Egypt’s earliest kings were buried with hundreds of servants; 100 years later, skull fractures are reviving the theory that some were sacrificed
- Image: Mike P Shepherd/AlamySkull fractures found on remains from the royal cemetery at Umm el-Qa’ab near Abydos suggest that servants of Egypt’s earliest kings may have been sacrificed when their rulers died.
- A new study by bioarchaeologist Roselyn Campbell of Purdue University, published on 5 October 2026 in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology and reported by Nicola Davis in The Guardian, re-examined skulls first excavated a century ago.
- Eighteen of forty-six skulls showed injuries consistent with death around the time of burial.
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- Image: Mike P Shepherd/AlamySkull fractures found on remains from the royal cemetery at Umm el-Qa’ab near Abydos suggest that servants of Egypt’s earliest kings may have been sacrificed when their rulers died.
- A new study by bioarchaeologist Roselyn Campbell of Purdue University, published on 5 October 2026 in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology and reported by Nicola Davis in The Guardian, re-examined skulls first excavated a century ago.
- Eighteen of forty-six skulls showed injuries consistent with death around the time of burial.
Sources: Times of India