The team also analyzed the remains of two young girls found at another site, Cerro Esmeralda, previously believed to have died by strangulation. While they weren’t able to identify an exact cause of death because of the condition of the remains, the authors concluded that the marks on the two girls’ necks were not consistent with strangulation and were more likely caused by textiles, i.e., clothing. CT scans showed that the hyoid bones were still intact with no evidence of fractures and in their correct anatomical position.
Science Advances, 2026. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adz9055 (About DOIs).
Ancient Egyptian princesses were skilled archers
Credit:
Zeinab Hashesh et al., 2026
Credit:
Zeinab Hashesh et al., 2026
Late 19th century archaeologists excavated the Dahshur pyramid complex within the Memphis Necropolis in Egypt and found several intact burial chambers containing the remains of King Hor and Princess Noub-Hotep, among others. This was soon followed by the excavation of two more burials of Princess Ita and Princess Khenmet, and then Princess Itaweret and Princess Sathathormeryt. A paper published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology describes the latest multifaceted re-assessment of those remains, concluding that the princesses were likely skilled at using the weapons buried with them.
The authors combined osteological analysis with X-ray imaging and relied on FTIR spectroscopy to analyze the embalming materials. While the princesses’ skulls had been lost, and some of the bones had not been preserved, the rest of the bones were in good condition. Princess Ita, they determined, died between the ages of 24 and 28 and had strong upper-body muscle attachments, suggesting habitual use of maces or daggers. Princess Khenmet was in her late 30s or 40s and also had strong ligament attachments. Princess Itaweret was between 20 and 34, with healed broken ribs and foot fractures, and her bones showed evidence consistent with being skilled at archery.
“We found pronounced development in the upper limbs of these individuals, which correlates to repetitive, high-intensity actions like pulling a bowstring or stabilizing a weapon, proving these activities were habitual throughout their lives,” said co-author Zeinab Hashesh of the University of Beni-Suef in Egypt. “This directly explains the presence of bows, arrows, and maces in the women’s tombs; these were not just symbolic gifts but tools they actively used.”
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