Life was pretty harsh in ancient Egypt, as pointed out in two news articles appearing in the last two days. And it appears the real beasts of burden may have been men, women and children while some four-footed creatures were revered.In one article, from Reuters, anthropologists studied the remains of ordinary Egyptians buried around 1300 BC in a cemetery in Tell el-Amarna, the capital of Egypt during the reign of the pharaoh Akhenaten. In the second one, from the New York Times, a tomb from about 3000 BC was unearthed where the remains of high-ranking officials were expected, but instead revealed the remains of donkeys. At one time they may have been revered because of their role in alleviating labor for humans.
The human skeletal remains found in Tell el-Armana showed high incidences of anemia – 74 percent in children and 44 percent in adults - broken bones, a high juvenile death rate and stunted growth. Average height for men was 5 feet 2 inches and about 5 feet for women. “Adult heights are used as a proxy for overall standard of living,” says Gerome Rose, an anthropologist with the University of Arkansas and one of the main researchers. “Short statures reflect a diet deficient in protein. People were not growing to their full potential.”
What’s new here is that life in Egypt around the time of Akhenaten has been believed to have been pretty good, based on the paintings found in tombs and their displays of abundance. “We’re seeing a more realistic picture of what life was like,” Rose says. “It has nothing to do with the intentions of Akhenaten, which may have been good and paternal toward his people.”
The remains of the donkeys (NYT photo at left) date much earlier, from about 3000 BC. Archeologists had been digging at the tomb of a king in the ancient town of Abydos and expected to find the graves of officials who’d been sacrificed to accompany the dead king in the afterworld. Instead they found the skeletons of 10 donkeys, a find that is being termed “spectacular” and informative.
The donkey bones also revealed wear from carrying burdens, with bones and cartilage damaged in the shoulders and hips, with signs of arthritis. But the animals otherwise had been in good health and well cared for, with no signs of feet or teeth problems.
It’s clear the donkeys had been revered. “This is a very high-status area where these donkeys were buried,” says Matthew D. Adams, a lecturer in Egyptian art and archaeology at New York University and one of the excavators. “And they were buried just like courtiers that were associated with the king. That in itself is a statement on the importance of the donkey as a service animal at this time.”
The human skeletal remains found in Tell el-Armana showed high incidences of anemia – 74 percent in children and 44 percent in adults - broken bones, a high juvenile death rate and stunted growth. Average height for men was 5 feet 2 inches and about 5 feet for women. “Adult heights are used as a proxy for overall standard of living,” says Gerome Rose, an anthropologist with the University of Arkansas and one of the main researchers. “Short statures reflect a diet deficient in protein. People were not growing to their full potential.”
What’s new here is that life in Egypt around the time of Akhenaten has been believed to have been pretty good, based on the paintings found in tombs and their displays of abundance. “We’re seeing a more realistic picture of what life was like,” Rose says. “It has nothing to do with the intentions of Akhenaten, which may have been good and paternal toward his people.”
The remains of the donkeys (NYT photo at left) date much earlier, from about 3000 BC. Archeologists had been digging at the tomb of a king in the ancient town of Abydos and expected to find the graves of officials who’d been sacrificed to accompany the dead king in the afterworld. Instead they found the skeletons of 10 donkeys, a find that is being termed “spectacular” and informative.The donkey bones also revealed wear from carrying burdens, with bones and cartilage damaged in the shoulders and hips, with signs of arthritis. But the animals otherwise had been in good health and well cared for, with no signs of feet or teeth problems.
It’s clear the donkeys had been revered. “This is a very high-status area where these donkeys were buried,” says Matthew D. Adams, a lecturer in Egyptian art and archaeology at New York University and one of the excavators. “And they were buried just like courtiers that were associated with the king. That in itself is a statement on the importance of the donkey as a service animal at this time.”
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