Were they sent to die with the king? The skulls provide a disturbing clue

A renewed forensic examination of 46 skulls buried alongside Egypt's first kings in Abydos, some 5,000 years ago, reveals that 18 of them show signs of lethal trauma, supporting the theory that courtiers were killed to accompany the rulers to the afterlife.

A renewed forensic examination of 46 skulls buried in Abydos, alongside the tombs of Egypt's first unified kingdom's kings, reveals that 18 of them show signs of lethal trauma that occurred around the time of death. The findings include linear skull fractures that could have caused loss of consciousness, internal bleeding, and death, as well as signs of impact from a sharp object, and in one case an injury to the eye area. The researchers, using modern forensic technology, re-examined remains unearthed over a century ago by archaeologist Flinders Petrie, who saw some of the fractures but interpreted them as natural bone damage. Despite the new evidence, the researchers still do not know exactly how the people died or who killed them. The type of fractures does not necessarily match known Egyptian ceremonial maces, and it is possible that flatter tools were used. It is also not possible to determine that all those buried were murdered; some died of natural causes and others were killed in ways that leave no marks, such as strangulation. The question of motive remains open: sacrificial accompaniment is known in ancient cultures, sometimes as a promise of status or eternal life, and sometimes by force.