Statue of the official Neferu and his wife at Abusir, Egypt
Martin Fruz/Institute of Egyptology, Charles University, Czech Republic
The ancient Egyptian scribes who wrote on papyrus thousands of years ago are often depicted kneeling or sitting cross-legged, positions that clearly took a toll on their bones.
The skeletons of these 30 scribes show significant degeneration of certain bones and joints compared with those of 39 other Egyptian men from the same region and era. All were buried between 2700 and 2180 BC in the necropolis of the pyramid complex at Abusir, Egypt.
Source: www.newscientist.com
