An earlier digger had a suspicion about the bodies buried alongside the tombs of three early kings, a hunch he never proved. Now Roselyn Campbell has examined 46 ancient Egyptian skulls and found evidence that confirms his guess: these people were put to death so they could serve those kings in the afterlife.
An anthropology researcher at Purdue University named Campbell looked again at the skulls of people buried beside royal tombs connected with King Djer, King Djet and Meretneith, a woman who probably ruled Egypt at times. They all lived during the first dynasty, which was roughly 5,000 years ago and marked the joining of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt into one kingdom. The retainers were laid to rest beside the tomb of the king they had served.
The new study, published Monday (Oct. 5) in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, found that 18 of the skulls showed signs of trauma that were likely fatal. Campbell used modern forensic techniques and knowledge of the marks that different types of trauma leave on human skeletons to reach that conclusion. The findings support the idea that these people were sacrificed.
The Site That Flinders Petrie First Excavated
In the early 20th century, the royal burial site was first dug up. The man who carried out the excavation, Flinders Petrie, held that the many other graves found close to the royal tombs belonged to nonroyals, including retainers and other individuals who had served the king. He further held that these nonroyals had been put to death after the king they served passed away, on the belief that they would continue to serve him in the next world.
Fatal skeletal trauma could not be identified by Petrie. The notion that the retainers were sacrificed has been a matter for debate since then. The majority of the human remains were reburied, while 46 skulls were kept and preserved in the Duckworth Collections at the University of Cambridge.
That debate was shifted by Campbell’s fresh look at those skulls. Her findings showed that many of them bore linear fractures, which Petrie had wrongly taken to be harm suffered after the dead were laid to rest.
What The Linear Fractures Show
Linear fractures happen when the head strikes or is struck by a relatively large object with low overall force. Because the skull’s shape spreads the blow across the head’s surface, the force disperses. Campbell wrote in the study that while such fractures are not always immediately fatal, they often cause bleeding inside the head, which can quickly cause loss of consciousness and death if surgery is not performed.
Campbell told Live Science in an email that it’s difficult to identify the weapon or object that was used. “Based on comparative forensic and archaeological studies, the most likely implement would have been flat and relatively light, probably made out of something like wood rather than stone,” she said.
At Abydos, the tombs of King Den and King Djer were among the locations where these burials were discovered. Burials thought to be human sacrifices were found close by.
How Long The Practice Lasted
It appears that the custom of human sacrifice came to an end during the second dynasty of Egypt. Proof of such acts is scarce and largely restricted to the first dynasty.
Campbell said that the specific kind of retainer sacrifice seems to have come to an end with the close of the First Dynasty, “As far as we can tell, this particular type of retainer sacrifice seems to have ended with the close of the First Dynasty, which means it [lasted] around two centuries or possibly less,” she said.
What Jacobus van Dijk Says
Live Science spoke to Jacobus van Dijk, an Egyptologist at Groningen University in the Netherlands who did not take part in the study, who said the new research is a welcome addition. The “existence of retainer sacrifice in early Egypt has always been controversial and Dr Campbell’s research adds an important argument in support of scholars who, like myself, believe this custom was practised in Egypt in the early dynastic period,” was his response to the publication.
The method of human sacrifice described by Van Dijk took him by surprise, according to his own account. He pointed to images of ritual killing found on wooden labels “seems to indicate that the victim was kneeling with his hands tied behind his back being stabbed in the chest with a knife,” noting that they were the means through which he had learned about the practice.
Comparing The Two Views
| Campbell’s Study | Petrie’s Original Excavation | |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence | 18 skulls with likely fatal trauma | No evidence of fatal skeletal trauma identified |
| Skulls retained | 46 skulls examined | Most human remains reburied |
| Burial location | Near royal tombs | Near royal tombs |
Since Petrie’s time, the field of archaeology has made a clear leap forward. Back then, there was plenty of evidence to see, but none of it had been confirmed. Today, the evidence carries proof with it, although the techniques used to reach those conclusions still allow for some room for differing views.
What This Changes
Campbell’s study does not overturn Petrie’s original intuition. It simply confirms it with tools he did not have. The difference is not in the reading of the bones, but in the confidence of the reading.
Petrie suspected the retainers were sacrificed and buried to serve their king in the afterlife. Campbell’s re-examination of the 46 skulls now supports that suspicion with forensic certainty. The 18 skulls with likely fatal trauma provide evidence that matches Petrie’s original hunch.
The research makes clear what became of the remains. The attendants who had served the king were put to death, after which they were laid to rest beside his tomb.
That the practice came to an end at the close of the First Dynasty is important in itself, since it shows the custom was not a constant feature of Egyptian history. Instead, it was confined to a single period and to a specific group of rulers.
Why This Matters
This research contributes to knowledge about ancient Egyptian culture, revealing that the bond between leader and follower involved ideas about what came after death. Those who served a ruler were thought to follow him into the next world, and the act of offering life ensured that expectation held true.
Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology has published the study, making it accessible for other researchers to test, compare and build upon. This is the process by which science moves forward.
The Takeaway
A new study has found that the ancient Egyptians carried out human sacrifice around 5,000 years ago. The proof comes from the skulls themselves, which tell their own story without needing to be spoken.
A century-old question now rests settled thanks to Campbell’s work. Petrie had long suspected the truth, and Campbell has confirmed it. These servants were put to death so that they might keep serving their king in the next world.
Source material: “Ancient Egyptians sacrificed pharaohs' servants so they could continue to serve their king in the afterlife, new study finds,” Live Science.
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