Preservation of DNA in ancient Egyptian mummies

The presence of DNA has been demonstrated in the cell nuclei of an ancient Egyptian mummy fragment. When extracted, this DNA proved to be degraded to a considerable extent and chemically modified. However, the preservation of nucleic acids in this specimen suggests that applying recombinant DNA techniques to the study of ancient mummified tissues might prove to be a fruitful future area of research.     

The use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis in ancient skeletons

The polymerase chain reaction has been used to extract ancient DNA from a wide range of different types of material. We have considered the possibility of finding residual bacterial DNA in bone that may have been infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis using this technique. We propose a method of collecting samples and testing for the presence of degraded genetic material in ancient bone. The steps of the polymerase chain reaction are detailed and discussed, as are those for the preparation of the bone sample. Results obtained would suggest that this technique could have wide application in osteoarchaeological research by giving us new information on diseases of antiquity. Future avenues for the investigation of bacterial DNA in ancient bone are suggested.     

A first prehistoric case of tuberculosis from Britain

A likely case of tuberculosis in an Iron Age human burial from Dorset, England is described. Osteological examination and biomolecular study support the diagnosis. A radiocarbon determination indicates a date range for the burial of BC 400–230. This case represents the earliest reported case of tuberculosis from Britain, and indicates that the disease was present here prior to the Roman invasion. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

古代埃及官吏的说话艺术

古代埃及官吏讲求说话艺术。他们追求的不是以美丽的辞藻说服对方,也不是以高超的辩术驳倒敌手,而是少说话、不到万不得已的时候不说话、说话时找准时候和分寸。对于以国王为代表的统治阶层来说,要求年轻的官吏们遵循这种说话艺术有利于维持由来已久的等级制和防止因言语不当而发生的矛盾和纠纷,对于初入仕途的年轻人来说,掌握说话的技巧和规则有助于他们理顺与上级和下级之间的关系,以免招致上司的厌恶和属下的不满。古代埃及说教文在培养年轻人以符合官场规则说话方面发挥了重要作用,而官吏的自传则揭示了他们身体力行说教文所灌输的劝诫的原因和目的。     

20世纪以来的埃及学研究

诞生于1822年的埃及学,是一门研究古代埃及的语言、文字、历史、文学、艺术、宗教、建筑和科技的综合性学科。埃及学发展至今已经有近200年的历史,但埃及学作为一门世界性的学科,对人类文明做出重要贡献是在20世纪以来逐渐取得的。经过数代埃及学家的共同努力,埃及学已有很大发展,古埃及文明是属于全人类的,日新月异的埃及学研究成果已成为全世界共同的文化财富。     

Persistence and decay of the intestinal microbiota's DNA in glacier mummies from the Alps

The study of the DNA of ancient microorganisms in human remains represents one of the newest and most promising branches of molecular archaeoanthropology. Despite the growing number of papers addressing this subject, however, the analysis of ancient bacterial DNA is still a contentious issue. The indigenous microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract of man represents a community characterized by relative constancy in species composition and proportion. As a model system, we studied the preservation of the intestinal microbiota DNA in two naturally freeze-dried human mummies found on the Alps. This kind of mummy is an ideal subject for ancient DNA investigations. The first is a male body historically dated 1918 A.D. while the second is the famous Tyrolean Iceman (3.350–3.100 B.C.). The screening of bacterial 16S rRNA gene libraries from colon samples of the two mummies (49 clones for the 1918 mummy, 119 clones for the Iceman) showed that the characteristic composition of the intestinal microbiota of man (Alpha-, Beta-, Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteroides, Clostridia) is still kept in the library from the recent mummy while the Iceman's library is almost entirely composed by the DNA of clostridia. Comparison of the intestinal data with those from the literature describing the screening of 16S rRNA gene libraries from other parts of the Iceman's body and from permafrost specimens indicates that the changes in library composition may partly be attributed to the proliferation of clostridia inside the corpses, as described in forensic literature, and partly to the differential persistence of the DNA of gram-negative bacteria and endospore-former low-GC gram-positive bacteria. The present results contribute to the issue of the authentication of claims of pathogen DNA identification in archaeological human remains.     

Did Ancient Egyptian Ships have Keels? The evidence of Thonis‐Heracleion Ship 17

This paper presents the debate over the presence or absence of keels in the construction of Egyptian ships of the dynastic period. It contains an analysis of ship representations and models dating to the 18th–20th dynasties of the New Kingdom (c.1539–1077 BC) that provide evidence for the introduction of keels in Egyptian shipbuilding, and new archaeological material from excavations at Thonis‐Heracleion that sheds more light on the question.     

Loose‐footed Sails of the Egyptian New Kingdom Ships

The relief from the temple of Ramesses III (1184–1153 BC) in Medinet Habu is often considered to be the most ancient representation of a brailed sail. According to many researchers, the loose‐footed sail and the system of brails were invented in the ancient countries of the Syro‐Canaanite coast and were later adopted by the Ancient Egyptians. However, iconographic material from Ancient Egypt testifies to the indigenous origin of a loose‐footed sail. The article presents an unknown relief from the Amarna period (1352–1336 BC) that further supports this hypothesis.