This 3,000-year-old prosthetic wooden toe is yet to reveal all its secrets
A re-examination of an ancient Egyptian wooden toe is shedding more light on how the prosthetic was manufactured and what its purpose was, cosmetic or functional.
The wooden toe is called the Greville Chester Great Toe. It is one of the earliest prosthetic devices known to scientists. According to Gizmodo, the toe was discovered 17 years ago in a plundered tomb that was carved into an older burial chamber known as Sheikh ´Abd el-Qurna, an acropolis just west of Luxor, Egypt.
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The device and the archaeological site are now reexamined by a team of researchers from the University of Basel and the University of Zurich. They have already discovered new things: the artificial toe belonged to the daughter of a priest, most probably of high social standing, given the quality and the craftsmanship of the toe. The device was refitted several times to match the exact shape and fit of the woman who wore it. The researchers also looked into the materials and methods used to manufacture the ancient prosthetic.
This 3,000-year-old prosthetic wooden toe is more incredible than we thought https://t.co/mD2AW30jYf pic.twitter.com/iVSKGowQ1j
— io9 (@io9) June 22, 2017
“The technical know-how can be seen particularly well in the mobility of the prosthetic extension and the robust structure of the belt strap,” noted the researchers in a press release. “The fact that the prosthesis was made in such a laborious and meticulous manner indicates that the owner valued a natural look, aesthetics and wearing comfort and that she was able to count on highly qualified specialists to provide this.”
The wooden toe offers us an insight regarding the past and our ancestor’s first attempts to create prosthetic devices.
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