The lives of princesses in ancient Egypt are often described as luxurious and sheltered, surrounded by servants in sprawling palaces. A new look at the burial chambers of some ancient Egyptian princesses, however, reveals that they also took part in skilled physical activity and knew their way around weapons.<\/p>\n
A team of researchers studied six royal women\u2019s mummies from the Middle Kingdom, some of whom were buried with items like bows and arrows\u2014items traditionally associated with men. Scientists have long debated whether weapons found in the graves of ancient Egyptian princesses were ceremonial or functional. In other words, did the princesses use the weapons they were buried with?<\/p>\n
By analyzing their bones, the researchers found that the princesses were highly physically active in ways consistent with using the weapons buried alongside them. The findings are detailed in a study<\/a> published today in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology.<\/p>\n Not your average princess <\/p>\n The mummies were originally found in the 1890s at Dahshur, a pyramid complex located southwest of Cairo. They were later rediscovered in 2020 during a curation project for the Egyptian museum after having been lost for years.<\/p>\n Four of the six women were sisters: Princess Ita, Princess Khenmet, Princess Itaweret, and an anonymous woman provisionally identified as Princess Sathathormeryt; all were daughters of the pharaoh Amenemhat II.<\/p>\n The four princesses were buried in matching underground chambers, which contained items like bows and arrows. A particularly striking dagger was buried alongside Princess Ita. The two other mummies belonged to Princess Noub-Hotep and King Hor, who were also buried with similar items.<\/p>\n Archaeologists analyzed their bones to determine their age, height, and sex, as well as any illnesses or injuries. The sisters\u2019 remains indicated robust muscle attachment, revealing that the women were rather vigorous, likely engaging in activities associated with the weapons found in their graves.<\/p>\n