Skeletal Findings Consistent with Signs of Rigorous Jewish Religious Practice in Four Skeletons from Qumran (Near-East), First-Century CE

Abstract

Anthropological and palaeopathological examination of four male skeletons from Qumran (Near-East) revealed skeletal lesions that may be linked to an intense practice of traditional Jewish rituals within this hyper-religious community of the first-century CE: chronic inflammation of the external auditory canals linked to frequent immersion in sacred baths (mikvah), and osteo-articular lesions following intense and repeated genuflection and anteflexion of the trunk. Keywords: Medical anthropology, Forensic medicine, Retrospective diagnosis, Religious practices, Paleopathology