Paleopathology of the Ancient Egyptians

An Annotated Bibliography 1995–2016 Updated Edition

Lisa Sabbahy

• Publisher: The American University in Cairo Press
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781617977282
• Topic: Historia
• Subtopic: Historia del antiguo Egipto

This updated and expanded annotated bibliography presents and describes over 1, 200 books, dissertations, excavation reports, and articles relevant to the paleopathology of the ancient Egyptians from the fields of Egyptology, physical anthropology, archaeology, and medicine, making it possible for scholars in these different fields to keep current with the latest finds and results. Each source has a short annotation explaining its relevant pathological information, so that scholars can ascertain whether or not any particular source is germane to their own research, and see what is being studied and published by others. In particular, this bibliography will be an immense help to scholars outside the field of Egyptology who want to know about the newest excavations with human remains. It will be indispensable to scholars as well as non-specialists who are intrigued by this area of study, particularly forensic pathologists, medical researchers, historians of medicine, and mummy enthusiasts.

Bibliography

A

Abdelfattah, Alia, Adel Allam, Samuel Wann, Randall Thompson, Goma Abdel-Maksoud, Ibrahem Badr, Hany Abdel Rahman Amer, et al. 2013. “Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Egyptian Women: 1570 BCE–2011 CE.” International Journal of Cardiology 167: 570–74.

The paleopathological information in the article concerns the CT scan of the mummy of Lady Rai, a nursemaid to the royal family in the early Eighteenth Dynasty. She had “calcified atherosclerotic plaque in her abdominal aorta,” and calcification in her heart that “may represent calcification of a prior myocardial infarction.”

Abd el-Rahman, Mohamed Faroug. 2002. “Gheresli: A Post-Meroitic Activity Centre in the Blue Nile Region.” Sudan and Nubia 10: 104–109.

This is a report on evidence from a post-Meroitic site that seems to have been a cemetery for children, including a description of five infant burials.

Adams, Matthew J. 2009. “An Interim Report on the Nagada III–First Intermediate Period Stratification at Mendes 1999–2005.” In Delta Reports: Research in Lower Egypt, vol. 1, edited by Donald Redford, 121–206. Oxford: Oxbow Books.

Reference is made to the Lovell and Whyte 1999 study (see below) of dental enamel defects, and to the hypothesis that the people of the Old Kingdom may have suffered the most nutritional stress. The Old Kingdom remains at Mendes suffered “intense destruction” and “35 individuals were swept up in the destruction and were found murdered” (p. 203). Unfortunately, so far no study of these particular remains has been published.

Albert, A.M., and D.L. Greene. 1999. “Bilateral Asymmetry in Skeletal Growth and Maturation as an Indicator of Environmental Stress.” American Journal of Physical Anthropology 110: 341–49.

“This study examined the efficacy of bilateral asymmetry in epiphyseal union as an indicator of environmental stress affecting the skeleton. We compared the extent of asymmetry in the postcranial skeleton between two cemetery samples excavated from Medieval Kulubnarti, Sudanese Nubia. To the extent that our results support previous findings that early Christian period individuals were more affected by environmental stress than late Christian period individuals, it is reasonable to consider bilateral asymmetry in skeletal growth and maturation a good indicator of environmental stress.” (Taken from abstract)

Alexandre de Carvalho, O. 2002. “Catalogue de la collection des ossements humains de la nécropole de Kerma (Soudan) présents au département d’anthropologie et d’écologie de l’Université de Genève.” PhD diss., University of Geneva. Not seen.

Alix, Gersende, Éric Boës, Patrice Georges, and Marie-Dominique Neena. 2012. “Les enfants dans la nécropole gréco-romaine du Pont de Gabbari à Alexandrie: problématiques et études de cas.” In L’Enfant et la mort dans l’Antiquité: Types de tombes et traitement du corps des enfants dans l’antiquité gréco-romaine, edited by Marie-Dominique Nenna, 79–137. Alexandria: Centre d’Études Alexandrines.

This is a report on six sectors of the necropolis at Gabbari, which produced a total of 926 individuals from primary and secondary burials in tombs, and surface burials from Ptolemaic to late Roman times. There were many children, buried either by themselves or with an adult. A detailed discussion is given on pp. 125–28 of individual no. 5 from Locus B17.1A.2, a twelve-year-old male with three kidney stones and enamel hypoplasia.

Allam, Adel H., Abdelhalium Nureldin, Gomma Adelmaksoub, Ibrahem Badr, and Hany Abdel Amer. 2010. “Something Old, Something New: Computed Tomography Studies of the Cardiovascular System in Ancient Egyptian Mummies.” American Heart Hospital Journal 8, no. 1: 10–13.

An initial report on the project to scan mummies in the Cairo Museum, “searching for the presence of cardiovascular tissue and for areas of calcification within the arterial walls.” “Peripheral arteries including the aorta” could be seen in sixteen mummies, and of these “five (31 percent) had ‘definite’ focal calcifications.” Of the mummies estimated to have died at an age of forty-five or older, “seven of eight (87 percent) had vascular calcification.”

Allam, Adel H., Randall C. Thompson, L. Samuel Wann, Michael I. Miyamoto, Abd el-Halim Nur el-Din, et al. 2011. “Atherosclerosis in Ancient Egyptian Mummies: The Horus Study.” Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging 4: 315–27.

Report on the CT scanning of fifty-two mummies, dating from the Middle Kingdom to the Greco-Roman Period, forty-four of which had “identifiable cardiovascular structures,” and, of these, twenty had “either definite atherosclerosis or probable atherosclerosis.”

Allam, Adel H., Randall C. Thompson, L. Samuel Wann, Michael I. Miyamoto, and Gregory S. Thomas. 2009. “Computed Tomographic Assessment of Atherosclerosis in Ancient Egyptian Mummies.” Journal of the American Medical Association 302, no. 19: 2091–94.

CT scans were done on twenty-two mummies in the Cairo Museum “specifically searching for cardiac and vascular calcification.” Sixteen of the mummies had “identifiable cardiovascular tissue.” Five of these mummies had “definite atherosclerosis” and four more had “probable atherosclerosis.” Calcification was more prevalent in those who died at forty-five years or older. There are two related letters, Philippe Charlier and Isabell Huynh, JAMA 303, no. 12 (2010): 1149–50, and Gregory S. Thomas, Journal of the American Medical Association 303, no. 12 (2010): 1150.

Allen, James. 2005. The Art of Medicine in Ancient Egypt, 36–37. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.

The Twenty-fifth Dynasty coffin and mummy of Nesiamun are included in this catalog of an exhibition held at the Metropolitan Museum, New York. CT images show serious injuries such as a “linear skull fracture” and “gross disruption of his ribs,” compatible with a chariot or horse accident, which caused his death.

Alvrus, Annalisa Brigette. 1997. “Trauma to the Teeth and Jaw: Three Nubian Examples.” Journal of Pathology 9, no.1: 5–14.

A study of three cases of oral trauma, one accompanied by cranial trauma, in three males found in the cemetery at Semna South, an Egyptian fort in Nubia. The trauma seems to have been the result of interpersonal violence, perhaps caused by blows from a small mace, or fighting stick.

Alvrus, Annalisa Brigette. 1999. “Fracture Patterns Among the Nubians of Semna South, Sudanese Nubia.” International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 9, no. 6: 417–29.

The skeletal material of 592 individuals, almost all Meroitic Period, found at Semna South, were studied for fractures. Of the adults, 21 percent had evidence of at least one healed fracture, most commonly of the cranium. The fractures tended to be in the frontal bone, or the area of the nose, suggesting wounds caused by “interpersonal violence.”

Alvrus, Annalisa Brigette. 2006. “The Conqueror Worm: Schistosomiasis in Ancient Nubia.” PhD diss., Arizona State University.

ELISA was used to detect two antigens “specific to infection by the schistosome worm” in naturally mummified soft tissue of the Meroitic Period from Semna South. In addition, the crania were studied for cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis, in order to see if there was an association “between schistosome infection and the presence of anemia.” The highest rates of schistosome infection were among adult males; it was the lowest among children, but they were found to have the most frequent “anemic indicators.”

Ambers, J., and J. Filer. 1997. “Dating Soft Tissue from the Sudan.” Göttinger Miszellen 161: 29–36.

Endocranial matter was found with skeletons at Soba, particularly skeleton 296 (fig. 3). A sample used for dating also gave a “stable carbon isotope measurement,” indicating a high C4 plant diet.

Anastasiou, Evilena, and Piers Mitchell. 2013. “Palaeopathology and Genes: Investigating the Genetics of Infectious Diseases in Excavated Human Skeletal Remains and Mummies from Past Populations.” Gene 528: 33–40.

Discussion relevant to ancient Egyptian human remains can be found on p. 34, tuberculosis, and p. 37, malaria and leishmaniasis.

Andelković, Branislav. 1997. “The Belgrade Mummy.” [In Serbian] Recueil des travaux de la Faculté de philosophie 19 A: 91–104.

Study of a badly damaged mummy, male, about fifty years of age, Late Period to early Ptolemaic in date. Twelve abraded teeth remain. Spondylitis and scoliosis were noticed.

Andelković, Branislav, and Joshua Harper. 2011. “Identity Restored: Nesmin’s Forensic Facial Reconstruction in Context.” Issues in Ethnology and Anthropology 6, no. 3: 715–28.

Discussion of the 3D digital reconstruction of the head of Nesmin, a priest from Akhmim, who died in about 300 BC, at around the age of fifty. He is also referred to as the Belgrade mummy.

Anderson, Wendy. 1996. “The Significance of Middle Nubian C-Group Mortuary Variability, ca. 2200 BC to ca. 1500 BC.” PhD diss., McGill University.

This thesis includes a short chapter on “Mortuary Data to Infer Socioeconomic Conditions,” discussing studies of Nubian skeletal evidence for nutritional stress, dietary changes, and skull size.

Antoine, Daniel. 2010. “Pain in the Neck? An Abnormality from KH27C.” Nekhen News, 22: 23.

“A single pressure defect was identified on the spine of the body buried in Tomb 6 at HK27C. Unfortunately, the remains were incomplete and the age and sex could not be determined. Of the vertebrae preserved, only C3 had a large pressure defect around the left transverse foramen, while C4 also had an enlarged left transverse foramen but no other remodeling. The appearance and location of the pressure defect on C3 suggests that it was caused by an abnormality of the vertebral artery, but whether it is an aneurysm or a tortuosity is difficult to determine from the bones alone.” (Taken from article)

Antoine, Daniel, and Janet Ambers. 2014. “The Scientific Analysis of Human Remains from the British Museum Collection: Research Potential and Examples from the Nile Valley.” In Regarding the Dead: Human Remains in the British Museum, edited by A. Fletcher, Daniel Antoine, and J.D. Hill, 20–30. London: British Museum Press.

This article has a section on pp. 23–29 entitled “Scientific analysis of human remains from the Nile Valley,” with a discussion of the evidence for “abnormalities of the vertebral artery,” and the CT scans of Gebelein Man showing his fatal stab wound.

Appenzeller, O., and A.C. Aufderheide. 1999. “Paleoneurobiology and the Autonomic Nervous System.” In Handbook of Clinical Neurology, 74: The Autonomic Nervous System, Part I, Normal Functions, edited by O. Appenzeller, 181–97. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science.

After an introduction to mummy studies, the authors cover various topics in paleopathology, paleoneuropathology, and paleoneurobiology. Specific reference to ancient Egyptian evidence is made in the discussion of mummified brain CT scans, recognition of sural nerves after rehydration, and the presence of NOS-immunoreactivity, possible “meningioma induced hyperostosis” in two Egyptian mummies, and “charcot joints” in a First Dynasty skeleton from Abydos.

Appenzeller, O., C.V. Hoyle, C.M. Sartoro, and M. Appenzeller. 2000. “Paleoneurobiology.” Chungara, Revista de Antropologia Chilena 32, no. 1: 97–102.

The article discusses the examination of fibers from mummy nerve samples to demonstrate the presence of neurochemicals, and their potential use in the study of nerve disease in ancient civilizations. Sural nerve samples have been successfully taken from ancient Egyptian mummies.

Appenzeller, O., J.M. Stevens, R. Kruszynski, and S. Walker. 2001. “Neurology in Ancient Faces.” Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 70: 524–29.

This article presents a study of paleoneurology based on facial characteristics in the Fayoum mummy portraits in the collection of the British Museum, but it also brings in an examination of thirty-two skulls from Hawara, one of which belongs to the young man, BM 74707, whose face shows progressive facial hemiatrophy.

Aravecchia, Nicola, Tosha Dupras, Dorota Dzierzbicka, and Lana Williams. 2015. “The Church at Amheida (ancient Trimithis) in the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt: A Bioarchaeological Perspective on an Early Christian Mortuary Complex.” Bioarchaeology of the Near East 9: 21–43.

Analysis of two adult males, one adult female, and one younger female, aged between fifteen and seventeen, found buried in a fourth-century church at Amheida. One male died aged forty-five to fifty. He had dental wear, caries, and four abscesses, ankylosing spondylitis, as well as numerous healed fractures: multiple ribs, the right humerus, and left scapula and clavicle. His right scapula had “two unusual foramina,” probably from “sharp force trauma.” The second male had “significant ossification of his thyroid cartilage,” and his left humerus and ulna were fused together from an elbow fracture. The older woman had healed rib fractures. The younger female had linear enamel hypoplasia, and lesions on a rib, the right ilium and left os coxa, probably due to “chondrosarcoma or metastatic carcinoma.”

Armelagos, George J. 2000. “Take Two Beers and Call Me in 1,600 Years.” Natural History 109, no. 4: 50–53.

This discusses the discovery of tetracycline in ancient Nubian and Egyptian bone samples, its origin in the grain used to produce beer, and its possible medical benefits for ancient Nubians and Egyptians.

Armelagos, G.J., K. Kolbacher, K. Collins, et al. 2001. “Tetracycline Consumption in Pre-History.” In Tetracyclines in Biology, Chemistry, and Medicine, edited by M. Nelson, M. Hillen, and R.A. Greenwald, 219–36. Basel: Birkhauser Verlag.

This study focuses on the significant amount of tetracycline incorporated into the bones of a Nubian X-Group population (AD 350–550) prior to death. There is a constant dosage pattern of tetracycline, explained by the use of stored moldy grain in both bread and beer.

Asgar, N. 2008. “Pathogenic Investigation of Mummified Remains from the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt.” MA thesis, University of Manchester.

“A palaeomicrobiological investigation was conducted on 33 tissue specimens derived from anthropogenically-mummified remains at the Kellis site in the Dakhleh Oasis (Kellis I cemetery). 16 rib and lung tissue samples and eight skin (ear) tissue samples were selected to test for the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae respectively. While all samples were negative for M. leprae, a ‘positive’ result for M. tuberculosis and Eubacteria DNA was seen in some of the samples based on gel images. This pathogenic study serves as an approach for studying infectious diseases pertinent to their spreading, incidence and host-pathogen interaction in the ancient population.” (Taken from abstract)

Ashby, R.L. 2001. “An Investigation of Harris Lines within Ancient Egyptian Human Mummies.” MA thesis, University of Manchester.

“This study aimed to establish a survey on Egyptian mummies in order to determine the frequencies of Harris lines within a representative sample of the ancient Egyptian population. This was achieved by gathering information from mummies belonging to the Manchester Museum who demonstrate Harris lines, and combining this with radiological studies conducted upon other Egyptian mummies who also demonstrate Harris lines. An examination of x-rays and tomographic images from Manchester mummies was also undertaken, to determine the presence of Harris lines within these individuals and note any difficulties encountered when examining such images for the presence of Harris lines. The frequencies of Harris lines within this sample were found to be quite high and correlated with other studies.” (Taken from abstract)

Ashrafian, Hutan. 2012. “Familial Epilepsy in the Pharaohs of An...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Preface
• Bibliography