Long portrayed as passive, decorative figures confined to palace walls, ancient Egyptian princesses may have actually led active, martial lives, training with bows and daggers from a young age. A recent study of 3,800-year-old royal mummies has revealed anatomical evidence suggesting that some royal women were not merely buried with weapons for symbolic reasons, but were skilled, active users of them.
Researchers led by Zeinab Hashesh of Beni-Suef University in Egypt examined six Middle Kingdom royal mummies excavated in the 1890s and rediscovered in 2020 at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Among them were four presumed daughters of the pharaoh Amenemhat II, entombed at the Dahshur pyramid complex. Bone analyses of these high-status women revealed physical adaptations that point to rigorous martial training.
For instance, Princess Ita, who died between the ages of 28 and 34, was buried with an exquisite gold and lapis lazuli dagger. Examination of her remains revealed pronounced bone connections in her forearm and highly developed hand muscle attachments, suggesting the habitual gripping of weapons such as daggers or maces.
Similarly, the skeletal remains of Princess Noub-Hotep (aged 40 to 44) and Princess Itaweret (aged 20 to 34) showed significant enlargement of the radius bone in the forearm, a typical adaptation to the repetitive stress of drawing a bow. Noub-Hotep, entombed alongside arrows, also exhibited a bowing of the second right metacarpal bone in her palm and strengthened finger muscle attachments. According to the researchers, these features represent the distinct mechanical load of an "archer's grip."
"I imagine the lives of princesses like Noub-Hotep and Ita were far from the sedentary, purely decorative existence we often associate with ancient royalty," Hashesh noted, suggesting they began training in archery and martial arts early in life.
Further evidence of an active lifestyle came from the injuries they sustained. Princess Itaweret had survived multiple broken ribs and foot fractures, which were likely the result of accidents or heavy blows. Interestingly, the high status of these women granted them access to advanced medical care, as the fractures healed without misalignment or infection.
While some scholars, like Michelle Langley of Griffith University, agree that royal women likely practiced martial and hunting arts alongside their male relatives, others caution against definitive conclusions. Sonia Zakrzewski, an archaeologist at the University of Southampton, pointed out that other physical tasks—such as frequent juggling or using a scythe—could lead to similar bone modifications. She cautioned that finding a person buried with an object does not automatically prove their skeletal changes were caused by using that specific item.
Nevertheless, the study offers a compelling challenge to traditional narratives, suggesting that Egypt’s royal women carried their weapons into the afterlife not just as ornaments, but as testaments to the powerful and resilient lives they led.