The burial of an adult woman who lived in the second half of the 2nd millennium BC was excavated in Akhetatone, the capital of the Egyptian king Akhenaten. e.In addition to the ruins, archaeologists discovered a calcified formation exceeding four centimeters in length. As reported in the article published in International Journal of PalaeopathologyMost likely, the finding is a stone coming out of the bladder.

On the east bank of the Nile, about three hundred kilometers from Cairo, there is a complex of archaeological monuments of Tel-el-Amarna (Amarna). This is the ruins of the ancient Egyptian city of Akhetaton (“Skyline of the Aten”), the capital built in the 14th century BC by King Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV), known primarily for religious reform and the introduction of the cult. god Aten. Akhetaton was a city of white stone with richly decorated palaces and temples. But it did not last long – it was abandoned shortly after Akhenaten’s death, and Horemheb, the last king of the 18th dynasty, ordered the destruction of the city left by its inhabitants.

Researchers began to show interest in Amarni in the early 18th century, but large-scale excavations began here only in 1891. Among the discoveries made in this city, the Amarna Archive (Amarna Letters), a large collection of correspondence on clay tablets, stands out.

Gretchen Dabbs (Gretchen Dabbs) of Southern Illinois University reported the results of research in the Southern Tombs (“Southern Tombs”) at Tel el Amarna. Approximately 6 thousand people were buried in this burial complex between 1353-1332 BC. In 2012, archaeologists excavated a heavily destroyed tomb here. Based on preserved skeletal fragments, anthropologists determined that the grave contained the remains of a woman who died at the age of over 40.

Dabbs noted that the woman fractured her right ulna during her life and had pathological growths on her bones. However, the researcher was most interested in the calcified formation found among the mixed bones found in the grave. It is an egg-shaped object with a maximum length of 43.5 millimeters. The color of the surface is heterogeneous, from ivory to light brown.

After examining the morphology, size, and internal structure of this object, Dabbs concluded that the find was most likely a bladder stone. Judging by its size, the researcher hypothesized that the woman was probably experiencing painful sensations for a long period of time, which could lead to sleep disturbances and the inability to perform household or professional tasks. Sometimes even very large stones in the bladder do not bother their owner, although they do not show themselves. Source