Bio-Anthropological Study of Ramose Skeleton: The Father of the Prominent State Official of the Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut ‘Senenmut’

Abstract

The tomb of Ramose was discovered in 1935 at Sheikh Abd el-Qurna in Western Thebes and dated to the new kingdom. Ramose is the father of Senenmut, one of the prominent state officials under the rule of the Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut in the 18th dynasty. Little is known about Ramose, his career, and even his age determination has been problematic. The skeleton is curated at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir with little written information. We aimed at this study to deeply investigate Ramose skeleton to resolve the problem of age estimation in addition to a fully anthropological and pathological assessment of his skeleton. Moreover, a potential foot deformity/ pathology has been investigated using CT scan. Results showed that ramose stature ranged from 167.8 to 171.1 cm. Investigating the pubic symphysis and auricular surface of ilium changes leads to an age estimation of about 25-30 years old. Several nonmetric traits were noticed, as well, such as Rhomboid fossa in the left clavicle, bilateral suprascapular notch, and bilateral peroneal tubercle. Some pathological signs have also been detected. Schmorl’s nodes (SNs) in the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th thoracic vertebrae were observed. Coccyx sacralisation was evident where the sacrum of the Ramose skeleton has 5 pairs of foramen indicating fusion of the first coccygeal vertebra. The fusion is incomplete on the left side of the sacrum where the last left foramen is not fully formed. Osteochondritis Dissecans (OD) was exhibited in the posterior calcaneal facet of the right talus. The abnormal appearance of the left foot could suggest one of two prospects; either cavus foot with claw toes or it could be a post-mortem change as a result of tight wrappings. The absence of bone deformity might favour the theory of tight wrappings as a possible cause of the foot’s appearance though.

Keywords: Senenmut's father, Ramose, Schmorl's nodes, non-metric traits, Osteochondritis Dissecans, foot deformity