The Earliest Record of Sudden Death Possibly Due to Atherosclerotic Coronary Occlusion

Abstract

The sudden death of an Egyptian nobleman is portrayed in the relief of a tomb from the Sixth Dynasty (2625-2475 B.C.). Since there is indisputable evidence from the dissections of Egyptian mummies that atherosclerosis was prevalent in ancient Egypt, it was conjectured that the sudden death might have been due to atheroselerotic occlusion of the coronary arteries.