Ancient Pill

Ancient Egyptian Scribes' Skeletal Risk

Petra Brukner Havelková et al | Scientific Reports | 27th June 2024

Sitting still for long periods has always been very bad for us. This study explores the injuries visible in the remains found in 200 tombs at the pyramid complex of Abusir, dating from 2,700BCE. At least 69 of these individuals are thought to have been scribes, who wrote for hours a day in a cross-legged or kneeling position. Their jaws, necks and shoulders show substantial damage (12,000 words)

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Every Pill I Took

Peder Clark | Polyphony | 10th June 2024

Most scholarship about drug use focuses on the bodily and social effects of intoxication. Less attention is paid to the aesthetics. "Nobody has written a social history of the bong, for example." But there is a book documenting the imagery of early 2000s ecstasy pills. Many came with a picture pressed into their surface — everything from Pokemon characters to the Rolls Royce logo (1,400 words)