Paleopathology of the Ptolemaic inhabitants of Dakhleh Oasis (Egypt)

Paleopathology of the Ptolemaic inhabitants of Dakhleh Oasis (Egypt)

T. DzierzykrayRogalski Paleopathology of the Ptolemaic Inhabitants of Dakhleh Oasis (Egypt) ul. Kasprowicra 91, P-01-949 Warszawa, Poland The Autho...

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T. DzierzykrayRogalski

Paleopathology of the Ptolemaic Inhabitants of Dakhleh Oasis (Egypt)

ul. Kasprowicra 91, P-01-949 Warszawa, Poland

The Author presents four cams of leprosy diagnosed on the skulls discovered in the course of anthropological works carried out as a part of the excavations of I.F.A.O. The leprosy was diagnosed in White representatives of ruling class from the Ptolemaic period (2nd century B.C.) buried at the exclusive necropolis. The paleopathological conclusions are drawn on the basis of demographical data.

Received 22 October 1978 and accepted 15 December

1978

Dakhleh

to the seven main Oases of ancient

Oasis belongs

because

the access to the Oasis was always difficult,

tion concerning

this Oasis in the ancient

For Europe, is a diary

Dakhleh

was discovered

Egyptian

d’un voyage a la vallee de Dakhleh his adventure

texts.

as the discoverer

The

(lithic

industry

lack of information

invasion.

Up

Research

changed

Dakhleh

to Early

from the Neolithic

Dynastic

times led to

Khargeh-Dakhleh

going on from 2000 years

in the Oasis.

investigations

by the American

1907) on the inhabitants

A series of

by the author.

epoch until the Persian

the depression

times and the drought

the living conditions

no anthropological

times.

was discovered

in Pre-Dynastic

during all historical

was performed

Art (HrdliEka,

Edmonstone

Oases in 1822 is recognised

since Paleolithic

implements)

It should be stressed that since the Neolithic

to now,

reached

about

and other

that the Oasis was not inhabited

has been inhabited has hardly

There

“Journal

of Dakhleh.

findings

the conclusion

Drovetti

But Sir Archibald

and Dakhleh

It is well known that this Oasis has been inhabited surface

of the 19th century.

Bernardino

vers la fin de 1818”.

in the Khargeh

It has been isolated

there is very little informa-

only at the beginning

of the trip to the Oasis in 1818 by Chevalier

who described

Egypt.

therefore

have

expedition

of Khargeh

been

carried

out in Dakhleh.

of the Metropolitan but probably

Museum

the expedition

of

never

Dakhleh.

In 1977 the French wide archaeological (Director

Archaeology

The work was conducted Dynasty).

(I.F.A.O.)

headed

The Anthropological in the excavations

in the region of Balat,

of the Oasis.

There

Qila’el-Dabbeh

in Cairo

by Professor Jean

Division

started

of the Polish Centre So, in November

of the French

Institute

a small settlement

with

a

Vercoutter of and

in Dakhleh.

in the eastern

are two sites dated back to the Old Kingdom

One of these is the untouched

is the necropolis

Archaeology

in Dakhleh

in Cairo was asked for cooperation.

1977, I participated

of the entrance

of Oriental

program

of the above Institute).

Mediterranean December

Institute

research

part (6th

city Ain Asel, covered with sand, the other one brickwork

monumental

tombs

containing

the

graves of the governors of the Oasis from the 6th Dynasty onwards. Both these sites were discovered by Professor Ahmed Fakhry in the course of his reconnoitring party in the Oasis in 1971 and 1972. undertaken

Unfortunately

Fakhry’s

death interrupted

this work, recently

by I.F.A.O.

In February-April

1977 in the neighbourhood

of the necropolis

of the 6th Dynasty

a

Journal of Human Evolution (1980) 9, 71-74 0047-2484/80/010071+06

$02.00/O

0

1980 Academic

Press Inc. (London)

Limited

72

T. DZIERZYKRAY-ROGALSKI

large concentration century

B.C.,

antiquity;

of more recent

i.e. to the Ptolemaic

the human

remains

This site was labelled damaged

mummies.

graves was discovered. period.

were mixed

M II CD.

skulls and postcranial

recovered

of 71 individuals,

bones (30 males,

whose sex could not be determined

are dated to the 2nd and plundered

and some of them were partly

The author

The remains

These

These tombs were damaged

some well preserved

consisting

skulls and

of more or less defective

14 females and 17 children

because

in

combusted.

and 10 individuals

of the bad state of preservation)

were cxa-

mined. The anthropological graphic

All the individuals if this sample period.

study is still ongoing and the present paper deals with paleodemo-

and paleopathological

were of the Europoid

can be considered

It seems rather

class, because

aspects of this group.

examined

as representative

more probable

the localisation

It is not possible to ascertain

type.

of the population

of the graves in the neighbourhood

in this

of the higher

of the ancient

necro-

It is even possible that the graves belonged

polis seems to have been rahter exclusive. officials sent from the Ptolemaic

capital

duals examined

to the Europoid

were attributed

of Dakhleh

that they were the representatives

to the far-away

thesis, since it is well known that the southern

Oasis.

to

The fact that the indivi-

type seems to support

the above hypo-

Oases of Egypt were inhabited

by a Negroid

population. In spite of the possible inaccuracy

due to the low number

of individuals,

the age at

death of the adults was calculated. Table 1

Age at death of the adult individuals

(aged over 20 years)

Males

Females

0

M

20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80 and over Total

As can be seen in Table

1, the mortality

and highest in females in the class 30-49

‘1:

,O

n

%

n

1 5 8 5 4 7

3.3 16.7 27.7 16.7 13.3 23.3 -

2 4 4 1 _ 1 1

7.7

101.0

13

100.1

Age

30

of males is highest

15.4 30.8 30.8 7.7 7.7

in the class 40-49

The average age at death of males is 53.4 years & 14.98 and for females 43.1 f These values seem to be rather high, especially

the one for females.

The average

age at death of 10 individuals The bones preserved,

of unknown

in the sites located

in the Nile river Valley.

position of

sex also shows a high value:

as well as the mummies

(natural

tion), generally show very few pathological changes. Traces of spondylosis and arthrosis were found, but these illnesses frequent

1860.

This fact could either

be related to good living standard in the Oasis at this time or to the privileged the persons buried in the site M II CD. 64.8 years h 7.68.

years

years.

Caries

mummifica-

are much

also show a rather

more low

frequency and traumatisms were rare. However, four cases of leprosy were diagnosed. The alterations observed in these cases can be described as follows:

.

*.

PALEOPATHOLOGY

(1)

Skull

15/77.

porothic

White

changes

perforation

6 aged N 30.

in the vomer

of the palate

the left side.

PTOLEMAIC

A reduced

73

INHABITANTS

nasal spine together

are observable.

A round

delimited on.

Some teeth (C, Pm,, Pm, and M,) were lost intra-vitam although

no

process

at

(6 x 6 mm) surrounded

with osteo-

and clearly

by spongy bone is present

signs of inflammation alveolar

OF

are present this

level

in the sockets of the remaining

underwent

complete

teeth and the

resorption.

showing the spongy tissue and the traces of an inflammatory

A depression

process is present on

the right side of the palate. (2)

Skull 35177.

White

$ aged

together

with spongy vomer

alveolar

process

55-60

Atrophy

of the lower

nasal

Following

the premortal

tooth

years.

is present.

at the level of I, and I, underwent

canine socket shows the signs ofparadentosis (3)

Skull 36177.

White

3 aged 70-75.

of spina nasalis anterior are present, and deviation reaching

of the nasal

the nasal cavity

depression

(5 ?< 6 mm)

together

is present

The

of the nasal

with asymmetry

bone

of the apertua pirifornis

of the palate

and surrounded

by spongy

maxillary

(7 x 15 mm) bone

face is present

The other maxillary

the right C, and I, both lost ante-mortem.

1967).

and reduction

A perforation

on the external

loss the

athrophic

leprosa (MGller-Christensen,

Withdrown

septum,

resorption.

conchas

tissue.

A

at the level of

teeth are present

but very worn. (4)

Skull

37/77.

deviation

White

8 aged

75-80.

of the septum are present.

is observable

Reduction

on the left side of the palate,

4 mm) which enters into the maxillary worn. Phalanges attribution

sporadically

(anteriorj

and

with outcrop

of spongy

bone

accompanied

sinus.

by a round

(1907)

to very

but no direct

It is well known that leprosy was common in ancient

period.

found leprosy cases in the near Khargeh

even today

hole (4 x

The teeth are moderately

showing the typical lepfose changes were found in this material to the skulls was possible.

Egypt during the Ptolemaic HrdliEka

of spina nasalis

A depression

(in 1977 the author

Oasis) but the high frequency rather interesting. Two possible explanations

Oasis and this illness is present

saw some cases of leprosy in the Dakhleh

of leprosy in the exclusive

can be considered

group of Ptolemaic

epoch

is

: (1) leprosy being a very frequent disease

in the Oasis existed also in the higher social classes; (2) it would be possible that the Oasis was used as a deportation known that leprosy-ill

place

of leprosy-ill

were eliminated

belonging

to the ruling

class.

It is well

from the society and this Oasis is distant

enough

from the big cities to be used. Further

investigations

would broaden

in Dakhleh

our knowledge

Oasis,

based

on more

abundant

skeletal

material

on this subject. References

Drovetti, C. B. (1818).

Journal d’un voyage a la vallte de Dakhleh vers la fin de 1818. Dzierzykray-Rogalski, T. (1977). Paleopathology at the Muslim necropolis at Kom el-Dikka. In The Ancient Alexandria in Polish research. Materials of the Scientific Session of Jagiellonian University, P.S.P., Krakow. Dzierzykray-Rogalski, T. (1978a). Rapport sur les recherches anthropologiques men&es dans 1’Oasis de Dakhleh en 1977 (I.F.A.O.-Balat). Bulletin de PInstitut Francais d’drcheologie Orientab 78, 141-145. Dzierzykray-Rogalski, T. (19786). Contribution a la paleodemographie de 1’Oasis de Dakhleh (Egypte). Africana Bulletin 27, 161-165.

74

T. DZIERZYKRAY-ROOALSKI

Edmonstone, A. (1822). Journey to Two of the Oases of Upper E&t. London. Fakhry, A. (1972). Dakhleh Oasis. Qila el-Dubbeh (Balat). May 1972. (Manuscript of a Diary). HrdliEka, A, (1912). The natives of Kharga Oasis, Egypt. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 59, Washington. Moller-Christensen, V. (1967). Evidence of leprosy in earlier people. In (Brothwell, D. and Sandison, A. T., Eds) Diseases in Antiquity, pp. 295-305. Springfield, Ill.: C. C. Thomas Publishers. Vercoutter, J. (1977). Les travaux de 1’Institut Francais d’Archeologie Orientale en 1976-1977. Bulletin de l’lnstitut Francais d’drcheologie Orientale 77, 271-286. Winlock, H. E. (1936). Ed Dakhleh Oasis. Journal of a Camel Trip made in 1908 (with appendix by Ludlow Bull). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.