Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses the Great's Dentists: Healing Teeth in Kemet
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Ramses the Great's buildings, his battles, his family, even his mummy. But today I want to look at something that every single person in ancient Egypt dealt with, from the pharaoh down to the humblest farmer: their teeth. Luna: Oh, like dental care? That's a side of ancient Egypt I never think about. Lucas: Exactly, and it's fascinating because the evidence is right there in the mummies. When they unwrapped Ramses II's mummy, they found his teeth were in terrible shape. Severe wear, abscesses, and probably a lot of pain. But the Egyptians had ways of dealing with it, some of them surprisingly practical. Lucas: The word for doctor in ancient Egyptian was 'swanw,' and there were specialists for different parts of the body. Dental treatment was part of that, though it's not always clear if there was a dedicated 'tooth doctor.' But we have medical papyri that describe dental problems and remedies in detail. Luna: What did they actually do for a toothache? Lucas: Well, the Ebers Papyrus, which dates to around 1550 BC but likely reflects older knowledge, has a famous prescription for toothache. It says to apply a paste made of cumin, frankincense, and honey to the tooth. Another remedy involves grinding up a mixture of herbs and packing it into the cavity. They were big on natural antiseptics. Lucas: But there's also a rather unpleasant one: the 'mouse cure.' You'd catch a mouse, kill it, and apply it to the tooth. The idea was that the mouse's vitality would transfer somehow. It's a reminder that while some remedies were rational, others were steeped in magical thinking. Luna: A mouse? That's... something. Did they have any idea about cleaning their teeth? Lucas: They did, actually. They used chew sticks, which were twigs with frayed ends, like primitive toothbrushes. The end would be chewed until it became brush-like, and they'd rub it against their teeth. They also made a kind of toothpaste from rock salt, mint, dried iris flower, and pepper. Not too bad, honestly. Lucas: But the real culprit was their diet. The bread in ancient Egypt was ground on stone, so it contained tiny bits of sand and grit. That wore down the enamel over time, exposing the softer dentin underneath. And once the pulp got infected, you'd get abscesses. Even the richest person in the world, Ramses himself, couldn't escape that. Luna: So even the pharaoh had terrible teeth? That must have been excruciating. Lucas: Oh, absolutely. When they examined his mummy, they found he had severe dental disease, including abscesses that likely caused pain and might have even led to blood poisoning over time. In fact, some historians think that his dental problems could have contributed to his death in his nineties, though that's speculative. Lucas: And it wasn't just the pharaoh. In the workers' village at Deir el-Medina, we've found evidence of dental problems in the common people too. They had cavities, abscesses, and tooth loss. But they coped. They used oil of turpentine, which is a resin, and they knew about the anti-inflammatory properties of willow bark, which contains salicylic acid, the basis for aspirin. Luna: Wait, willow bark? That's like a natural painkiller. Lucas: Exactly. They didn't know about aspirin chemically, but they knew it helped with pain. And they also used opium, which was available through trade. So they had real pharmacological tools, not just magic. Lucas: But let's get into the more invasive side. Did they do any actual dental surgery? The evidence says yes, at least to some extent. We have a jaw from a tomb at Giza that shows a splint made of gold wire, used to stabilize a loose tooth. And there's a famous example of a dental bridge, also from Giza, where two teeth were wired together with gold to fill a gap. Luna: That's incredible. They were doing restorative dentistry thousands of years ago. Lucas: It's really impressive. But it's important to note that these are rare finds. Most common folk probably just had to endure the pain or have the tooth pulled. Extraction was probably the most common treatment. There's evidence of forceps and other instruments, and they were also skilled at making prosthetics, like toes and fingers, so they had the technical know-how. Lucas: Now, the priests who handled these medical texts were called 'swnw' as well, but there was another class, the 'rekh-chet,' which means 'knower of things.' They were more like magicians. They'd recite spells over the patient, sometimes alongside the physical remedies. Spirituality and medicine were intertwined. Luna: So you could get both a prescription and a prayer. Lucas: Exactly. And that's a good reminder that ancient Egyptian medicine was a blend of empirical observation and religious belief. They were ahead of their time in some ways, but they still saw disease as something that could be caused by gods or spirits. Lucas: The Hearst Papyrus, which is from the same era as the Ebers Papyrus, has a section on dental medicine. It lists remedies for bleeding gums, for loose teeth, and for what might be called 'oral ulcers.' They used astringents like alum and copper sulfate, which are still used in some dental products today. Luna: Copper sulfate? That's not something you'd want to swallow. Lucas: Right, but as a topical application, it could help with inflammation. And they had mouthwashes made from various herbs and water. The Edwin Smith Papyrus, which is mostly about trauma surgery, also mentions dental injuries, like fractures of the jaw, and how to splint them. Lucas: One thing that strikes me is that despite these advances, dental disease was still rampant. The evidence from mummies shows that nearly everyone had some form of tooth wear or infection. It was a chronic problem that they managed, but couldn't cure. And yet, they lived with it, and they developed a whole toolkit of remedies to make it more bearable. Luna: It's humbling to think that even one of the most powerful men in history had to endure a toothache. Lucas: It really is. And it makes you wonder about other aspects of daily life that we don't often think about. They had to deal with the same pains we do, but without modern anesthetics or antibiotics. Lucas: Before we go further, I want to take a brief moment to talk about something that's on my mind. We make these episodes because we love history, and we're able to keep them ad-free thanks to a small group of listeners who chip in monthly. It's literally what funds this whole network. If you've ever thought about supporting the show, you can do it at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it's a simple way to help us keep doing these deep dives, and it's really appreciated. Lucas: And it goes directly to production, research, everything. Anyway, back to the teeth. There's one more thing I want to share about Ramses specifically. His mummy shows that he had a terrible overbite, and his teeth were so worn down that the pulp was exposed in some places. That must have been agonizing, especially when he was chewing the tough bread they ate. Luna: I can't imagine leading a military campaign while dealing with that. Lucas: And yet he did. He lived into his nineties, which is remarkable given the dental pain and other health issues he had. It just shows how resilient people were back then. They didn't have the luxury of modern medicine, so they endured. Lucas: One last interesting tidbit: the earliest known dentist's name might be Hesy-ra, who lived in the Third Dynasty, around 2600 BC. His tomb at Saqqara has a wooden panel that calls him 'chief of dentists and physicians.' So the profession was recognized that early. By the time of Ramses, it was well-established. Luna: Hesy-ra? That's a great name to remember. Lucas: Absolutely. So next time you brush your teeth, think about the ancient Egyptians, who were doing their best with chew sticks and natron. And maybe be glad you don't have to catch a mouse for your toothache. Luna: That's a relief. Thanks for another great episode, Lucas.