Disability and Accommodation in the Eastern Mediterranean: Case Studies from New Kingdom Egypt and Classical Greece

Summary

Although the archaeology of marginalized groups has been increasingly discussed in recent scholarship, people with disabilities remain largely unstudied. Recent works on this topic have paved the way for a dedicated examination of people with disabilities in the archaeological record. This paper reviews published material to critically examine physical evidence for disability and accommodation in New Kingdom Egypt and Classical Greece, both areas and periods with rich material culture, extensive architecture, a wealth of bioarchaeological samples, and comparative records. These areas are therefore a useful starting point for an in-depth cross-cultural study of people with disabilities in the ancient world. Mummies and other remains that display pathologies diagnostic of disabilities in life, artifacts and material culture made to accommodate individuals with disabilities, and even artistic depictions offer the beginnings of understanding what life was like for people with disabilities on the banks of the Nile and amongst the cities of Greece. In addition to material culture, an architectural analysis of public buildings reveals the difficulties people with mobility issues might have faced when trying to access landmarks such as the temple of Amun or the Athenian Acropolis.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22252