Trauma in 39% of examined First Dynasty skulls strengthens retainer-sacrifice evidence
SCIENCEUnverifiedUpdated:
A reported reexamination of forty-six First Dynasty burial skulls found fractures consistent with blunt-force trauma in eighteen. The evidence strengthens the retainer-sacrifice interpretation without settling it.
Reexamining forty-six skulls with modern methods
According to Ars Technica, bioarchaeologist Roselyn Campbell re-examined 46 crania excavated in the 1920s from subsidiary graves in the Umm el-Qaab cemetery at Abydos, southern Egypt. The reported analysis found linear fractures in 18 skulls, which Campbell interpreted as evidence of blunt-force trauma that likely caused death. Some skulls also reportedly showed sharp-force trauma.
Flinders Petrie did not record evidence of fatal trauma in these remains when they were excavated in the 1920s. The saved report does not provide a directly comparable earlier forensic assessment using current methods.
The reported reanalysis identifies linear fractures consistent with blunt-force trauma in 18 of 46 skulls, or about 39 percent. The article says this strengthens, but does not conclusively settle, the case for retainer sacrifice.
The remains come from graves associated with First Dynasty rulers, where the people buried nearby have been presumed to be retainers. The reported findings offer new forensic support for that interpretation while leaving the cause of death of the other individuals unresolved.
Sources
- Ars TechnicaNew forensic evidence supports Egyptian "retainer sacrifice"Read source →