Pharaonic Medicine Unravelled By Their Mummies
Feb 3rd, 2007 by admin
A team of Mummy experts from Manchester university are determined to unravel the secrets of ancient Egyptian medicine by comparing modern plant species found in the Sinai region with ancient plant samples found in tombs.
Researcher Ryan Metcalf said: “We know ancient Egyptians had extensive trade routes.
“It is entirely possible that both medicinal plants and the knowledge to use them effectively were traded between regions and countries.
“By comparing the prescriptions in the medical papyri to the medicinal plant use of the indigenous Bedouin people, we hope to determine the origins of Pharaonic medicine.”
Their work is based around the St. Katherine region of Mount Sinai, the area in which it is said God gave The Ten Commandments to Moses. The plants in this area have long been of value to the indigenous Bedouin - as building materials, trade goods, food and pharmaceuticals.