Department of Anthropology, National Museum in Prague, Cirkusová 1740, 193 00, Prague 9, Czech Republic.
Czech Institute of Egyptology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 110 00, Prague, Czech Republic.
Sci Rep. 2024 Jun 27;14(1):13317. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-63549-z.
Men with writing proficiency enjoyed a privileged position in ancient Egyptian society in the third millennium BC. Research focusing on these officials of elevated social status ("scribes") usually concentrates on their titles, scribal statues, iconography, etc., but the individuals themselves, and their skeletal remains, have been neglected. The aim of this study is to reveal whether repetitive tasks and maintained postures related to scribal activity can manifest in skeletal changes and identify possible occupational risk factors. A total of 1767 items including entheseal changes, non-metric traits, and degenerative changes were recorded from the human remains of 69 adult males of well-defined social status categories from the necropolis at Abusir (2700-2180 BC). Statistically significant differences between the scribes and the reference group attested a higher incidence of changes in scribes and manifested themselves especially in the occurrence of osteoarthritis of the joints. Our research reveals that remaining in a cross-legged sitting or kneeling position for extended periods, and the repetitive tasks related to writing and the adjusting of the rush pens during scribal activity, caused the extreme overloading of the jaw, neck and shoulder regions.
在公元前三千年的古埃及社会，擅长书写的男性享有特殊地位。针对这些社会地位较高的官员（“书吏”）的研究通常集中在他们的头衔、书吏雕像、肖像等方面，但对个体本身及其骨骼遗骸却被忽视了。本研究旨在揭示与书吏活动相关的重复性任务和维持的姿势是否会在骨骼变化中表现出来，并确定可能的职业风险因素。对来自阿布西尔墓地（公元前 2700-2180 年）的 69 名具有明确社会地位类别的成年男性的骨骼遗骸，共记录了 1767 项包括腱附着处变化、非度量特征和退行性变化的指标。书吏与对照组之间存在统计学显著差异，证明书吏中变化的发生率更高，尤其是关节骨关节炎的发生。我们的研究表明，长时间保持盘腿坐或跪坐的姿势，以及在书写和调整芦苇笔的重复性任务过程中，会导致颌骨、颈部和肩部区域承受过度的压力。
