Ancient Egyptian princesses were not merely decorative figures, but skilled individuals trained in archery and weaponry. A new analysis of long-lost royal skeletons from the Middle Kingdom, rediscovered in 2020 after a century of neglect, shows bone developments consistent with the habitual use of bows, maces, and daggers. These findings, detailed in a study published in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology (Hashesh et al., 2026), suggest that weapons found in the graves of these royal women were functional tools rather than purely ceremonial items.
Rediscovery of the Dahshur Remains
The remains, which belong to the family of Pharaoh Amenemhat II, were originally excavated in the 1890s by French archaeologist Jacques de Morgan at the Dahshur pyramid complex. This period marked the apex of the Egyptomania craze. In 1895, scientific investigations were conducted on the two most high-ranking royals in the burial complex: King Hor and Princess Noub-Hotep. Today, 19th-century handwriting remains visible on the bones and the papers they were wrapped with.
In 1915, the Dahshur bodies were moved to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir. There, they were placed in a wooden box and remained forgotten for over a century. Zeinab Hashesh, an archaeologist at Beni-Suef University in Egypt, rediscovered the remains in 2020 during a curation project. The collection includes King Hor and five royal women: Princess Noub-Hotep, Princess Itaweret, Princess Khenmet, Princess Ita, and an anonymous woman provisionally identified as Princess Sathathormeryt. Hashesh noted that early curators at the Egyptian museum had labeled the entire contents of the box simply as “human remains.”
Osteobiography and Evidence of Combat Training
The lives of princesses in ancient Egypt are often described as luxurious and sheltered, surrounded by servants in sprawling palaces. However, this new research challenges that narrative. By analyzing the bones of the six royal women, researchers found that the princesses were highly physically active in ways consistent with using the weapons buried alongside them. Scientists have long debated whether such weapons were ceremonial or functional; the new analysis suggests the latter.
For more on this story, see Ancient Egyptian Princesses Were Skilled Archers, New Skeletal Study Finds.
Although the soft tissue of the mummies had turned to powder, archaeologists were able to use the remaining bones to estimate ages at death, height, and sex, as well as to uncover evidence of illnesses or injuries. The robust muscle attachments on the sisters’ bones indicate that they were highly physically active in ways that align with the use of the weapons in their burials. These indicators reflect the repetitive, high-intensity strain required to stabilize and draw a bow or wield a mace.
Individual Profiles: Princess Ita, Itaweret, and Khenmet
The analysis revealed specific physical histories for several of the royal women, providing a more granular look at their daily lives. Princess Ita, who was buried with a dagger featuring a handle made of lapis lazuli, turquoise, and gold, was aged between 28 and 34 at the time of her death. Her remains showed strong upper-body muscle attachments, suggesting she habitually used weapons such as maces or daggers.
Princess Itaweret, aged between 20 and 34, exhibited evidence of broken ribs and foot fractures. Her skeleton provided clear indications that she was a skilled archer. Meanwhile, Princess Khenmet died in her late 30s or early 40s. While her remains showed signs of bone thinning, she possessed very robust ligament attachments, further supporting the conclusion that these women engaged in skilled physical activity throughout their lives. These findings provide a new perspective on the women of Egypt’s Twelfth Dynasty, who were members of the family group associated with Amenemhat II, the third king of the 12th dynasty who died around 1895 BC.
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