A new study published in Scientific Reports, has shown that ancient Egyptian scribes developed arthritis in various parts of their bodies due to their work, similar to the common issues faced by office workers today.
Scientists analyzed the skeletal remains of 69 men interred in the necropolis of Abusir from 2700 to 2180 BCE. Their study revealed that among these individuals, the 30 identified as scribes showed a higher incidence of specific health conditions. These included arthritis affecting joints between the lower jaw and the skull, the right clavicle, shoulder, thumb, knee, and the spinal column—particularly in the neck.
Scribes held a high social status as they belonged to the 1% who could read and write, performing important tasks such as recording taxes.
Although scientists acknowledged that age could have contributed to some of the issues observed in older scribes, their findings align with the problems caused by their posture, as depicted in the era’s art, suggesting a correlation between their writing posture and the health issues identified.
Moreover, according to the research, their jaw could have been affected by their practice of chewing the ends of their tools to create a brush-like tip, while their thumb may have been strained due to the specific grip they employed while writing.
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