Ancient Egypt Disease Research Paper
Archaeology of Egypt
Ancient Egyptian Disease
An in depth Look at Archaeological Evidence of Ancient Egyptian Infectious Disease and Parasites
12/3/2010
Ancient Egyptian Disease
Throughout the passing of time great civilizations have come and gone. Of the six pristine ancient civilizations, none have drawn quite the sensationalism as ancient Egypt. For numerous centuries antiquities were dispersed throughout the world for monetary purposes; however, for the past few decades interest has been focused on understanding the people that inhabited and built this great civilization. A fascinating subject that has sparked much research is Egyptian medicine, and more specifically, disease. Archaeological investigation and …show more content…
Since the implementation of the monoclonal antibody test numerous other parasites have been identified including “the liver fluke Fasciola Hepatica, Strongyloides, Dracuncula, Trichinella, Taenea solium, Trichurism, and Echinococcus” (Harer, 1995: 68). Another technique of study that has been implemented is a genetic test that looks at the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) which has allowed “medico-Egyptologists to determine the types of infection that afflicted [ancient Egyptians] and to build a picture of disease migration and prevalence during almost the entire Dynastic period” (Sullivan, 1995: 143). A cranial lesion that is believed to be a tapeworm cyst was found in mummy 22940 from the collection of mummies at the Manchester Museum. Teania and Trichenella spirali infestations were also found in the mummy of the weaver Nakht who lived during the reign of Smenkhkare in the XX …show more content…
The close living quarters that have been identified in the sites that have been excavated supports the finding of tuberculosis in the child mummy because that is the precise conditions that allow the disease to be transmitted and thrive. This finding is “indirect evidence of multigenerational rather than bigenerational households in ancient Egypt” (Zimmerman, 1977: 35) and this pattern still persists today. Notably tuberculosis has been identified in the mummy of Nesperhen from the XXI Dynasty and according to Richard Sullivan tuberculosis “was prevalent as early as 3300 BC during the initial herding period of Fayium A” (Sullivan, 1995:
Ancient Egyptian Disease
An in depth Look at Archaeological Evidence of Ancient Egyptian Infectious Disease and Parasites
12/3/2010
Ancient Egyptian Disease
Throughout the passing of time great civilizations have come and gone. Of the six pristine ancient civilizations, none have drawn quite the sensationalism as ancient Egypt. For numerous centuries antiquities were dispersed throughout the world for monetary purposes; however, for the past few decades interest has been focused on understanding the people that inhabited and built this great civilization. A fascinating subject that has sparked much research is Egyptian medicine, and more specifically, disease. Archaeological investigation and …show more content…
Since the implementation of the monoclonal antibody test numerous other parasites have been identified including “the liver fluke Fasciola Hepatica, Strongyloides, Dracuncula, Trichinella, Taenea solium, Trichurism, and Echinococcus” (Harer, 1995: 68). Another technique of study that has been implemented is a genetic test that looks at the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) which has allowed “medico-Egyptologists to determine the types of infection that afflicted [ancient Egyptians] and to build a picture of disease migration and prevalence during almost the entire Dynastic period” (Sullivan, 1995: 143). A cranial lesion that is believed to be a tapeworm cyst was found in mummy 22940 from the collection of mummies at the Manchester Museum. Teania and Trichenella spirali infestations were also found in the mummy of the weaver Nakht who lived during the reign of Smenkhkare in the XX …show more content…
The close living quarters that have been identified in the sites that have been excavated supports the finding of tuberculosis in the child mummy because that is the precise conditions that allow the disease to be transmitted and thrive. This finding is “indirect evidence of multigenerational rather than bigenerational households in ancient Egypt” (Zimmerman, 1977: 35) and this pattern still persists today. Notably tuberculosis has been identified in the mummy of Nesperhen from the XXI Dynasty and according to Richard Sullivan tuberculosis “was prevalent as early as 3300 BC during the initial herding period of Fayium A” (Sullivan, 1995: