Abstract
A woman from the city of Mendes in ancient Egypt exhibits two forms of nonalimentary tooth wear: abrasion patches on the vestibular surfaces of lateral incisors through second molars, which are consistent with habitual tooth cleaning, and wedge-shaped wear of the central incisor crowns, with apices of the wedge at the incisal edges, which may have been produced by using the teeth to split reeds. Reeds were woven for baskets, footwear, rope, and paper, and reed coffins and mats are evident in many burials at Mendes. The wedge-shaped wear is unique in the dental sample from the site and hints at the professionalization of this woman as a craft specialist. Yet, although distinctive in her community, she has been marginalized by publication of populational, not individual, frequencies of dental disease and pathological conditions at Mendes, and by the limited descriptions of women’s work in ancient Egyptian documents and tomb scenes.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
