WEBVTT - The Artifact: The Cairo Toe

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of

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<v Speaker 1>My Heart Radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and

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<v Speaker 1>this is the Artifact, a short form series from Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>to Blow Your Mind, focusing on particular objects, ideas, and

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<v Speaker 1>moments in time. Prosthetics are true testaments to not only

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<v Speaker 1>human craftsmanship and ingenuity, but also to the plasticity of

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<v Speaker 1>the human brain. With skill, practice and rehabilitation, materials crafted

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<v Speaker 1>in the likeness of a human limb can replace it,

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<v Speaker 1>and our technological ability to do this continues to improve,

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<v Speaker 1>benefiting from high tech haptic technology, three D printing, and

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<v Speaker 1>much more. But of course, the idea of artificial limbs

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<v Speaker 1>is an ancient one, and we see it reflected in

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<v Speaker 1>the myths and legends of various places around the world.

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<v Speaker 1>In Irish mythology, the first ruler of the Duara Da

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<v Speaker 1>Dan and King Nuada loses a hand or an arm

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<v Speaker 1>in battle and replaces it with a silver prosthesis, and

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<v Speaker 1>as that god has Catlipoca, lord of the Smoking Mirror,

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<v Speaker 1>is said to have lost his right foot in a

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<v Speaker 1>battle against the Earth Monster. As such, he is often

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<v Speaker 1>depicted with a prosthesis of gleaming obsidian that may resemble

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<v Speaker 1>a serpent, but as far as actual archaeological evidence is concerned,

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<v Speaker 1>the oldest prosthetic device is likely the Cairo toe at

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<v Speaker 1>three thousand year old wooden toe from ancient Egypt, retrieved

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<v Speaker 1>from the foot of a priest's daughter entombed in an

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<v Speaker 1>acropolis near lux Or, Egypt. It is a well crafted

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<v Speaker 1>wooden replica of the big toe belt strapped to the

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<v Speaker 1>foot in a manner that was clearly meant to be

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<v Speaker 1>both aesthetically pleasing and functional. The toe show signs of

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<v Speaker 1>use and where meaning that was not a purely funerary edition.

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<v Speaker 1>A two thousand and twelve study from the University of

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<v Speaker 1>Manchester created replicas of this and a similar Egyptian toe

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<v Speaker 1>pros thesis from the first millennium b C in order

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<v Speaker 1>to test their functionality. They found that the absence of

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<v Speaker 1>a big toe would have made traditional Egyptian sandals of

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<v Speaker 1>the day difficult and uncomfortable to wear, but that the

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<v Speaker 1>toe pros thesis made walking in these sandals far more comfortable.

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<v Speaker 1>The ancient Egyptians applied a great deal of their ingenuity

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<v Speaker 1>to death and the afterlife, but in the Cairo toe

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<v Speaker 1>we see an example of their expertise applied to the

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<v Speaker 1>world of the living, though of course, from a religious perspective,

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<v Speaker 1>the Cairo toe would have served the important function of

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<v Speaker 1>ensuring comfortable mobility, not only in this world, but in

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<v Speaker 1>the realms beyond death as well. Tune into additional editions

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<v Speaker 1>of the artifact each week, hosted by either Joe or myself.

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<v Speaker 1>As always, you can email us at contact at stuff

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<v Speaker 1>to Blow your Mind dot com. Stuff to Blow Your

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<v Speaker 1>Mind is production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts

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<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.