Notes from ancient Egypt

✍ Scribed by Nasser Loza; Georges Milad

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 417 KB
• Volume: 5
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-6230
• DOI: 10.1002/gps.930050610

✦ Synopsis

This article highlights the fascinating glimpses of old age provided by studying the medical and religious manuscripts of Ancient Egypt.

Egyptian history is broadly divided into three eras, namely, the Pharaonic (34th-2nd century BC), the Coptic (?nd--7th century AD) and the Islamic (7th-16th century AD). The prevalence of age-related problems was probably very low in ancient times. Mortality in infancy and early life must have been very high. We know, for example, from studying the skulls of Pharaonic mummies from the Dynastic period that the mean age at death would have been 36. Mortality was even higher in females because of deaths in childbirth and the puerperium (Marro, 1966). This compares with the mean lifetime expectancy in Egypt in 1969 of 51.6 years. Nevertheless, the writings suggest that survivors could achieve a great age. Rameses I1 (XIX Dynasty) lived to the age o f 96 (see Fig. l), having reigned at various intervals for 65 years. Rameses led an eventful life, being a great warrior and leading numerous battles