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The Medical Ostraca of Deir el-Medina are a collection of ostraca containing notes of medical importance. These ostraca were written in the New Kingdom Egyptian village of Deir el-Medina during the 18th and 19th dynasties (c.1550-c.1190 BCE).〔McDowell, ''Village Life in Ancient Egypt'', p. 53〕 Unlike other sources of medical literature from the period, these ostraca are notes written by and concerning the artisans of Deir el-Medina, rather than physicians or royalty. Thus, they offer a unique view of the common experience of medicine in Ancient Egypt.〔Ghalioungui, ''Magic and Medical Science in Ancient Egypt'', p.97〕 ==The Ostraca== The medical ostraca were written in the New Kingdom during the 18th and 19th dynasties. As such, they are written in hieratic script on flat pieces of stone or broken pottery, which served as a convenient and cheap writing surface.〔McDowell, ''Village Life in Ancient Egypt'', p. 5〕 The artisans and villagers who lived in Deir el-Medinah made use of this plentiful source of writing material to write down prescriptions, letters, and even semi-official documents such as lists noting the days and reasons for a particular worker's absence.〔Janssen, "Absence from Work by the Necropolis Workmen of Thebes," p. 129〕 Because of the resilience of the material used to write them, as well as the dry and warm climate of Egypt, many of the ostraca have been preserved in good condition for many centuries. However, due to their beauty and relatively small size, they are naturally desired as souvenirs, and it is estimated that perhaps as many as half of the documents found at Deir el-Medina were removed without the knowledge or authorization of the team director.〔Lesko, ''Pharaoh's Workers'', p. 8〕 Also, unlike other medical documents from the period such as the Ebers Papyrus, these ostraca are unique. Information lost through time or vandalism cannot usually be regained by checking them against another, similar document. These medical ostraca currently reside in a number of museums around the globe, including the British Museum and the University College London. The Medical Ostraca of Deir el-Medina include: *O British Museum 5634—A list of workers absent from work. It lists absences due to illness, and shows that one specific man served the community as a doctor.〔McDowell, ''Village Life in Ancient Egypt'', p. 54〕〔Janssen, "Absence from Work by the Necropolis Workmen of Thebes," p. 129〕 *O University College London 3 -- A letter to a priest from a scorpion charmer, asking for the ingredients to mix a remedy.〔McDowell, ''Village Life in Ancient Egypt'', p. 54〕 *O Berlin P 11247—A letter from a father to his son, asking for help in treating his blindness.〔McDowell, ''Village Life in Ancient Egypt'', p. 55〕 *O Gard 177—A letter from a doctor to a patient who claimed to never have received needed treatment.〔McDowell, ''Village Life in Ancient Egypt'', p. 56〕 *O DeM 1091—A compilation of prescriptions for various ailments.〔McDowell, ''Village Life in Ancient Egypt'', p. 58〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Medical Ostraca of Deir el-Medina」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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