Marauding warriors stalked the land, infectious disease was an ever-present threat and growing enough food to live took hours of back-breaking labour.
And as if all that wasn’t enough to contend with, it seems people in the Bronze Age were just as likely to drop dead from a heart attack as 21st century couch potatoes, living off greasy takeaways.
About one in three had atherosclerosis – the narrowing and hardening of arteries that is the main cause of heart disease and strokes – a study of 137 mummified corpses up to 4,000 years old suggests.
‘A common assumption is that if modern humans could emulate pre-industrial lifestyles, atherosclerosis would be avoided,’ said Professor Randall Thompson of Saint Luke’s Mid-America Heart Institute in Kansas City, US.
‘But our findings seem to suggest it might be inherent to the process of human ageing.’
So, does the study – which included accidentally preserved bodies from around the world as well as wealthy, well-fed Egyptians – mean it’s time to chuck the diet and go back on the fags? No, says the British Heart Foundation.
‘We can’t change the past but lifestyle choices can help to affect our future,’ argued the charity’s senior cardiac nurse Maureen Talbot.