Bioarchaeology of the Near East, 8:1-27 (2014)

Palaeopathology of human remains at ancient Mendes (Tell er-Rub'a), Egypt

Madeleine Mant
Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta,
13-15 Tory Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2H4 Canada
email: mantml@mcmaster.ca

Abstract: This paper discusses selected pathological conditions from the skeletal remains of 41 adult individuals (13 males, six possible males, eight possible females, seven females, and seven unknown sex) from the Old Kingdom, First Intermediate, and Ptolemaic or Greco-Roman periods from ancient Mendes. Macroscopic analysis for pathological conditions revealed evidence of trauma, degenerative joint disease, pronounced muscle markings, cranial porosity, and a possible case of hyperostosis frontalis interna. These data provide a further source of information on the study of disease in ancient Egypt, particularly in the Nile Delta.

Key words: palaeopathology; trauma; degenerative joint disease; Tell er-Rub'a

Received 23 January 2013; accepted 20 July 2013; published online 2 August 2013.

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