The ergonomic challenges of these Egyptian scribes hold a lesson for modern generations.
The perils of the writing life, it turns out, are more than just writer’s block. One might blame modern humans and their sedentary lifestyles for what it’s worth, but turns out bad back, poor posture, eye strain, headaches, arthritis and stress-induced injuries have been the thinking man’s inheritance since ancient times. A study by the National Museum of Prague of the skeletal remains of 69 adult male scribes, buried in Egypt’s Abusir between 2700 and 2180 BC, has shown that they suffered from orthopaedic malaises whose modern equivalent would be carpal tunnel syndrome or repetitive stress injury.
Unlike the ancient Greeks, whose lyceums laid equal emphasis on the life of the mind and physical training, there has mostly been a demarcation between the thinker and the doer. While a life of contemplation offers its own nourishment, for the ancient Egyptian scribes, there were rich material rewards, too, including career extensions well into one’s prime. Part of the social elite — only 1 per cent of the contemporary Egyptian population was literate after all — they held high administrative positions in the Pharaoh’s court, recording for posterity its workings in detailed hieroglyphics. On the flip side, the physical toll of all that sitting around was also considerably more than those suffered by the non-scribes, whose physical exertion kept them fitter and leaner.
The ergonomic challenges of these Egyptian scribes hold a lesson for modern generations. That laptop that has become a body extension, or the desk where one sits for hours on end, the tablet that has replaced the papyrus all carry an implicit warning: The implements might have changed, but the subtext hasn’t. There remains a life beyond the job that requires movement and engagement, not just of the mind, but also of the body. After all, what use is an epiphany if you have lost the health plot already?
