estimated 169 individuals were identified as olive baboons (Papio hamadryas anubis). Twenty-one Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) were identified. Two guenons were determined as Cercopithecus aethiops. Males outnumbered females by more than 2:1; infants and young juveniles were scarce. The 12% proportion of macaques is remarkable, since the habitat of this species is restricted to the mountainous areas of north-west Africa, in contrast to the extensive African savannah distribution of the green monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) and baboons.