Even the ancient Egyptians had "backs"
Sitting is the new smoking" has been a well-known fact for a long time - the modern human spends hours on end in front of a screen and moves too little, resulting in known health consequences. This was apparently also the case with the literati of ancient Egypt: They suffered from hunchbacks due to prolonged sitting.
Scholars were not an exception to this in ancient Egypt. The research team led by Petra Brukner Havelkova from the Czech National Museum in Prague found that 30 of the 69 adult men examined, who were buried between 2700 and 2180 BC in the Necropolis of Abusir in Egypt, were scribes. These men showed specific degenerative joint changes more frequently than men of other professions, particularly in the right shoulder area and at the hand and wrist, as well as in the vertebral column, especially the cervical vertebrae.
Working in the Scribe's Position
From records, wall reliefs, graves, and statues, researchers concluded that scribes worked in various positions for extended periods: They sat, for example, with their heads bent forward, their vertebral column bent, and their arms not resting. Changes in the knees, hips, and thighs corresponded to a partially squatting or sitting position, according to scientists.
Moreover, degenerated jaw joints were found in scribes. This was likely due to the fact that they chewed on reed pens with sharpened tips to form the ends needed to write hieroglyphs.
Only One Percent Could Read and Write
Approximately one percent of the population was literate and could read and write, according to Brukner Havelkova's team. Scholars held privileged positions in various administrative posts and other functions in ancient Egyptian society. Their graves stood out from those of other people.
However, the researchers caution that the prevalence of degenerative changes at least partially could be attributed to the fact that the scribes in the study were older on average than representatives of other professions.
- The prolonged sitting and poor posture while working as scribes in ancient Egypt likely contributed to the prevalence of back pain and related health issues among them, similar to the concerns about modern desk jobs and their impact on health.
- Researchers have discovered that ancient Egyptian scribes, who were primarily found in the Necropolis of Abusir and dominated the literate population, often displayed signs of degenerative joint changes, particularly in their cervical vertebrae, due to their working position and the use of reed pens.
- The health implications of an education-focused lifestyle in ancient Egypt, such as the frequent writing and prolonged sitting, can be seen in the prevalence of spinal issues and back pain among the scribe class, a stark example of the long-term effects of sedentary work and writing.
