We tend to think of scribes as being in the mold of Bartleby the Scrivener, the eponymous Wall Street law clerk in a short story. In ancient Egypt, scribes were more than dreary papyrus-pushers. By and large, they were dignitaries, ranked above artisans and merchants but below priests and nobles. Their status derived chiefly from their literacy, a skill still in its infancy during the Old Kingdom, thousands of years ago. The scribes faced similar occupational hazards as modern desk jockeys and keyboard warriors. A recent study found that their repetitive tasks and postures might have caused degenerative changes in their joints, spines, and jaws.
Researchers examined the remains of adult male skeletons buried in a necropolis in Abusir, near Cairo. Some of these deceased individuals were presumed to have been scribes based on their burial location, inferred social rank, or titles found in their tombs. The skeletons of the scribes were compared with those of non-scribes from the same time and region. The study suggests that scribes faced occupational hazards that affected their physical health.
