Scientists Find Evidence of High-Quality Mummification of Dwarves in Ancient Egypt, Believe They Were Revered

Different cultures have distinct attitudes toward certain conditions. The distinct attitude is reflected through their traditions as well as things like burials. Certain burials located in Egypt provide insights into the group's relation with a particular condition, stated All That's Interesting. Findings regarding the group's response to the condition have also been noted in a study published in The Lancet. 

The study focussed on the condition of dwarfism and how ancient Egyptians reacted to it. Bioarchaeologist, Anna Pieri, studied two ancient mummies that were possibly afflicted with dwarfism and claimed that Egyptians revered people with such conditions. She examined two 4,900-year-old mummies laid to rest in Hierakonpolis. They belonged to a man and a woman, who were buried between two separate royal tombs. This implied to experts that dwarves were respected and hence placed close to royalty. This reverence appears to be even older than the first pharaohs. The man was in his 30s or 40s at the time of his death. Analysis showcased that he lived a life of comfort and had pseudoachondroplasia, a rare disease that happens only once in every 30,000 modern-day births.

The study focuses on two confirmed cases of dwarfism spotted from tomb KV40 in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. These confirmed cases were valuable for researchers because they could possibly be the earliest known physical evidence of dwarfism that has ever been discovered by archaeologists. Ancient artistic depictions showcase that dwarfism was identified in Egyptian communities, but finding evidence of it has not been an easy pursuit. Before this study, the oldest known evidence of dwarfism was spotted in Dakhleh Oasis. The remains belonged to a woman who was in her 30s, at the time of her death. Analysis unveiled that she had proportionate dwarfism. This was the first confirmed case of proportionate dwarfism in Egyptian mummies. Though there have been instances where this condition has been speculated for particular mummies like for the remains of Seneb from the Fifth Dynasty (circa 2400 B.C.E.), however, nothing could be confirmed.

The tomb KV40 was initially utilized by Pharaoh Amenhotep III's (18th Dynasty, circa 1400–1450 B.C.E.) family members and entourage. From the the 22nd to 25th Dynasties (circa 850–700 BCE) it was put into use by the priestly families. In total, the remains of 80 individuals have been excavated from the site. Amongst the cases afflicted with dwarfism, one belonged to a seven-year-old child, whose sex could not be determined. The child's remains contained a left arm, right leg, pelvic girdle, thorax, and abdomen.  The other one was around 12 years of age when they took their last breath. Here, too, the experts couldn't determine the sex. Analysis revealed that in both cases the height of the children was below the average stature that is typically attained during their ages. 

In both cases, the children were laid to rest with high-quality mummification. This along with the burial context of being placed with either royalty or priests, suggests that people afflicted with dwarfism enjoyed an elevated social position in the ancient Egyptian community. This implies that the perception of the condition changed with time, garnering a discriminating attribute as people moved towards other periods.