Egyptian medicine and disabilities: from pharaonic to Greco-Roman Egypt

Sources of evidence The availability of palaeopathological as well as textual and iconographic evidence from Egypt provides an unequalled opportunity to study one ancient society’s perception and attitude towards deformity and disability. Unique geographical features and burial customs have ensured the survival of a wealth of source material. The annual Nile inundation created fertile land required for agriculture and everyday existence, but because this was scarce, burials had to be accommodated on the edges of the desert. The contents of these tombs included the body of the deceased owner, and a funerary assemblage, which provided for everyday needs in the afterlife. The heat and dryness of the desert location created the ideal conditions for preserving the tomb (with its carved and painted wall scenes) and its contents.