The World's Oldest Prosthetics are also Egyptian

A 3,000-Year old artificial toe from Ancient Egypt is thought to be the world’s earliest functional prosthetic body part. It was discovered in a tomb near the city of Luxor in 1997 attached to a mummy of a woman named “Ta bakit an mut”. This woman was the daughter of “Amun” a priest who lived in Egypt during the transition period of the 3rd dynasty of ancient Egypt (710-915 B.C).

Necessity is the mother of invention

“Ta bakit an mut” suffered from Atherosclerosis and had her big toe (the hallux) amputated through a skillfully performed surgical procedure using advanced medicine in ancient Egypt. This resulted in complete healing of the skin naturally. It is known that the big toe carries 40% of the body weight and is responsible for forwarding propulsion. Since the ancient Egyptians used to walk in sandals, it was necessary to make a prosthetic device so that “Ta bakit an mut” can lead a normal life.

The first prosthetic toe in history
The ancient prosthetic toe display at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Cairo

A very special prosthetic 

The prosthetic toe made for her was very unique because of its functionality. While the early prostheses were mostly decorative, this Egyptian toe is an example of a true prosthetic device. The toe was made up of three wooden and leather pieces carved to resemble the anatomy of the big toe. The pieces were assembled with leather belt straps acting as hinges between the parts to allow bending like normal joints and to provide comfort. The toe’s undersurface was flattened for stability and the toe’s edges were polished to avoid foot abrasion. A textile lace was also tied around her forefoot to fix the toe prosthesis firmly in place.

"There is no other prosthetic device known of this old age displaying the same sophistication. It is a unique piece made by using a sophisticated way of fixing the individual parts of the prosthesis to each other, the artificial limb had a balancing effect and gave, to some extent, a freedom of movement,"

                                        -Andrea Loprieno-Gnirs of the University of Basel

The prosthetic toe was designed successfully to be a practical, natural-looking, and comfortable device. Proving once again the surpassing ingenuity of Ancient Egyptians. 

Isn't it a true masterpiece?!

Close-up of the ancient prosthetic toe, The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Cairo



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