Ancient Egyptian princesses from 4,000 years ago were skilled archers, study finds

For decades, the weapons found in the tombs of ancient Egyptian princesses have sparked debate: were they mere symbols of status, or evidence of real-life skill? A new bioarchaeological reassessment of royal mummies from Egypt’s Middle Kingdom suggests that at least some of these women did not simply carry prestige items—they may have used them.

Researchers re-examined six high-status individuals associated with the Dahshur funerary complex, originally discovered in the 1890s and later recovered during a 2020 curation project at the Egyptian Museum. The team focused on preserved postcranial remains, since the soft tissues had largely degraded and the skulls were lost in the early 1900s.

Four of the six were sisters, daughters of Amenemhat II, interred in matching underground chambers alongside other royal individuals. Their grave goods included archery-related equipment—traditionally coded as masculine in later cultural interpretation—and, in one case, a finely crafted dagger.

Instead of relying on the objects alone, the study uses osteological markers of habitual activity. Pronounced muscle attachment sites in the upper limbs indicate repetitive, high-intensity movements consistent with archery and the stabilization or handling of weapons. In other words, the bones record functional behavior, not just ceremonial burial practice.

The reassessment also documents a medical dimension. Several individuals show healed trauma, including broken ribs and foot fractures, while infections and nutritional stress markers were identified across multiple skeletons. Rare spinal anomalies shared among the sisters were interpreted as evidence of close familial relationships.

Importantly, the authors connect injury patterns with an active lifestyle—potentially involving hunting, training, or other physically demanding pursuits—rather than accidental burial symbolism. The healing quality of injuries suggests access to care that may have been more advanced than commonly assumed for the period.

While the study’s conclusions are constrained by the missing skull material and by the fact that additional analyses (such as stable isotope work) have not yet been completed, the results shift the debate toward lived experience. The weapons appear less like theatrical props and more like everyday tools carried into the afterlife.

Beyond reconstructing activity, the team frames the broader significance: these royals were not passive figures in museum collections. Their bodies and artifacts together can restore agency, health histories, and social roles that have long been overshadowed by the focus on objects alone.