A recent study of remains from the royal cemetery at Umm el-Qa’ab indicates that court officials and craftspeople serving early Egyptian kings may have been sacrificed upon their ruler's death. This research, which found fractures in several ancient skulls, supports a theory proposed by early Egyptologists.
Background
The Umm el-Qa’ab cemetery, located near Abydos, dates back to around 3,000 BC and contains the tombs of the First Dynasty rulers of Egypt. In addition to royalty, the site features graves believed to belong to individuals associated with the royal households, including ladies, seal-bearers, inspectors, and artisans.
Research Findings
Dr. Roselyn Campbell, the study's author from Purdue University, published her findings in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology. She noted, "While Aha, the first ruler of the First Dynasty, seems to have only had a few subsidiary burials, his successors included hundreds of subsidiary graves around their tombs and enclosures."
The graves of these retainers were excavated in the 1920s by English Egyptologist Flinders Petrie, who suggested they were an example of human sacrifice. However, Petrie did not find evidence of trauma on the remains, leading to alternative theories that the retainers may have died naturally and were reburied at Abydos when their ruler died.
Skull Examination
Dr. Campbell re-examined the skulls of 46 retainers excavated from graves surrounding the funerary enclosures of three royals: King Djer, King Djet, and Queen Merneith. She stated, "This question of whether or not retainer sacrifice was practiced in Egypt has been debated for over a century, but this is the first study to examine the human remains from the tombs themselves."
