Fractures found on the skulls of ancient retainers buried near Egyptian royalty suggest they were likely sacrificed to accompany their rulers in death, according to new research. The study revisits the royal cemetery at Umm el-Qa’ab, near Abydos, which dates back to around 3,000 BC and contains the tombs of First Dynasty rulers.

This ancient site is significant not only for its royal burials but also for the numerous surrounding graves believed to house individuals associated with the royal court. These included ladies-in-waiting, seal-bearers, inspectors, and artisans, whose deaths were previously debated as possibly natural or the result of reburial.

Dr. Roselyn Campbell of Purdue University re-examined the skulls of 46 retainers from the Duckworth Collection at the University of Cambridge. These individuals were excavated from graves surrounding the funerary enclosures of King Djer, King Djet, and Queen Merneith. Her findings indicated that these retainers likely met violent ends.

The practice of retainer sacrifice in ancient Egypt has been a subject of debate for over a century, with early Egyptologist Flinders Petrie first proposing the theory in the 1920s. Petrie had excavated the retainer graves but found no clear evidence of trauma, leading him to suggest they might have been buried alive. Later scholars proposed alternative explanations, such as natural deaths followed by reburial.

Campbell's research, published in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, identified fractures consistent with blunt force trauma on the examined skulls. This evidence directly supports Petrie's initial hypothesis that these individuals were deliberately killed to serve their rulers in the afterlife.

The scale of subsidiary burials varied, with early ruler Aha having only a few, while his successors were surrounded by hundreds of such graves. This suggests a possible evolution or intensification of the practice over time.

The implications of this study are substantial, offering compelling evidence to resolve a long-standing archaeological and historical debate. It sheds new light on the social structure and ritualistic practices of the nascent Egyptian state.

Further research may focus on comparing trauma patterns with specific burial contexts and exploring whether similar practices existed in other early civilizations. The findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the power dynamics and beliefs that shaped the Old Kingdom of Egypt.