The Cairo Toe

Behold the Cairo Toe, the earliest surviving prosthesis ever made. About 3,000 years ago in an Ancient Egyptian chamber lying west of Luxor, Egypt, a high-status woman was buried, and accompanying her remains was an artificial big toe made of leather and wood to fill in for a missing digit.

The site was at Sheikh ‘Abd el-Qurna, dating perhaps to 950 BCE, and the woman was between 50-60 years old. She had been the wealthy daughter of a high priest, and was able to command the sort of high-caliber artistry that made this prosthesis possible.

One of the big scholarly discussions about the Cairo Toe was whether it was designed more for practicality or for aesthetics — both have been critical functions in the history of artificial body parts. This was clearly not your off-the-shelf sort of fake toe, but had been refitted to specifically match the owner’s foot — it was designed for mobility. That means the woman might have found her artificial toe useful for balance and walking. But no doubt it was also something that looked lifelike, and might have been appreciated for look’s sake as well.

Archaeologists have contrasted the Cairo Toe with another, slightly later, prosthetic digit known as the Egyptian Cartonnage Toe — it was made of more flimsy materials like linen and papier-mâché and wouldn’t have actually been comfortable.

I think the Cairo Toe ended up weathering better than the actual bones, (pace mummifying priests).