The Cost of a Commute

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Osteoarthritis in New Kingdom Egypt

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4657663
AutoresA Austin (0000-0001-5765-6746, Stanford University, autor de correspondencia), A E Austin (Stanford University Department of History Stanford CA USA)
Año2017
Volumen27
Número4
Páginas537-550
Fecha de publicación2017-07-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaInternational Journal of Osteoarchaeology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1047-482X • E-ISSN: 1099-1212
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/oa.2575
OpenAlexW2537238880
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas10
Referencias citadas40

This article evaluates rates of osteoarthritis of the lower limb in human remains from Deir el-Medina in order to compare the health of the residents of Deir el-Medina with previous studies on other ancient Egyptian and Nubian populations. This study focuses on osteological observations from the commingled New Kingdom human remains documented during the 2012-2014 field seasons of the Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale. This is the first publication of osteoarthritis for the human remains at Deir el-Medina, a dataset which complements comparable populations at sites such as Amarna, Giza, and Tombos. It demonstrates that men in the village of Deir el-Medina experienced significantly higher rates of osteoarthritis in the ankle and knee in comparison to women at Deir el-Medina. Rates of osteoarthritis in the lower limb at Deir el-Medina generally fall between workers' cemeteries and middle-class or elite cemeteries.This study also includes data from Deir el-Medina's detailed textual record and intact landscape in order to determine how occupation influenced these higher rates of osteoarthritis. The duration, intensity, and frequency of the workmen's hikes are reconstructed based on the surrounding landscape and 42 texts recording work days. This study compares rates of osteoarthritis with these datasets in order to document how the strain, duration, and frequency of the workmen's hikes may have impacted overall rates of osteoarthritis. Consequently, data from the texts and landscape surrounding Deir el-Medina not only corroborate osteoarthritis patterns, but offer detailed daily life activity which can be used as a comparison for broader studies on osteoarthritis in ancient and modern populations. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Archaeology · Geography · Osteoarthritis · Osteology · Pathology · Dermatological diseases and infestations · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Medicine · Musculoskeletal Disorders and Rehabilitation