Ancient Egyptian princesses were skilled hunters, recovered mummies reveal
Researchers said the women’s bones show repeated weapon use and injuries, challenging claims that the tomb objects were only symbolic.
- On Friday, July 17, 2026, researchers published a study in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology suggesting Ancient Egyptian princesses were skilled with weapons buried in their tombs, challenging the assumption that these items were purely ceremonial.
- Archaeologists rediscovered the remains of six royal individuals in 2020 after the mummies spent 130 years forgotten in a museum box, having been originally excavated in the 1890s from the Dahshur funerary complex.
- Bone analysis reveals robust muscle attachments in the princesses' upper limbs consistent with repetitive actions like pulling a bowstring; Princess Itaweret exhibited signs of skilled archery, while Princess Ita showed evidence of habitual weapon use.
- Bioarchaeologist Sonia Zakrzewski noted that skeletal changes cannot definitively prove specific activities, and experts suggest comparisons with non-elite contemporaries are necessary to confirm these findings.
- Future DNA studies and microscopic analysis may clarify family relationships and life histories, potentially transforming these royal burials into detailed biographies that position these women as active participants in Ancient Egypt's history.
25 Articles
25 Articles
It all began with the weapons found in the tombs of ancient Egyptian princesses. Precious daggers, elastic bows, pointed arrows or robust macas that accompanied the funerary troupe of royalty women of about 4,000 years ago. Were they symbolic tools or practices?The debate was served and lasted for decades.Keep reading...
Weapons in women's graves were often considered symbolic, but new analyses of mummies suggest that Egyptian princesses could have been experienced fighters themselves.
After about 130 years, bones from six burial chambers of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt were evaluated for the first time. With the help of new methods, surprising findings emerged – which have to do with the use of weapons.
Archaeological discoveries reveal that ancient Egyptian princesses were skilled hunters
Ancient Egyptian princesses were skilled in archery and hunting, new archaeological discoveries have revealed.The findings challenge long-held assumptions about the ceremonial nature of weapons found in royal tombs.The mummified remains of three daughters of Pharaoh Amenemhat II were originally unearthed at the Dahshur cemetery in northern Egypt during the 1890s, but were later lost before being rediscovered at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.Bows,…
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