Ancient Egyptian Skeleton With Rheumatoid Arthritis Uncovered by Italian-Polish Archaeologists

In a groundbreaking discovery, an Italian-Polish archaeological mission in Egypt’s Aswan province has unearthed the skeletal remains of an ancient Egyptian woman who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. Announced Wednesday by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, this find represents the first diagnosed case of the disease in ancient Egypt and one of the world’s oldest detected cases. Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, highlighted the significance of the discovery, emphasizing its contribution to understanding ancient health conditions. The 3,500-year-old skeleton showed extensive erosion in various bones due to the disease. Abdel Monem Saeed of the Aswan and Nubia Antiquities Authority noted the absence of prior written records of rheumatoid arthritis in ancient Egypt. The mission’s focus is to study the health of middle-class ancient Egyptians in the southern regions.