Reanalysis of 46 skulls from Abydos finds fractures at the time of death in 18 of them

Researchers re-examined skulls of courtiers and artisans buried beside Egypt's first rulers; the findings strengthen the sacrifice hypothesis but do not prove it.

Researchers have re-examined 46 skulls from Abydos, Egypt, where more than 5,000 years ago hundreds of courtiers and artisans were buried beside the tombs of the first rulers, Muy Interesante reports muyinteresante.okdiario.com. The work is by R. A. Campbell and was published in 2026 in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology.

Early in the last century, the Abydos excavator Flinders Petrie suspected that these people had been sacrificed. Since then the question has been debated for 100 years. The new study applies bioarchaeology and forensic methods to legacy data from the site.

According to the analysis, 18 of the 46 skulls show fractures produced at the time of death, which the researchers describe as compatible with a voluntary death. It cannot be proven that these fractures caused the death. Even so, the sacrifice hypothesis comes out strengthened.