1.4 History of Massage - Ancient Egypt

Located on the Nile River, the fourth of the ancient river valley civilizations is now called Northern Africa. The history of ancient Egypt follows a time-line similar to that of China and Mesopotamia. In-stead of using pictograms on walls and cuneiform on clay tablets to convey messages, the Egyptians devel-oped a more complex writing system of hieroglyphics and invented papyrus (puh-PAHY-rus) paper.
The papyrus plant was a reedlike plant found along the banks of the Nile that was used to fabricate, among other things, a useful and durable paper with a secret recipe that no other culture could replicate. Produced in lengths of 35 feet or longer, the papyrus paper could be rolled up for storage and transport, unlike the Mesopotamian clay tablets. Unfortunately, the Egyptians used up the local supply of papyrus, their secret recipe was lost, and papyrus paper was not made again for thousands of years.

Many of the ancient papyrus records have been discovered, named, and translated. Topics covered all aspects of the culture, including literature, govern-mental tax records, religion, magic, and medicine. As in other early ancient civilizations, medicine was handled by priest-physicians who typically attributed health conditions to the work of gods and goddesses. Prayers, spells, amulets, herbal salves, and poultices were treatments often used in hopes of a cure. On the other hand, records of intricate surgeries and more advanced medical knowledge were also found. The Kahun Papyrus, written around 1800 BCE and found in fragments in 1889 CE, focuses on gynecolog-ical matters. One of the passages specifically indi-cates the use of massage for a woman whose legs ache (Fig. 1-4).
Medical conditions, prescriptions, diagnoses, and surgical treatments were documented in various papyri, as were details about the mummification process leading the deceased safely to the afterlife. The child king Tutankhamun’s famous tomb and mummy demonstrate the extensive mummification process of the ancient Egyptians. The process re-quired the removal of internal organs, leading the Egyptians to a thorough understanding of anatomy.
There is evidence of massage being used in ancient Egyptian healthcare from as early as 4000 BCE, when the mortal goddess Queen Isis included massage as treatment for health and healing. There is no evi-dence from the other ancient river valley cultures of any female healers, so it is probable that she was the first. She also trained her priestesses to perform the duties of a physician, massage being one of them.
The tomb of Ankhmahor, dated somewhere around 2350 BCE, has been called the Tomb of the Physician. His title as a physician has been disputed; one theory suggests that he was only a ka-priest who had farming duties and served the king. Regardless, Ankhmahor’s tomb has images of foot manipulation and surgical operations such as circumcision. There are many who believe that the images depict foot reflexology, but it is also possible that foot surgery is be-ing shown. The hieroglyphs accompanying the picto-graph have been translated with the patient saying “Do not cause pain,” and the therapist responding “I will act so you shall praise me” (Fig. 1-5).