Lives Short Lived: Child Morbidity and Mortality in the Ancient Region of Memphis, Egypt, in the Ptolemaic period (332-30 BC), Based on Skeletal Evidence from the Saqqara Necropolis.

The Saqqara necropolis forms a central part of the extensive Memphite necropolis that served as a burial ground for the local population, which occupied the nearby settlements for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence suggests that the area extending immediately to the west of the Step Pyramid complex was in use for funerary purposes for 400 to 500 years following its construction (2667–2648 BC), and then again during the Ptolemaic Period (332–30 BC). Since 1994, the Polish Archaeological Mission to Saqqara has uncovered close to 700 burials that contained the remains of individuals of all age groups. This presentation will focus on the burials of children (≤12 years of age) dating to the Ptolemaic Period, which were uncovered during the 2007–2014 excavation campaigns. Out of a total of 151 burials, 27 (17.9%) contained mummified or skeletonised remains of children. Of these, 18 (66.7%) burials were of individuals aged five years or under at the time of death. Generally good preservation and completeness of the skeletal remains allowed for detailed macroscopic examination; this revealed that porosities in the orbital roof was the most common pathological lesion observed in this sample. Carious lesions were also very common. Possible causative factors of child morbidity in the Memphite region based on the skeletal evidence will be discussed.