Osteopathological findings in mummified baboons from ancient Egypt

✍ Scribed by Andreas G. Nerlich; Franz Parsche; Angela Von Den Driesch; Udo Löhrs

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1993
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 823 KB
• Volume: 3
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1047-482X
• DOI: 10.1002/oa.1390030305

✦ Synopsis

We present the pathological findings in a historic population of 82 baboon mummies recovered from the animal sanctuaryof Tuna-el-Gebel in Egypt, in which we were able to demonstrate a high prevalence of disease. In almost 20 per cent of the baboons, signs were present of chronic malnutrition causing bowing and shortening of the long bones. A further 15 per cent of the animals revealed features of chronic joint or vertebral deformities suggesting poor living conditions in their cages. There were three cases of post-traumatic fractures, three of haematogenous osteornyelitis, one individual showed osteoporosis and one hyperostosis of the scapula of uncertain origin. Additionally, we found one tumour of the pelvic bones with features, which might be attributable to an aggressive osteoblastoma or an osteosarcoma. Our findings clearly demonstrate the high rate of bone abnormalities and the wide spectrum of diseases encountered in Egyptian baboon mummies. These observations contribute significantly to our understanding of the life of ancient Egyptian baboons and particularly to their living conditions.