Research Output by Nada Elias
Papers by Nada Elias
BAAL Hors-Série XXI, 2026
This study presents the results of the archaeological and bioanthropological investigation of Tom... more This study presents the results of the archaeological and bioanthropological investigation of Tomb 2 at Qornet ed-Deir, located in the highlands of Mount Lebanon within the Jabal Moussa Biosphere Reserve. Excavated between 2017 and 2020, the constructed chamber tomb contained the remains of at least sixteen individuals dating from the Late Roman to early Byzantine periods, according to associated grave goods and radiocarbon analyses. The tomb’s unique architecture—built within earlier room walls and covered with large limestone slabs—combined with archaeothanatological observations, revealed two distinct funerary phases: (1) a simultaneous multiple burial of nine individuals, deposited within a short time span, and (2) successive primary inhumations, reflecting long-term collective use of the tomb.
The integrated osteological analysis documents a predominantly adult population of both sexes, with minimal evidence of trauma or pathology. The funerary assemblage—comprising jewellery, copper alloy and iron bracelets, beads of diverse materials, footwear hobnails, pottery jars, and an oil lamp—highlights shared ritual practices including lighting offerings and possible libation rites. While displaying strong local rural funerary traditions, the tomb also reflects cultural connectivity with nearby Roman urban centres (Berytus, Tyre, Byblos, Botrys), notably through the use of similar jewellery types and ritual objects.
This plural burial constitutes a rare and significant case study for Roman Syria, enhancing our understanding of highland communities, their mortuary behaviours, and their relationship to broader patterns of Roman cultural influence during Late Antiquity.
le doctorat 1. ELIAS N, 2026. Archaeology of Death in the Highlands of Mount Lebanon During the R... more le doctorat 1. ELIAS N, 2026. Archaeology of Death in the Highlands of Mount Lebanon During the Roman-Byzantine Period: Rites and Funerary Practices in the Qornet ed-Deir Tomb 2, Bulletin d'Archéologie et d'Architecture Libanaise, Hors Serie XXI (forthcoming).
دراسات جامعيّة في الآداب والعلوم الإنسانية، 17, 2024
ولد البطريرك المارونيّ اللبنانيّ إسطفان الدويهي في العام 1630 وتوفّي في العام 1704. ساهم بشكل بار... more ولد البطريرك المارونيّ اللبنانيّ إسطفان الدويهي في العام 1630 وتوفّي في العام 1704. ساهم بشكل بارز في تطوير التعليم وتنظيم الليتورجيا، وتوثيق تاريخ الموارنة والمنطقة. في العام 2018، بدأت الكنيسة المارونيّة عمليّة قانونيّة في الفاتيكان لتطويبه، ممّا دفعنا إلى بدء دراسة متعددة الاختصاصات للعثور على رفاته وتحديد هويّته جزءًا من عمليّة التطويب. تضمَّنت الدراسة تنقيبات أثريّة، تحقيقات أنثروبولوجية طبيّة-شرعيّة، ودراسات جينيّة كشفت عن بيانات مهمّة.
في هذا البحث، سيتمّ استعراض التقنيّات المستخدَمَة ومناقشة النتائج الحاليّة المُستخلَصة المتعلقة بمراحل الدراسة الأربعة؛ من عمليات التنقيب الأثريَّة، مرورًا بالدراسة الأنثروبولوجيّة الطبيّة-الشرعيّة، إلى فحوصات الحَمْض النوويّ الحديث والقديم، وأخيرًا مرحلة التحليل الشامل. فتمّ إجراء تنقيبات في المدفن الجماعيّ في كنيسة مارينا بوادي قاديشا، حيث تمّ العثور على رفات لعدّة بطاركة موارنة دفنوا بين عامي 1445 و1854. ركّزت الدراسة على تحديد هويّة البطاركة باستخدام تقنيّات تحليل الحَمْض النوويّ والتأريخ بالكربون. وكشفت النتائج الأوّليّة عن احتماليّة عالية لكون إحدى الجماجم تعود إلى البطريرك إسطفان الدويهي. كما سلّطت الدراسة الضوء على الممارسات الدفنيّة في تلك الفترة، وأهميَّة المدفن الجماعيّ في تاريخ الكنيسة المارونيَّة، ما سيسهم في تعزيز فهم تاريخ الموارنة والبطاركة المدفونين في قاديشا. وتُعدّ هذه الدراسة خطوة مهمّة نحو حفظ التراث الروحيّ والتاريخيّ للكنيسة المارونيّة، وتأكيد هويّة البطريرك إسطفان الدويهي باعتباره شخصيَّة محوريَّة في تاريخ الكنيسة.
AHL (Archaeology & History in The Lebanon), 2024
Une sépulture plurielle a été mise en évidence à Der es-Salib dans le cadre d’une mission archéol... more Une sépulture plurielle a été mise en évidence à Der es-Salib dans le cadre d’une mission archéologique de l’université de Saint-Esprit de Kaslik et de l’université Catholique Péter Pázmány de Hongrie menée en août 2012. Cet ermitage-monastère contient une cavité naturelle aménagée comme lieu d’inhumation. Ce type de sépultures à caractère pluriel est réparti largement dans les ermitages de la vallée. La question essentielle à laquelle il faudra répondre se rapporte à l’identité des défunts: qui est inhumé et selon quelles modalités les défunts ont-ils été déposés dans cette cavité funéraire? De plus, les inhumations de ces défunts ont-elles eu lieu de façon simultanée ou successive?
Anthropologica et Præhistorica, 2024
Au Proche-Orient, des sépultures appartenant à des hommes, des femmes et des individus immatures,... more Au Proche-Orient, des sépultures appartenant à des hommes, des femmes et des individus immatures, ont été retrouvées sous le sol des maisons néolithiques en Anatolie Centrale, au Levant Nord, au Levant Sud, et dans la Djezirah Iraquienne. Au sein de ses sépultures, les individus reposaient individuellement ou à plusieurs (simultanément ou successivement) dans une position evocant celle d’un fœtus au sein de l’utérus. Les études sur leur contexte domestique et sur leur organisation spatiale sont des principales clefs pour l’interprétation des idées religieuses derrière ces pratiques. Dans le présent article, nous allons présenter quelques aspects des pratiques funéraires au Néolithique proche-oriental qui concernent surtout la gestion de l’espace funéraire à Çatalhöyük.
Burials containing men, women and immature individuals have been found below the platforms and floors of Neolithic houses in Central Anatolia, in the Northern and Southern Levant, and in Iraqi Djazirah. Inside these burials, the individuals rested individually or together (simultaneously or successively) in a position resembling that of a foetus within the womb. Studies focused on the domestic context of theses burials and their spatial organisation are the main keys to the interpretation of the religious thoughts behind these practices. In this article we will present some aspects of funerary practices in the Near Eastern Neolithic period which mainly focus on the management of the funerary space and its relationship with the living space in Çatalhöyük.
iHERITAGE, 2023
Over more than a century, extensive archaeological excavations have taken place in Byblos. The ai... more Over more than a century, extensive archaeological excavations have taken place in Byblos. The aim of this paper is to shed light on the Neolithic settlement of Byblos and narrate the story of human communities in Byblos during the emergence of settled life. It encompasses the dawn and development of this settlement, the evolution of architecture, the expansion of settlements and continuity from the Neolithic to the Chalcolithic period. Furthermore, it delves into subjects like the dynamics of life and death in prehistoric Byblos, and presents the origins and legacy of this city through an interdisciplinary lens that combines prehistoric archaeology and anthropology. This study has integrated old archaeological drawings while introducing novel illustrations and reconstructions to enhance our understanding on Byblos during the Neolithic period.
iHeritage, 2023
جرت عمليّات تنقيبٍ أثريّة كثيرة في جبيل على مدى أكثر من قرنٍ من الزمن. يهدف هذا البحث إلى تسليط ا... more جرت عمليّات تنقيبٍ أثريّة كثيرة في جبيل على مدى أكثر من قرنٍ من الزمن. يهدف هذا البحث إلى تسليط الضوء على جبيل خلال العصر الحجري الحديث وسرد قصّة المجتمعات البشريّة فيها عند نشوء الحياة المستقرّة. ويتطرّق هذا البحث أيضاً إلى مواضيع متعدّدةٍ نذكر منها تأسيس جبيل وتطوّرها، ومراحل تطوّر الهندسة المعماريّة، وتوسّع الاستيطان واستمراره فيها من العصر الحجري الحديث إلى العصر النّحاسي. علاوةً على ذلك، يغوص هذا البحث في دراسة مسائل مثل الحياة والموت في جبيل ما قبل التاريخ، ويستعرض أصول هذه المدينة وتراثها من منظارٍ متعدّد الاختصاصات يربط ما بين علم آثار ما قبل التاريخ والأنثروبولوجيا. كما تتضمّن هذه الدراسة رسوماتٍ وصوراً أثريّةً قديمة، فضلاً عن رسوم اعادة بناءٍ جديدةٍ أعدّت لتعزيز فهمنا لمدينة جبيل خلال العصر الحجري الحديث.
Journal of Cultural Heritage 59, 2023
Historic records indicate that in 1909 the remains of 17 Maronite patriarchs were exhumed from th... more Historic records indicate that in 1909 the remains of 17 Maronite patriarchs were exhumed from their primary burial location and transferred to a collective secondary burial inside the Saint Marina chapel in an underground cave at the Qanubin monastery in the Northern Lebanese mountains. We used Church records, iconography, archaeology, anthropology, and ancient DNA (aDNA) analyses to investigate whether the remains found in the chapel might belong to the patriarchs. Further, we hoped to identify the remains of patriarch Estephan El Douaihy, one of the 17 patriarchs who was among those said to be buried in the chapel and who is in the process of being canonized by the Vatican. The entire secondary burial was excavated by horizontal ‘décapage’. Pairing of bones, and reconstruction were undertaken, and the Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI) was identified. Age at death was determined through senescence indicators and sex determination was determined from pelvic bone observations. There were only 16 complete crania represented in the collection, and these were targeted for aDNA analyses. The complete mitochondrial genomes were sequenced for all 16 samples and Y-chromosome haplogroups were able to be determined for four individuals. The evidence from the funerary stele, historical church records, osteological analyses and aDNA analyses when combined provide strong evidence to suggest that the 16 complete skulls present in the burial likely belong to 16 of the patriarchs exhumed in 1909.
Elias N, Zalloua P., Karam S. & Naffah J., 2022. The Archaeo-anthropological Preliminary Results of Patriarch Estephan Al Douaihy Forensic Research Project. Bulletin d’Archéologie et d’Architecture Libanaise 22: 225-240
Bulletin d’Archéologie et d’Architecture Libanaise 22, 2022
Estephan Al Douaihy was a Lebanese Maronite Patriarch who lived between 1630 and 1704. A few year... more Estephan Al Douaihy was a Lebanese Maronite Patriarch who lived between 1630 and 1704. A few years ago, the Maronite Church began a legal convocation for his canonisation in the Vatican. The main aim of our study was to find and to identify the remains of Patriarch Estephan Al Douaihy as part of his sanctification process. Thus archaeological excavations and forensic anthropological investigations were performed. They revealed a considerable amount of new data: from the nature of the burial to the associated individual buried with him. In this article, the archaeo-anthropological strategies, methods and preliminary results are presented and discussed as well as the objective and future perspective of the project.
Bulletin d’Archéologie et d’Architecture Libanaise 21: 285-291., 2021
This paper deals with recent discovery of a moulded glazed skyphos uncovered in the funerary site... more This paper deals with recent discovery of a moulded glazed skyphos uncovered in the funerary site of Mazraa 571 (Beirut). The most captivating aspects of archaeology is that it connects arts to sciences especially when studying material culture. The term itself of material culture holds the duality of material (physical) and culture (conceptual). The aim of this study was to present the typochronological study of the skyphos but to go beyond the classical morphological and chronological analyses and to reach an interpretative level in order to understand the symbolism, meaning and use of this artifact on the site.
Mazraa 571 is mainly a funerary site, the moulded lead-glazed skyphos was discovered as a part of a cluster in a funerary zone between burials. It is covered with a green glaze on the outside and yellow glaze on the inside. Moreover, a plant relief pattern is moulded all over the vessel, this type of pottery was never common.
Bulletin d’Archéologie et d’Architecture Libanaise 21: 256-277, 2021
La parcelle de terrain « MAZ 571 » est située en face du cimetière moderne des Anglicains et des ... more La parcelle de terrain « MAZ 571 » est située en face du cimetière moderne des Anglicains et des juifs dans la rue de Damas à Beyrouth. Les occupations funéraires dans ce secteur s’échelonnent de la période augustéenne jusqu’à la fin du 4ème siècle apr. J.-C. Mais, la concentration des sépultures est à son zénith entre le 1er et 2ème siècle apr. J.-C. (fig. 2). L’objectif de cet article est de présenter les premières données récoltées lors de la fouille et les résultats de l’étude biologique.
Baal, 2020
Mdawar 168 funerary space is composed of 50 burials. Its location along the Roman road situated b... more Mdawar 168 funerary space is composed of 50 burials. Its location along the Roman road situated between Berytus pomoerium and the far limits of the suburbium allow to relate it to a local urban context well-known by its suburbium funerary spaces. It was used from the first half of the 1st century to the end of the 4th century AD. Thanks to the site phasing, it has been possible to detect the organisation of the funerary area and the evolution of inhumation practices, from the point of view of burial typology (particularly the kind of container being used) as from the grave goods and, of course, the biological identities. This site brings a wide range of evidence that permits identifying funerary practices in the eastern Roman colonies.
Bulletins d’archéologie et d’architecture libanaises, Baal, 2018
At the site of Qornet ed-Deir in the Jabal Moussa Biosphere Reserve, small soundings were underta... more At the site of Qornet ed-Deir in the Jabal Moussa Biosphere Reserve, small soundings were undertaken in 2017 at the foot of the hill and up on the naturally fortified summit. The building in the lower Area 1 was built of massive stone walls and probably was used in the Roman-Byzantine period as a way station or military base to secure the roads leading from the coast to the mountains. The sounding in one of the two multi-room buildings up on the plateau revealed massive architectural remains of the Middle Islamic Period, possibly from collapsed vaulted rooms. The Roman-Byzantine occupation phase below it was associated with a built chamber tomb, in which at least 10 individuals were buried, and which might have been reused in the later periods as well. Finally a significant Middle Bronze Age I-II occupation layer was encountered in the sounding, and further work will show whether the well preserved “tannour” structure was part of a domestic context.
BMSAP, 2017
Excavations at the Hellenistic necropolis of Jal al Bahr in Tyre (southern Lebanon) have uncovere... more Excavations at the Hellenistic necropolis of Jal al Bahr in Tyre (southern Lebanon) have uncovered eight human skeletons buried together with the remains of five cattle crania and mandibles and five vertebral segments (thoracic, lumbar, and sacral vertebrae in various combinations). This deposit, which is separate from the primary single burials in the necropolis, revealed human bodies buried in atypical positions simultaneously with cattle remains and has raised the question of the significance of these remains. Archaeoanthropological and archaeozoological approaches were used in this study to elucidate and discuss funerary practices that differed from the classic burial practices known to exist in Hellenistic Tyre.
Bulletins d’archéologie et d’architecture libanaises 16 : 347-370., 2016
Excavations at the Hellenistic necropolis of Jal al Bahr in Tyre (southern Lebanon) revealed eigh... more Excavations at the Hellenistic necropolis of Jal al Bahr in Tyre (southern Lebanon) revealed eight human skeletons buried together with the remains of five cattle crania and mandibles and five vertebral segments (thoracic, lumbar and sacral vertebrae in various combinations). Isolated from primary single burials of the necropolis, this deposit revealed atypical positions of human bodies buried simultaneously with cattle remains
and raised the question of the significance of these remains. Archaeo-anthropological and archaeozoological approaches are used in order to elucidate the uncommon funerary practices that existed in Hellenistic Tyre and contributed to the creation of this deposit.
Talks by Nada Elias
Cette communication propose une relecture critique et croisée des données issues du site d’Assi e... more Cette communication propose une relecture critique et croisée des données issues du site d’Assi el-Hadath, à la lumière de la nouvelle datation du gisement. La grotte d'Assi al-Hadath, découverte entre 1988 et 1993 par une équipe du GERSL spécialisée en spéléologie, se situe dans la vallée de Qadisha.
La région de la Jebbeh de Bcharré, à cette époque, était marquée par des bouleversements politiques et militaires profonds, notamment les affrontements entre entre les Croisés et les Mamelouks, dans un climat de tension entre les Mamelouks et les Maronites aussi et de luttes communautaires internes.
L’objectif est de cette intervention est de reconsidérer les momies d’Assi el-Hadath à travers une approche interdisciplinaire alliant données bioanthropologiques, éléments historiques nouveaux, et perspectives de genre et de dynamiques d’organisation sociale. La révision chronologique, fondée sur des sources historiques réévaluées, permet de replacer les pratiques funéraires dans un contexte précis de siège, de repli et d’organisation communautaire de crise. L’analyse croisée des données biologiques, des prénoms attribués aux individus par les fouilleurs, ainsi que des modalités de traitement des corps, ouvre une réflexion sur les dynamiques sociales et les stratégies identitaires des groupes en situation de crise.
En recontextualisant les momies non comme des vestiges isolés mais comme témoins d’un système social articulé à son environnement politique et religieux, cette étude propose une lecture renouvelée des pratiques funéraires et de la mémoire collective au cœur d’un tournant historique de l’histoire maronite.
ورشة عمل ثانية عن الأنثروبولوجيا الجنائية: تقنيات استخراج الرفات العظميّة وتحليلها لتحديد هوية الشهداء في العدوان الصهيوني الأخير على لبنان
لقد اجرت الدكتورة ندى الياس من قسم الفنون والآثار في الإدارة المركزية للجامعة اللبنانية ورشة بعنو... more لقد اجرت الدكتورة ندى الياس من قسم الفنون والآثار في الإدارة المركزية للجامعة اللبنانية ورشة بعنوان الأنثروبولوجيا الجنائية: تقنيات استخراج الرفات العظميّة وتحليلها لتحديد هوية الشهداء في العدوان الصهيوني الأخير على لبنان.
حضر الورشة ممثلون عن اللجنة الدولية للصليب الأحمر كمراقبين، بالإضافة إلى المسعفين من هيئة الصحة، وطلاب علم الآثار، وطلاب الماجستير في الأنثروبولوجيا الجنائية من الجامعة اللبنانية وجامعة AUST.
Uploads
Research Output by Nada Elias
Papers by Nada Elias
The integrated osteological analysis documents a predominantly adult population of both sexes, with minimal evidence of trauma or pathology. The funerary assemblage—comprising jewellery, copper alloy and iron bracelets, beads of diverse materials, footwear hobnails, pottery jars, and an oil lamp—highlights shared ritual practices including lighting offerings and possible libation rites. While displaying strong local rural funerary traditions, the tomb also reflects cultural connectivity with nearby Roman urban centres (Berytus, Tyre, Byblos, Botrys), notably through the use of similar jewellery types and ritual objects.
This plural burial constitutes a rare and significant case study for Roman Syria, enhancing our understanding of highland communities, their mortuary behaviours, and their relationship to broader patterns of Roman cultural influence during Late Antiquity.
في هذا البحث، سيتمّ استعراض التقنيّات المستخدَمَة ومناقشة النتائج الحاليّة المُستخلَصة المتعلقة بمراحل الدراسة الأربعة؛ من عمليات التنقيب الأثريَّة، مرورًا بالدراسة الأنثروبولوجيّة الطبيّة-الشرعيّة، إلى فحوصات الحَمْض النوويّ الحديث والقديم، وأخيرًا مرحلة التحليل الشامل. فتمّ إجراء تنقيبات في المدفن الجماعيّ في كنيسة مارينا بوادي قاديشا، حيث تمّ العثور على رفات لعدّة بطاركة موارنة دفنوا بين عامي 1445 و1854. ركّزت الدراسة على تحديد هويّة البطاركة باستخدام تقنيّات تحليل الحَمْض النوويّ والتأريخ بالكربون. وكشفت النتائج الأوّليّة عن احتماليّة عالية لكون إحدى الجماجم تعود إلى البطريرك إسطفان الدويهي. كما سلّطت الدراسة الضوء على الممارسات الدفنيّة في تلك الفترة، وأهميَّة المدفن الجماعيّ في تاريخ الكنيسة المارونيَّة، ما سيسهم في تعزيز فهم تاريخ الموارنة والبطاركة المدفونين في قاديشا. وتُعدّ هذه الدراسة خطوة مهمّة نحو حفظ التراث الروحيّ والتاريخيّ للكنيسة المارونيّة، وتأكيد هويّة البطريرك إسطفان الدويهي باعتباره شخصيَّة محوريَّة في تاريخ الكنيسة.
Burials containing men, women and immature individuals have been found below the platforms and floors of Neolithic houses in Central Anatolia, in the Northern and Southern Levant, and in Iraqi Djazirah. Inside these burials, the individuals rested individually or together (simultaneously or successively) in a position resembling that of a foetus within the womb. Studies focused on the domestic context of theses burials and their spatial organisation are the main keys to the interpretation of the religious thoughts behind these practices. In this article we will present some aspects of funerary practices in the Near Eastern Neolithic period which mainly focus on the management of the funerary space and its relationship with the living space in Çatalhöyük.
Mazraa 571 is mainly a funerary site, the moulded lead-glazed skyphos was discovered as a part of a cluster in a funerary zone between burials. It is covered with a green glaze on the outside and yellow glaze on the inside. Moreover, a plant relief pattern is moulded all over the vessel, this type of pottery was never common.
and raised the question of the significance of these remains. Archaeo-anthropological and archaeozoological approaches are used in order to elucidate the uncommon funerary practices that existed in Hellenistic Tyre and contributed to the creation of this deposit.
Talks by Nada Elias
La région de la Jebbeh de Bcharré, à cette époque, était marquée par des bouleversements politiques et militaires profonds, notamment les affrontements entre entre les Croisés et les Mamelouks, dans un climat de tension entre les Mamelouks et les Maronites aussi et de luttes communautaires internes.
L’objectif est de cette intervention est de reconsidérer les momies d’Assi el-Hadath à travers une approche interdisciplinaire alliant données bioanthropologiques, éléments historiques nouveaux, et perspectives de genre et de dynamiques d’organisation sociale. La révision chronologique, fondée sur des sources historiques réévaluées, permet de replacer les pratiques funéraires dans un contexte précis de siège, de repli et d’organisation communautaire de crise. L’analyse croisée des données biologiques, des prénoms attribués aux individus par les fouilleurs, ainsi que des modalités de traitement des corps, ouvre une réflexion sur les dynamiques sociales et les stratégies identitaires des groupes en situation de crise.
En recontextualisant les momies non comme des vestiges isolés mais comme témoins d’un système social articulé à son environnement politique et religieux, cette étude propose une lecture renouvelée des pratiques funéraires et de la mémoire collective au cœur d’un tournant historique de l’histoire maronite.
حضر الورشة ممثلون عن اللجنة الدولية للصليب الأحمر كمراقبين، بالإضافة إلى المسعفين من هيئة الصحة، وطلاب علم الآثار، وطلاب الماجستير في الأنثروبولوجيا الجنائية من الجامعة اللبنانية وجامعة AUST.