A skeletal collection from 105 burials excavated at the Old Kingdom and Ptolemaic
Period cemetery in Saqqara, Egypt, was investigated for evidence of
ante-mortem fractures of long bones. The collection comprised
57 males, 30 females, 14 unsexed sub-adults, and 4 unsexed mature individuals.
The majority of the skeletons were complete or almost complete, despite the
disturbance caused by tomb looters in antiquity. Fractures were recorded by
bone, side, location, type and state of healing. The prevalence of fractures was
calculated in male and female populations, as well as in individual age groups.
The state of healing of the fractures was examined in order to investigate the
possibility of medical treatment provided. No evidence of fractures was recorded
in subadults. Evidence of single fractures were found in fourteen adults, and a
further five individuals sustained two fractures to different bones of the upper
limb. The frequency of fractures by bone count was the highest among the Middle
and Old Adults. Fractures to the radius (37.5%) and the ulna (33.3%) were the
most common, while no fractures were recorded in the tibia. Angulation, rotation
and shortening were observed among the healed bones.