Innovation No. 4 of 77 in the book
Prosthetic Limbs
A wooden toe designed for real walking, not decoration
- When
- c. 950 BCE
- Dynasty
- 3rd Intermediate Period
- Era
- Between the New Kingdom & Late Period
A wooden big toe, strapped to the foot of a mummified woman near Luxor, is the oldest working prosthetic ever found — made around 950 BCE, in the Third Intermediate Period.
It isn’t decoration. It’s carved in three hinged parts to flex as she walked, worn smooth underneath from real use, and refitted more than once.
Volunteers wearing replicas in period sandals walked comfortably — the toe does a big toe’s job, giving push-off and balance.
The world’s first step toward replacing a lost body part with a working one was taken on the Nile.
The toe was found in the Sheikh Abd el-Qurna necropolis near Luxor, on the right foot of a mummified noblewoman named Tabaketenmut, dated between 950 and 710 BCE. For decades the earliest working prosthetic was thought to be the Roman Capua Leg, around 300 BCE. Researchers led by Jacky Finch at the University of Salford tested replicas on volunteers missing a right big toe and published the walking results.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do we know it was worn and not just buried with her?
Wear. High-resolution microscopy found rub patterns on the underside, edges shaved down more than once to follow the changing shape of her foot, and well-remodelled bone where it sat — the mark of years of walking.
Did the replica actually work?
Yes. Worn with traditional Egyptian sandals, it restored a meaningful share of normal walking efficiency and let the foot flex through the step. The results were published in the Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics.