Discoveries

April 20, 2023

Golden Hands

Listen to Today's Edition

Egyptian texts and wall carvings depict warriors presenting the amputated hands of slain enemies to the pharaoh, who would then reward them with gold necklaces.

Known as “gold of honor,” this gruesome practice has long been the subject of debate among scholars, but archaeologists recently discovered the first physical evidence of the trophy-taking custom, Science Magazine reported.

In a new study, they analyzed 12 skeletal hands that were first found near a palace outside the northern Egyptian city of Tell el-Dab’a in 2011.

The remains date from between 1620 and 1550 BCE, when Tell el-Dab’a was known as Avaris and briefly served as the capital of ancient Egypt.

Researchers debated whether these hands were war trophies or just brutal punishment inflicted on criminals. But ancient texts and depictions did not show any evidence of such punishment.

Instead, the analysis showed the hands – always the right ones – were carefully cut from the arm with near-surgical precision. The meticulous amputation also hinted that the individuals had died before losing their hands.

The team also noticed that the hands were placed in a shallow pit that was visible from the throne room.

They explained that this ritual was introduced by the Hyksos, a group of foreign invaders that conquered Egypt around 1640 BCE and ruled for around a century.

These invaders also introduced chariots and new types of weapons, such as slings and distinctive battleaxes, before they were ousted by Pharaoh Ahmose I.

This story originally appeared in the April 20, 2023 newsletter, Wanted: A Government.