The BEAST Database of Wildlife Representations from Egypt and Nubia (c. 22,000–30BC)

Abstract

We present a database comprising records of wildlife species >2 kg identified in depictions or man-made objects from Egypt and Nubia from the Last Glacial Maximum to the end of the Ptolemaic Period in Egypt (c.22,000BC–30BC) as reported in the literature. The categories of representations include: tomb reliefs and paintings, temple reliefs, rock art (engravings and paintings), ostraca, stelae, palettes, depictions on ceramics or various other objects, statues, figurines, amulets, various other objects or object parts shaped as wildlife species. The database is deposited in the Open Quaternary Dataverse (Harvard Dataverse) and provides a resource for researchers across disciplines investigating topics related to regional zoogeography and interactions between climate, human populations and biodiversity during the Holocene. The database was compiled as part of the Leverhulme-funded Biodiversity in Egyptian Archaeology during Societal Transitions (BEAST) project and has been used in the research reported in Lazagabaster et al. 2024, Bro-Jorgensen et al. 2025, and Spedding et al. 2025.