Severed enemy hands were presented to the ruler as a symbol of power: This ritual, previously only known from representations, now sheds light on an investigation of finds from an approximately 3,500-year-old pharaoh's palace in Egypt. It is the remains of twelve severed hands of young adults that were apparently "cleanly prepared" and placed in an "impressive" position. The researchers say they were probably presented to the king at a ceremony and then buried in the forecourt of the throne room.
Heaps of human hands lie in front of the triumphant pharaoh: Depictions of this scene are known from tombs of high-ranking military personnel and from temple walls. They illustrate a ceremony called "Gold of Honour" in which the ruler bestowed gold jewelry on his victorious soldiers in gratitude for the ghoulish war trophies. This practice became common in the New Kingdom period, but probably dated back to the preceding Second Intermediate Period of the Nile Kingdom. At the end of this era, foreign rulers sat on the pharaoh throne: the so-called Hyksos controlled Egypt between 1640 and 1530 BC. from their capital city of Avaris in the eastern Nile Delta.
Bioarchaeological evidence
The finds that the team led by Julia Gresky from the German Archaeological Institute are now reporting on come from there and from the Hyksos era. They were discovered in 2011 during an excavation led by the Austrian Archaeological Institute in the remains of the palace of the former Hyksos capital. These are twelve severed right hands that were buried in three pits in the forecourt of the throne room in ancient Egyptian times. What exactly was going on with them, however, remained unclear. Gresky and her colleagues have therefore now devoted a detailed study to these finds.
According to the archaeologists, the characteristics of the hand bones indicate that they came from young adults. Except for one unclear case, these were men. "These hands were probably severed after death - while still on the battlefield," says Gresky. According to the researchers, the further investigation results also speak for war trophies and not for the remains of mutilating punishments. Because the hands were apparently treated almost surgically: "They were prepared clean and freed from possible remains of the forearm. This was done with great care, without causing any damage to the hand bones themselves,” reports Gresky.
Prepared for a ritual
In addition, the hands were placed in an impressive position. To do this, the fingers were spread extra wide apart. This was probably intended to emphasize the typical hand structure. In addition, their dimensions appeared larger - and thus also those of the successfully defeated enemies, the scientists explain. "The location, treatment and archaeological context suggest that the severed hands were presented as trophies during a public event at the palace," the team concludes.
It is therefore the first direct bioarchaeological evidence of the ceremony of the "honorary gold" carried out in front of the royal palace. Apparently it was already carried out by the Hyksos rulers and then advanced to a typical part of war symbolism and demonstration of power in the New Kingdom. For the ancient Egyptians, the creepy procedure probably also had a special meaning, the scientists emphasize in conclusion. Because, as the mummification practices make clear, the physical integrity of the dead was very important for existence in the afterlife. For the enemies of Egypt, mutilation was a treatment with consequences that went beyond death.
Source: German Archaeological Institute, specialist article: Sci Rep, doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-32165-8