Not much evidence, either of historical texts or of archaeological remains, has survived to tell
us how the great majority of the Nubian's lived under the Kushite kings. Though we do not
have much archaeological evidence from towns or villages, the excavation of some cemeteries provide a glimpse into
the life-styles of non royal Nubian's during the Napatan Period. A non royal cemetery excavated at the site of Sanam
suggests that there were two main groups buried there: Nubian's whose bodies were buried in an extended position,
and others who were buried in a contracted position. The objects found with the extended bodies were almost entirely
of Egyptian manufacture, but the contracted burials seemed to contain more local pottery and locally made objects.
This suggests that not all Nubian's had adopted Egyptian culture to the degree shown by the burials of their rulers.
The evidence from cemeteries does suggest that Nubian society at this point was basically two-tiered: a very small ruling
class presiding over a much larger and poorer class, most of whom were probably farmers. The Kushite rulers most
likely gained their wealth, reflected in the size of their tombs and the luxurious objects found within them, from control
of the gold mines in the dessert to the east of Nubia.
