Greetings ATS!
I love stories about civilizations long past, they remind me of our shared humanity. So when I found this story, I just had to share. The ingenuity of
our distant ancestors never fails to astonish me.
Source
Two ancient Egyptian wooden toes have been confirmed as the world's oldest prosthetics, according to scientific tests.
Discovered in the necropolis of Thebe near present-day Luxor, the two artificial toes -- the so-called Greville Chester toe housed in the British
Museum and the Tabaketenmut toe at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo -- have been called by several experts the earliest prosthetic devices in
existence.
Exquisitely crafted from cartonnage (a sort of papier maché mixture made using linen, glue and plaster) the Greville Chester toe dates from before
600 BC and comes in the shape of the right big toe and a portion of the right foot.
The other false toe, a three-part wood and leather artifact dating from between 950 to 710 B.C., was found attached to the right toe of a mummy
identified as Tabaketenmut. She was a priest's daughter who might have lost her toe following gangrene triggered by diabetes.
Both fake toes show significant signs of wear. Moreover, they feature holes for lacings to either attach the toes onto the foot or fasten it onto a
sock or sandal.
"There are many instances of the ancient Egyptians creating false body parts for burial, but the wear, plus their design, both suggest they were used
by people to help them to walk," Finch said.
I'm on my phone and can't link the pictures, but visit the article bc the pics are incredible.
