A recent study in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology indicates that ancient Egyptian princesses were trained to use the weapons buried with them. Analysis of long-lost mummified remains has removed doubts about their skill with daggers, bows, and maces. French archaeologist Jacques de Morgan found the 4,000-year-old bodies in the Dahshur pyramid complex during the 1890s. In 1895, researchers examined the remains of King Hor and Princess Noub-Hotep. The bodies reached the Egyptian Museum in 1915 and stayed forgotten in a wooden box for over a century. In 2020, archaeologist Zeinab Hashesh rediscovered the group, which also included Princesses Itaweret, Khenmet, Ita, and one unidentified woman. Their skulls had been sent to a medical school in 1906 and were later lost. Re-examination using bone features and X-rays revealed strong muscle attachments linked to archery and weapon handling. The women showed signs of injuries from active use. These findings suggest the weapons were practical tools rather than symbolic items. The princesses maintained rigorous physical routines throughout their lives.
