Ancient Egypt
The Impact of Civilisation on
Medical Developments
The Nile Gives Birth to a New
Civilisation
•
(A) THE DELTA
North of Memphis, the Nile
divided into channels, to form
a delta. Much of this land was
swampy, but the rest was good
for farming.
(B) OASIS
The Western Desert had a few
places where enough water
was available for crops to be
grown. These were called
oases.
(C) THE EASTERN DESERT
The Eastern Desert had no
oases but it contained valuable
minerals, including gold.
(D) THE VALLEY
The valley was only 19 km
wide but over 5,960 km long.
(E) CATARACTS
Ships sailing south were
stopped by cataracts (rapids).
• Good Farming Land
• Irrigation systems
• Complex flood patterns
– Mathematical skills required
– Advanced planning required
Producing More than enough
Food
(A) HARVEST
When the main crops were ready, nearly
everyone - men and women, even
priests - helped with the harvest.
(B) MUSIC
Musicians played while work went on in
the fields. At planting time, magic spells
were chanted to make the crops grow.
(C) WINNOWING
Women scooped the grain up with
wooden trays, letting the chaff blow
away while the heavier grain fell to the
ground.
(D) TAXES
Farmers paid part of their crop as taxes.
Scribes kept careful records of the
amounts.
(E) CATTLE
Young boys helped to look after the
livestock. A man's wealth could be
judged by the cattle he owned. Farmers
also owned sheep, goats, and donkeys.
• Surplus Food Produced
– Store for future use
– Trade for other goods
– Not everyone needs to farm
• New trades and specialities
develop
Trading the Surplus
•
(A) MERCHANT SHIP
Small boats were made of
bundles of reeds tied together.
Larger ships were built of wood.
This one sailed through the
dangerous Red Sea.
(B) CARGO
Ships had no deck, except for
short sections at each end, and
the crew stowed cargo in the
open hold. The ship had oars
and one large sail.
(C) THE LAND OF PUNT
Ships that sailed to Punt were
carried across the desert in
pieces and built on the shore of
the Red Sea. Punt was
probably in eastern Africa, but
nobody knows exactly where.
•
•
New Products and Ideas can be imported
Makes money which can be invested
– Cities
– To please the Gods
Craftsmen
(A) POTTERY
Pots of many shapes and sizes
were made from local clay. It was
shaped by hand in a mold made
of stiff sand, given a glaze, and
hardened in fire.
(B) GOLD
The Egyptians had plenty of gold,
mostly from mines in Nubia.
Jewellery and gold-plated objects
were made. Statues and even a
king's coffin were made of solid
gold.
(C) SANDALS
The shoemaker's trade was
simple, because the only shoes
people wore were sandals, made
of leather or papyrus reed.
Usually they went barefoot.
(D) WOOD CARVING
This man is making a wooden
animal. Most woodworking tools,
such as saws and chisels, have
not changed much since.
New jobs available for talented craftsmen
Surplus food Production allows for their
wages to be paid
New Products and Skills Develop
Some with medical application!
A New Hierarchy Develops
• Agricultural and
Trading
opportunities allow
New Hierarchy to be
formed
– Elite/Aristocracy
• Pay wages to others
to work for them
• Life of leisure
– Free time to think
• New ideas
• New Inventions
• New Skills
Hieroglyphics
• Development of
Writing
• Papyrus
• Pictographs
• Allows ideas to be
transferred
– Can spread throughout
Egypt
– Can be passed down
through generations
Sophisticated Civilisation
(A) RAISING STONE BLOCKS
One of the hardest jobs was
moving the heavy stone blocks into
place. The builders made huge
ramps of earth and dragged the
stones up the ramps with ropes.
(B) SUPERVISORS
Officials, who were probably
priests, directed the gangs of
workmen.
(C) SHAPING THE STONE
Each stone was carefully measured
and shaped to fit into place.
(D) ACCIDENTS
Many workmen were killed or
injured, crushed by the heavy stone
blocks.
• Large Scale projects were now feasible
– Planning
– Writing and Mathematics
– New Tools
• Public Works projects
Towns and Cities Develop
• Craftsmen, traders,
labourers find it
easier and more
convenient to live in
towns and cities.
• Urban economy and
lifestyle develops
• Medical threats to an
urban population?
Hygienic Lifestyle
• Personal Hygiene
– Very important
• Public Works allow
for
– Drain Systems
– Water Delivery
systems
– Bathing
Who were the Medical Care
Givers?
“It is seven days from yesterday since I saw my love,
And Sickness has crept over me,
My limbs have become heavy,
I cannot feel my own body.
If the Master-Physicians come to me
I gain no comfort from their remedies.
And the priest-magicians have no cures,
My sickness is not diagnosed.
My love is better by far for me than any remedies.
She is more important than all the books of medicine.”
Egyptian Love Poem c1500 BC
Religion
• Very Important
• Temples
• Priests
– Alternative medical
care from master
physicians
• Charms
– Still used extensively
Imphotep
• Master Physicians
– can be afforded by the very
wealthy
• Pharoah Zozer’s Physician
– Adviser
– Architect on some Pyramids
– Healer
• c2600 BC
• Becomes God of Medicine
– For Greeks and Egyptians
– c500 BC
The Nile Theory
•
•
Attempt to Explain how the Body
works and why people get sick
Related to their Natural
Environment and their
understanding of how the world
works
–
•
Channels (River)
–
–
•
River Nile
Mixture of Blood and Air
Flows from the centre to
extremeties
Disease
–
Caused by blockages of the
channels
•
•
•
•
Caused by rotting food
Letting off gases
Prevents normal flow
A Rational Explanation
Ebers and Smith Papyri
• Smith Papyrus
– C1700 BC (but refers to Imphotep’s era)
– Surgical treatments for wounds
• Ebers Papyrus
–
–
–
–
–
C1500 BC
110 Pages
Treatments for diseases
Herbal Remedies
Remedies used by Gods
Medical Kit
• 1) knives; (2) drill; (3) saw; (4)
forceps or pincers; (5) censer;
(6) hooks; (7) bags tied with
string; (8, 10) beaked vessel;
(11) vase with burning incense;
(12) Horus eyes; (13) scales;
(14) pot with flowers of Upper
and Lower Egypt; (15) pot on
pedestal; (16) graduated cubit or
papyrus scroll without side knot
(or a case holding reed
scalpels); (17) shears; (18)
spoons.
The Afterlife?
• Elaborate death ritual
• Embalming Procedure
– Directed by Priests
• Uses sophisticated
tools and techniques
• HOWEVER
– It is not a medical
procedure
• He is already dead!
Mummification
Excessive respect for the Dead body
•
(A) ANUBIS
The priest in charge of the mummification
wore the mask of Anubis (the god of the
dead).
(B) INCENSE
A priest stands by, holding sweet-smelling
incense.
(C) WRAPPING THE BODY
The body, or mummy, was wrapped in
layers of linen before being placed in the
coffin.
(D) NATRON
Natron, a kind of soda, was placed in the
body to dry it out before it was wrapped in
linen.
(E) SOAKING THE BANDAGES
Sometimes, linen strips were soaked in
plaster so they would harden when dry.
Will hinder medical developments for many years
Sacred Body does not allow for exploration or
experimentation.
Dissection Forbidden
Legacy of Egypt
• Greece and Rome conquer Egypt
• Greece and Rome respect many of
the Egyptian ideas on medicine
• Egyptian Physicians in demand in
Ancient Greece
• Role of Alexandria
What was new in
Egyptian Medicine?
(compared to Prehistoric Medicine)
What was the same?
What was new in
Egyptian Medicine?
What was the same?
(compared to Prehistoric Medicine)
Master Physicians
Herbal remedies
Attempt to explain diseases
(Nile Theory)
Role of Gods and Spirits
Can identify parts of the body
Little understanding of internal
workings of body
Imported new herbs from other
civilisations
No idea what actually caused
diseases
Metal Instruments
Paid for medical care
Some Public Health measures
Hygiene identified
Marking Scheme
• Level 0
– General or simplistic
Answer (1 Mark)
• Level 1
– Specifically answers
question with relevant
example or
explanation (2 – 3
Marks)
• Level 2
– Sophisticated answer
that shows an
understanding of the
complex forces
involved. Good use of
relevant examples (4
– 5 Marks)
• Write a simple paragraph explaining
how the following affected medicine
–
–
–
–
–
–
Wealth
Trade
Writing
Religion
The Nile and Farming
Which is the most important of the 5?
• List all the kinds of healers mentioned
sources 1 to 5 on page 18
• Answer questions 1, 5, 6 and 7 on
pages 20/21
• Homework
– Activity on page 21
– Design an advertisement for one of the
treatments described on pages 20/21