Gaby
Ancient Egyptian scribes showed degenerative joint changes, damaged hips, jaw problems, and thumb injuries. They also suffered from back pain and vision trouble — ailments familiar to today’s white-collar workers.
A team of researchers from leading institutions in the Czech Republic reached these conclusions after studying the remains of 69 adult men buried in the Abusir necropolis in Egypt between 2700 and 2180 BC. Of those, 30 were identified as scribes. Compared to the other men interred there, these ancient office workers had a similar set of health problems.
“Our research aimed to identify the occupational risk factors associated with the profession of a scribe in Ancient Egypt,” said Petra Brukner Havelková, lead author of the study from the National Museum in Prague. She added that the team’s work could also help identify scribes among skeletons whose titles and professions are unknown.
What the team found
Only about one percent of the population in Ancient Egypt could read and write, so scribes held high social status and performed crucial administrative tasks.
Veronika Dulikova, a co-author from Charles University in Prague, said scribes often began their careers as teenagers and worked for decades.
But that long, repetitive work took a toll. As reported by The Guardian, the researchers found osteoarthritis in the temporomandibular joint (the joint between the lower jaw and skull) and in the right clavicle, right shoulder, right thumb, right knee, and spine — especially the neck.
The team also found signs of strain on the humerus and left pelvic bone, along with indentations in the kneecaps. Those marks fit the typical scribe posture: sitting cross-legged with a hunched back, unsupported hands, and a forward-leaning head that put extra stress on the spine.
Jaw changes may have been worsened by that posture and by the habit of chewing on the tip of a reed pen. The team also suggested that scribes frequently suffered from headaches.
The study’s findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports.
