Emily Chan
Thousands of years ago, ancient Egyptian scribes faced occupational hazards just like humans working modern jobs today.
In ancient Egypt, scribes were men who had the ability to write well and held a variety of administrative positions.
They were part of the one percent of the population that was literate, so they enjoyed an elevated status in society. However, the tasks they carried out were repetitive.
A team of experts led by Petra Brukner Havelková, an anthropologist from the National Museum in Prague in the Czech Republic, examined the skeletal remains of 69 adults dating back to the 3rd millennium B.C.
The remains were buried between 2700 B.C. and 2180 B.C. in the ancient necropolis of Abusir. Around 30 of the individuals were scribes.
The study revealed degenerative changes that were more common in the skeletons of the scribes than men with other occupations.
In the past, research on scribes typically focused on their titles and depictions of them, while their actual remains have been largely ignored.
“It should be noted that, until now, no one has focused on scribes as an occupational group of individuals whose skeletons show identical or similar changes compared to others, which may be related to the tasks they performed repeatedly and the positions in which they had to remain for long periods of time,” Havelková said.
According to the team, the degenerative changes observed in the spines and shoulder joints of the scribes were caused by sitting in a cross-legged position with the head bent forward for prolonged periods of time. In this position, their spines were flexed, and their arms were unsupported.
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