A controversial new study suggests that several ancient Egyptian princesses buried with bows, arrows and daggers may have trained with those weapons during their lives, possibly using them while hunting or practicing archery.
Researchers examined the remains of six royal individuals who lived during Egypt’s Middle Kingdom, about 4,000 years ago. After analyzing muscle-attachment sites on these bones, the researchers suggested that some of the apparent areas may be associated with repeated activities such as archery and weapon handling.
“Members of the royal family, especially women, were active participants in skilled, physically demanding activities such as archery and hunting,” study the first author. zainab hashishAn archaeologist from Beni-Suef University in Egypt said a statement.
The findings, published Friday (July 17) in the journal Frontiers in Environmental ArcheologyChallenges the assumption that the weapons placed in women’s graves were largely ceremonial. It could also provide new information about the health and physical activities of the royal women.
However, bioarchaeologists who were not involved in the study told Live Science that changes in the skeleton cannot reliably indicate any specific activity. Age, body size, genetics and other repetitive activities can lead to similar results, he said.
Royals rediscovered in a museum basement
In the 1890s, French archaeologist Jacques de Morgan A site was excavated near the tombs of Pharaohs Amenemhat II and Amenemhat III. From these excavations, De Morgan found various royal individuals, whose partial remains were later stored in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
French archaeologist Jacques de Morgan found royal tombs in the 1890s.
(Image credit: Gallica Digital Library via Wikimedia Commons)
For decades, the remains were forgotten. But in 2020, museum personnel rediscovered the bones during a museum curation project. collection includes King Hor, princess ita, khenmetItaweret and Nub-hotep, as well as an unidentified woman who may have been Princess Sitathormeret (also known as Sitathoryunet). It is believed that four of these women were the daughters of Pharaoh Amenemhat II.
Get the world’s hottest discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.
However, identification of the skeletons relies heavily on those 19th-century labels, meaning that “we cannot be certain how reliable they really are,” Sonia Zakrzewskia bioarchaeologist at the University of Southampton in the UK, who was not involved in the research, told Live Science in an email. The skulls of most individuals were missing, and only about 22% to 58% of each skeleton survived. Their soft tissues had largely decayed into powder, but the remaining bones allowed the team to guess the gender And look for signs of age and injuries, diseases, and physical activity.
Weapons training signs?
The researchers investigated using X-ray scans and special infrared spectroscopy, which can help identify different materials. excitesThe place where muscles, tendons, and ligaments attach to bones. Repeated muscle use may contribute to enlarged or pronounced attachment sitesAlthough many other processes This result can also be created.
Princess Ita, who died between the ages of 28 and 34, had obvious attachment points on parts of her right shoulder, arm, and hand. The team suggested that these changes may reflect repeated holding and wielding of weapons, possibly including the decorated dagger found in his grave.
Princess Nob-hotep, who died at the age of 40, had strongly developed attachment sites in her forearms and right hand. According to an 1896 issue of the journal, De Morgan had discovered “arrowheads with arrows in an astonishing state of preservation” in the princess’s tomb. American anthropologist.
Similarly, Princess Itaweret showed strong attachment sites around her shoulders and chest, while Khenmet showed clear features on her arms and shoulders. King Hor also demonstrated differences between the muscle connections on the left and right sides of his body.
The authors argued that these patterns are appropriate for the actions involved in drawing back the bow string – a process that could create muscle asymmetry Between left and right upper body. He also said that these muscle patterns could be from gripping objects such as daggers or maces and suggested that the weapons buried near royals were not just symbolic.
experts are skeptical
Despite clear attachment sites on the bones of these individuals, Zakrzewski said it is unknown whether the royals acquired the hobby through archery or some other activity.
The spots on the bones, he said, show that “some muscles appear to have been used repeatedly, but the actual reason for that use is uncertain.” “So we can’t say that these skeletal changes are necessarily linked to the use of weapons,” especially since the researchers did not look at comparison groups from the Nile Valley or elsewhere.
Zakrzewski said it is unknown why artifacts such as arrowheads were included in the graves. Perhaps they were intended “to be used by persons associated with the deceased,” she said.
scott haddowA bioarchaeologist at the University of Turin in Italy, who was not involved in the study, noted that some skeletal changes were present on both sides of the remains.
“Archery is a highly heterogeneous activity; the finding of generalized, bilateral strengthening in some bones (some asymmetry was observed in other bones) does not make a particularly strong case for these individuals practicing archery,” he told Live Science via email.
The difference in age of individuals at the time of death can also be explained. Khenemet was aged between 35 and 45 when he died, while Nob-Hotep was aged around 40 to 44. muscle-attachment site are affected Depending on age, as well as body size and genetics, Haddow said.
An old photo of the Dashur pyramid, where royal figures were found.
(Image credit: Rijksmuseum via Wikimedia Commons)
princess vs pauper
One of the biggest caveats of the study was the absence of a comparison group, which would have shown how unusual the changes were compared to other Egyptians of the same period.
Zakrzewski said, “It would be very useful to know how much such differences exist among contemporary Egyptians, whether they were royal or not.”
In addition to missing the comparison with the “control” group, other experts believe the researchers are reading too much into the weapons being buried near the royals.
“Although the presence of funerary artifacts (e.g., arrows, daggers) makes the princesses’ participation in such activities plausible, the authors provide limited biomechanical or biomedical evidence to authenticate this claim,” Sebastian Vilotteanthropologists at the French National Center for Scientific Research told Live Science via email.
He further stated that “A more robust approach would involve comparing these individuals to non-elite contemporaries from the same region and period. This would help determine whether such degenerative changes (at these locations) were common in the general population (who were unlikely to engage in similar activities) or were actually indicators of elite-specific behavior.”
Although there are many uncertainties in the study, Zakrzewski said they should not diminish the value of investigating the remains. “It allows us to put flesh on the bones and understand more about their lives,” he said.
Hashesh, Z., Gabor, A., and Walker, R. (2026). Bioarchaeological reassessment of the Dahshur royal skeletal remains from the Late Middle Kingdom (c. 1850 to 1700 BC). Frontiers in Environmental Archeology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fearc.2026.1844402
Can you identify these historical war items? test your intelligence with us Weapons of the World Quiz!