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Study shows life was tough for ancient Egyptians
The Giza pyramids in a file photo. New evidence of a sick, deprived population working under harsh conditions contradicts earlier images of wealth and abundance from the art records of the ancient Egyptian city of Tell el-Amarna, a study has found. [Agencies]
New evidence of a sick, deprived population working under harsh conditions contradicts earlier images of wealth and abundance from the art records of the ancient Egyptian city of Tell el-Amarna, a study has found.
Tell el-Amarna was the capital of ancient Egypt during the reign of the pharaoh Akhenaten, who abandoned most of Egypt's old gods in favor of the Aten sun disk and brought in a new and more expressive style of art.
Akhenaten, who ruled Egypt between 1379 and 1362 BC, built and lived in Tell el-Amarna in central Egypt for 15 years. The city was largely abandoned shortly after his death and the ascendance of the famous boy king Tutankhamun to the throne.
Studies on the remains of ordinary ancient Egyptians in a cemetery in Tell el-Amarna showed that many of them suffered from anemia, fractured bones, stunted growth and high juvenile mortality rates, according to professors Barry Kemp and Jerome Rose, who led the research.
Rose, a professor of anthropology in the University of Arkansas in the United States, said adults buried in the cemetery were probably brought there from other parts of Egypt.
"This means that we have a period of deprivation in Egypt prior to the Amarna phase," he said.
"So maybe things were not so good for the average Egyptian and maybe Akhenaten said we have to change to make things better," he said.
Kemp, director of the Amarna Project which seeks in part to increase public knowledge of Tell el-Amarna and surrounding region, said little attention has been given to the cemeteries of ordinary ancient Egyptians.
Rose displayed pictures showing spinal injuries among teenagers, probably because of accidents during construction work to build the city.
The study showed that anemia ran at 74 percent among children and teenagers, and at 44 percent among adults, Rose said. The average height of men was 159 cm (5 feet 2 inches) and 153 cm among women.
"Adult heights are used as a proxy for overall standard of living," he said. "Short statures reflect a diet deficient in protein. ... People were not growing to their full potential."
一项考古研究发现，古埃及人健康状况不佳、生活贫困，劳动条件也很恶劣。这一结论与之前古埃及特拉-埃尔-阿玛纳（简称“阿玛纳”）的艺术宝藏向人们展示的丰裕富足的画面相矛盾。
特拉-埃尔-阿玛纳是阿肯纳顿法老统治时期古埃及的都城，阿肯纳顿在其统治期间废止了古埃及的多神崇拜，独尊太阳神阿顿，并树立了一种全新的、更具表现力的艺术形式。
阿肯纳顿法老统治古埃及的时期为公元前1379年至公元前1362年，他在埃及中部创建了阿玛纳城并在此居住了15年。阿肯纳顿去世后，著名的“少年法老”图坦卡蒙继位，不久阿玛纳城也几乎被荒废。
据研究负责人巴里•凯姆普和杰罗米•罗斯教授介绍，考古人员对阿玛纳一处古埃及普通人的墓中的遗骸进行研究后发现，其中有很多人贫血、骨折、发育迟缓，青少年死亡率也很高。
美国阿肯色大学的人类学教授罗斯说，这处墓地中所埋的成年人有可能来自埃及其它地区。
他说：“这就说明在古埃及的阿玛纳时期前还有一个人民生活贫苦的历史时期。”
“当时古埃及普通人的生活状况可能不如人意，所以阿肯纳顿法老可能就做出了改革的决定。”
“阿玛纳考古项目”的负责人凯姆普说，之前对于古埃及普通人的墓关注太少。开展“阿玛纳考古项目”一部分就是为了加深人们对阿玛纳以及周边地区的了解。
罗斯展示了古埃及青少年脊柱受伤的一些照片，这可能是他们在建造阿玛纳城时发生事故受的伤。
研究显示，古埃及儿童和青少年患贫血的比例为74%，成年人为44％；古埃及男子的平均身高为159厘米，女性为153厘米。
罗斯说：“成年人身高为衡量人们总体生活水平的重要指标。身材矮小说明人们饮食中的蛋白质摄入量不足，从而会导致生长发育不完全。”
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