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.