The ancient Egyptian plague turned out to be a myth

A new scientific paper has reversed a longstanding historical myth about a mysterious epidemic that allegedly caused the death of the population and abandonment of Pharaoh Ehnaton's capital. Archaeologists Gretchen Dabbs and Anna Stevens, having analysed excavation data, concluded that the "plague of Akhetaton" may not have existed at all. The results of the study are published in the American Journal of Archaeology, reports Phys.org.

Where did the myth of the epidemic come from

The city of Akhetaton (modern Amarna) was built by Pharaoh Ehnaton - ruler of the XVIII dynasty, who abandoned the traditional pantheon of gods and introduced the cult of a single deity - the solar disc of Aton. The capital existed only about 20 years and was abandoned soon after the death of the pharaoh. Because of this, many scholars have speculated for decades that the cause could have been an epidemic.

The arguments of the supporters of the "plague version" were based solely on textual sources - prayers of the Hittites about the disease flooding their lands and letters from Amarna mentioning outbreaks of disease in neighbouring regions of the Middle East. However, not a single ancient text spoke directly about an outbreak of disease in Akhetaton itself.

What the excavations revealed

To test the old hypothesis, the scientists studied:

• the demography and condition of skeletons from the city's four cemeteries (more than 11,000 burials);

• traces of disease and trauma on the remains;

• burial practices and mortality rates.

Major findings:

Although "double" and "group" burials have been found in some cemeteries, researchers attribute these to cultural practices rather than mass deaths. The main signs on the skeletons - overwork, stress, poor nutrition - point to harsh living conditions, but not plague.

Why the city disappeared after all

Researchers believe the reasons for abandoning the capital were political and religious. After Ehnaton's death, his religious reforms were abolished and the city was gradually and orderly abandoned - contrary to the version of a sudden catastrophe.

Why the myth lived so long

According to the authors of the paper, the version of the plague "lay beautifully" on the mystical image of the Amarna era, and it was repeated for years without direct data.

"This is one of those cases where a seemingly logical explanation becomes a 'fact' simply because of repeated repetition," the researchers said.

The study found: no archaeological evidence of the epidemic in Akhetaton has been found, and the city's mystery is explained not by medicine but by the politics of ancient Egypt.