DOI issue:
Egypt
DOI article:Kaczmarek, Maria: Anthropological analysis of mummified burials from Saqqara
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41274#0124
WEST SAQQARA
EGYPT
PATHOLOGY OF THE BONES
It was possible to identify macroscopically
some bone pathologies.3) In some cases of
males and females aged over 40, there was
evidence of degenerative arthritis of the
lumbar vertebrae. This pathology of the
spine was quite common in our sample as
compared to other known pathological
changes. In one case (skull no. 79) an inter-
esting example of craniostenosis was noted.
In the majority of cases all the teeth
were present in the dental arch. The pre-
mortem loss of teeth was seldom observed.
The greatest single problem in the denti-
tion was attrition. A coarse diet led to
wearing down of the teeth over a lifetime.
The enamel and dentine were eroded away
until the pulp was exposed. The living tis-
sue inside the tooth died, and the empty
root canals became a source of chronic
infection and abscesses.
The second problem observed in our
sample was periodontitis. This disease
results in the loss of the bony support of
the teeth and is often associated with
plaque forming calculus or tartar deposits
on the teeth. The ultimate result of peri-
odontitis is extensive periodontal disease
that results in tooth loss. Dental caries or
cavities were far less frequent. If decay were
present, it was most often of the pit and
was of the fissure variety (top of the tooth)
rather than interproximal (decay between
the teeth).
There are two major environmental
causes that may have resulted in the lack of
extensive dental decay: The absence from
the diet of refined carbohydrates, such as
sugar, and the extreme attrition, which
provides a more difficult environment for
decay to begin.
DISCUSSION
The variety of mummification methods
observed in our sample is nothing unusu-
al, as it is commonly known that the dead
used to be treated individually. The treat-
ment and the choice of wrapping methods
depended on the social status of the
deceased. The sample is hardly representa-
tive because of its limited size precluding
any reconstruction of the social structure
and reasonable conclusions.
The biological history of Man in Egypt
indicates a remarkable stability as to cranial
morphology.4) According to results obtained
in other studies,5) all Egyptian predynastic
samples were attributed to the Nubian type.
A major population change was admitted at
the beginning of the Old Kingdom period.
With the onset of the Dynastic period, the
two regions, Nubia and Egypt, were separat-
ed and the population exchange was
reduced. Consequently, morphological vari-
ability declined as well. Our data, although
hardly sufficient in terms of numbers, seems
to corroborate this statement.
^ After Ortner and Putschar, op.cit. Cf. A. Cockburn, E. Cockburn, Th.A. Reyman, Mummies, Disease and Ancient
Cultures (Cambridge 1998).
4> C. Simon, R. Menk, Diachronic study of the internal structure of the population of the Nile Valley by means of mul-
tivariate analysis of morphometrical data, Antropologia Contemporanea 8,2 (1985), 95-104.
5) A.M. Batrawi, "The racial history of Egypt and Nubia", I & II,JRAI, 75 (1945-1946), 81-102, 76, 131-156; E. Strouhal,
"Evidence of the early penetration of Negroes into prehistoric 'Egypt? Journal of African History 12,1 (1971), 1-9-
122
EGYPT
PATHOLOGY OF THE BONES
It was possible to identify macroscopically
some bone pathologies.3) In some cases of
males and females aged over 40, there was
evidence of degenerative arthritis of the
lumbar vertebrae. This pathology of the
spine was quite common in our sample as
compared to other known pathological
changes. In one case (skull no. 79) an inter-
esting example of craniostenosis was noted.
In the majority of cases all the teeth
were present in the dental arch. The pre-
mortem loss of teeth was seldom observed.
The greatest single problem in the denti-
tion was attrition. A coarse diet led to
wearing down of the teeth over a lifetime.
The enamel and dentine were eroded away
until the pulp was exposed. The living tis-
sue inside the tooth died, and the empty
root canals became a source of chronic
infection and abscesses.
The second problem observed in our
sample was periodontitis. This disease
results in the loss of the bony support of
the teeth and is often associated with
plaque forming calculus or tartar deposits
on the teeth. The ultimate result of peri-
odontitis is extensive periodontal disease
that results in tooth loss. Dental caries or
cavities were far less frequent. If decay were
present, it was most often of the pit and
was of the fissure variety (top of the tooth)
rather than interproximal (decay between
the teeth).
There are two major environmental
causes that may have resulted in the lack of
extensive dental decay: The absence from
the diet of refined carbohydrates, such as
sugar, and the extreme attrition, which
provides a more difficult environment for
decay to begin.
DISCUSSION
The variety of mummification methods
observed in our sample is nothing unusu-
al, as it is commonly known that the dead
used to be treated individually. The treat-
ment and the choice of wrapping methods
depended on the social status of the
deceased. The sample is hardly representa-
tive because of its limited size precluding
any reconstruction of the social structure
and reasonable conclusions.
The biological history of Man in Egypt
indicates a remarkable stability as to cranial
morphology.4) According to results obtained
in other studies,5) all Egyptian predynastic
samples were attributed to the Nubian type.
A major population change was admitted at
the beginning of the Old Kingdom period.
With the onset of the Dynastic period, the
two regions, Nubia and Egypt, were separat-
ed and the population exchange was
reduced. Consequently, morphological vari-
ability declined as well. Our data, although
hardly sufficient in terms of numbers, seems
to corroborate this statement.
^ After Ortner and Putschar, op.cit. Cf. A. Cockburn, E. Cockburn, Th.A. Reyman, Mummies, Disease and Ancient
Cultures (Cambridge 1998).
4> C. Simon, R. Menk, Diachronic study of the internal structure of the population of the Nile Valley by means of mul-
tivariate analysis of morphometrical data, Antropologia Contemporanea 8,2 (1985), 95-104.
5) A.M. Batrawi, "The racial history of Egypt and Nubia", I & II,JRAI, 75 (1945-1946), 81-102, 76, 131-156; E. Strouhal,
"Evidence of the early penetration of Negroes into prehistoric 'Egypt? Journal of African History 12,1 (1971), 1-9-
122