Writing in Ancient Egypt caused hip, spine and shoulder injuries

Scribes in Ancient Egypt often sat cross-legged for hours and hunched over their work - Jonathan Nelson / Alamy Stock Photo

Scribes in Ancient Egypt suffered hip, spine and shoulder problems from sitting cross-legged with their head bent forwards for hours on end, new research suggests.

The study of 4,000-year-old male skeletons revealed the occupational hazards of the repetitive tasks conducted by high status men with the ability to write and who carried out administrative work.

The positions they sat in while working may have led to degenerative skeletal changes including, indentations on both kneecaps and a flattened surface on a bone in the lower part of the right ankle, say scientists.

Study leader Dr Petra Brukner Havelkova and her colleagues examined the skeletal remains of 69 adult males, 30 of whom were scribes, buried in the necropolis at Abusir, in Egypt, between 2700BC and 2180BC.

Their findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, identified degenerative joint changes that were more common among scribes compared to men with other occupations.

Dr Havelkova said: “These were in the joints connecting the lower jaw to the skull, the right collarbone, the top of the right humerus where it meets the shoulder, the first metacarpal bone in the right thumb, the bottom of the thigh where it meets the knee, and throughout the spine, but particularly at the top.”

The research team also identified bone changes that could be indicative of physical stress caused by repeated use in the humerus and left hip bone, which were more common among scribes than men with other occupations.

Dr Havelkova, of Charles University, Prague, in the Czech Republic, said: “Other skeletal features that were more common among scribes were an indentation on both kneecaps and a flattened surface on a bone in the lower part of the right ankle.”

Sitting for prolonged periods

The researchers suggest that the degenerative changes observed in the spines and shoulders of scribes could result from them sitting for prolonged periods in a cross-legged position with the head bent forwards, the spine flexed, and their arms unsupported.

Dr Havelkova said: “Changes to knees, hips, and ankles could indicate that scribes may have preferred to sit with the left leg in a kneeling or cross-legged position and the right leg bent with the knee pointing upwards in a squatting or crouching position.”

The team say statues and wall decorations in tombs have depicted scribes sitting in both positions, as well as standing, while working.

Dr Havelkova said: “Degeneration to the jaw joints could have resulted from scribes chewing the ends of rush stems to form brush-like heads they could write with, while degeneration to the right thumb could have been caused by repeatedly pinching their pens.”

She added: “The findings provide greater insight into the lives of scribes in ancient Egypt during the third millennium BC.”

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