FedEx on Camelback (ca. 3,000 BC) – Part 4/7
In January 2007, anthropologists conducted a paleo-pathological study on some skeletons from the “Burnt City” in Iran, and were able to determine that one of the individuals must have ridden a camel for an extended period in his lifetime. Indeed, it has been suggested that since this man must have lived most of his life on camelback – most likely from puberty until his death, around 40-45 years old – his occupation must have been that of a profession courier or messenger.
Evidence of long-term riding was found on the skeleton’s right leg bone, where the swelling indicated that he gathered the leg under himself while riding on a large animal, such as a camel or ox. It is known that draft animals were used in the Burnt City around this time to transfer goods, however folding one leg while riding is something done only when riding a camel over long distances.
While excavating burials at the Burnt City in 2004, archaeologists noticed that the man’s skeleton had evidence of a bone lesion on the right thighbone. Since the 2007 analysis of the skeleton revealed his likely occupation as a professional courier, additional paleo-pathological analyses have been scheduled for the remaining skeletons unearthed in the 2004 excavation season. These analyses are expected to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding the commonly practiced occupations of the Burnt City’s inhabitants in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC.
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