The world's first prosthetic body

The study of fake toes from ancient Egypt shows that they are not only decorative items but are also likely the first prosthetic body ever recorded in history.

Prosthetic big toe to support the bearer's movement - (Photo: Manchester University)

Scientists from the University of Manchester (UK) have drawn this conclusion when assessing a three-part big toe, made of wood and leather, dating from mid-year 950 to 710 BC. It was unearthed along with a female mummy in Egypt.

They also looked at another false toe, which appeared from 600 BC.

'Some experts examine these objects and assume they are the earliest prosthetic parts ever to exist in human history , ' said Daily Mail quoted Jacky Finch.

Previously, archaeologists had found many fake body parts, but they mainly acted as decorative parts for corpses. However, the above mentioned toes seem to be used to assist people living with the goal of making them easy to walk.

In an experiment, two volunteers lost their right big toe, which carried a model made from real samples, along with ancient Egyptian-like leather shoes.

The results showed that an ancient Egyptian was difficult to walk when wearing shoes in the old time in case of losing his big toe. But with fake big toe, they still move like ordinary people.