Palaeoepidemiology, literacy, and medical tradition among necropolis workmen in New Kingdom Egypt.

We are fortunate in having a number of sources for reconstructing the epidemiology of occupational diseases in pharaonic Egypt and the religious, magical, and medical means of treatment available to workmen engaged in various projects and tasks. In addition to the inscriptions which the leaders and personnel of official expeditions often left in the desert,1 we have a rich collection of records and monuments from the community of workmen at Deir el Medina, which give an indication of the number of working days lost through sickness,2 the accidents and health problems the workers suffered from, and even the means ofmagical, ritual, and medical treatment they had at their disposal.3 From the Egyptian medical texts we have an idea of the range of health problems which were diagnosed and treated,4 and it is sometimes possible to use recent