The most popular myth of ancient Egypt is dispelled

The most popular myth of ancient Egypt is dispelled
The most popular myth of ancient Egypt is dispelled
Anonim

The famous Merit Ptah, the ancient Egyptian female doctor, never existed. This is the conclusion reached by medical historian Jakub Kwiecinski from Johns Hopkins University in the United States. This was announced in a press release on MedicalXpress.

The researcher dispelled a popular myth that arose in the 30s of the XX century. Physician and feminist Kate Campbell Hurd-Mead published A History of Women in Medicine: From the Earliest Times to the Early 19th Century in 1938. It described the excavation of a tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, where archaeologists found an image of Merit Ptah, which says that her son was the high priest, and she herself was the "chief physician."

However, Kvetsinsky argues that there is actually no evidence that Merit Ptah was related to medicine. Her name does not appear in any of the compiled lists of ancient Egyptian healers. She is also not on the lists of women holding senior positions during the Old Kingdom (XXVIII - XXI centuries BC). In the Valley of the Kings, there are also no graves where there is mention of the son of Merit Ptah, but they are found in the Theban necropolis.

According to the scientist, the image of a female doctor is the result of confusion. In 1929-1930, as a result of excavations in Giza, the grave of a high-ranking official Akhetetep was discovered. An image of a woman named Peseshet, "a master over healers", was found. Kvetsinsky believes that Hurd-Mead simply confused Merit Ptah with Peseshet, after which the myth was quickly and widely spread by amateur historians and fighters for the equal rights of women and men.

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