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New Study Suggests Some Early Egyptian Retainers Were Sacrificed
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New Findings from the First Dynasty Royal Cemetery
Researchers re-examined 46 skulls recovered from subsidiary graves surrounding the tombs of King Djer, King Djet and Queen Merneith at the royal cemetery of Umm el-Qa?ab near Abydos (c. 3000 BC). The analysis, published in *Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology*, identified clear perimortem injuries in 18 of the skulls, including a chopping wound to an eye socket. The injuries appear to result from blows with flat, wide implements of wood or antler rather than weapons such as maces.
Historical Context of Retainer Burials
The site has long been associated with “retainer sacrifice” because early excavations by Flinders Petrie in the 1920s uncovered numerous subsidiary graves of artisans, seal-bearers and other court officials. Petrie proposed that these individuals were killed to accompany the king in death, a view later debated by scholars who suggested natural death and secondary burial instead.
Evidence of Trauma in Retainer Skulls
- Sample examined: 46 retainers from three royal enclosures.
- Skulls with trauma: 18 (? 39 %).
- Types of injury: fractures consistent with blunt force; one skull shows a distinct chopping injury to the eye.
- Interpretation: The pattern points to intentional, lethal blows inflicted around the time of death.
Expert Interpretations
“This question of whether or not retainer sacrifice was practised in Egypt has been debated for over a century, but this is the first study to examine the human remains from the tombs themselves,” — Guardian. Campbell — Roselyn Campbell, Purdue University, lead author, explains that this is the first study to directly examine the human remains from the tombs themselves. Campbell adds that the limited sample prevents firm conclusions about the full scope of the practice: “With such a small sample size of the original burial population, we simply can’t see the full extent of these funerary rituals, nor can we be sure that this sample is truly representative of all the retainers.” — Guardian. Campbell. Salima Ikram, professor at the American University in Cairo, notes that the study applies “rigorous current methodologies” to a long-standing hypothesis.
Implications for Understanding Early Egyptian Funerary Practices
If the injuries represent intentional killing, the findings support a brief period in the First Dynasty when human retainers were sacrificed, after which the practice appears to have been replaced by symbolic statuettes. This nuance reshapes interpretations of early Egyptian state formation and the evolving relationship between the god-king and his household.