Research Spotlight No. (18)

When Princesses Took Up Arms: The Story That Reshaped the History of the Daughters of Amenemhat II at Dahshur
A research team that included Dr. Zeinab Hashish of Beni Suef University has published an original research article in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, offering a groundbreaking reinterpretation of the role of royal women in ancient Egypt during the Middle Kingdom (1850–1700 BC).
The study significantly advances our understanding of the physical activities and social status of Egyptian princesses, challenging the long-standing perception of elite royal women as passive figures whose lives revolved solely around luxury and ornamentation. Instead, the findings demonstrate that these women played active and physically demanding roles that extended beyond conventional gender expectations, providing a more authentic picture of life within the ancient Egyptian royal court.
The research team adopted an integrated osteobiographical approach, combining detailed anthropological examination of royal skeletal remains from Dahshur—rediscovered in the basement of the Egyptian Museum in 2020—with advanced analytical techniques, including X-ray imaging and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to identify embalming materials.
The analyses revealed remarkable evidence of pronounced muscular development and physiological adaptations in the shoulders and upper limbs consistent with repeated archery practice and the use of daggers and clubs. Researchers also identified the distinctive "archer's grip" in the hand bones of Princess Nub-Hotep, providing compelling evidence that the weapons discovered in the princesses' tombs were functional implements rather than merely symbolic or ceremonial grave goods.
The study further identified familial relationships among the royal individuals through shared congenital spinal anomalies and documented evidence of advanced medical care, showing that the princesses had fully recovered from fractures and stress-related injuries sustained through intensive physical activity.
Beyond its archaeological significance, the research offers practical contributions by supporting the development of improved protocols for documenting human remains and by encouraging the revision of historical narratives presented in museums and educational curricula. By integrating biological, chemical, and archaeological evidence, the study reconstructs the health, lifestyle, and social history of Egypt's royal elite with unprecedented detail.
Most importantly, the findings help resolve a long-standing archaeological debate concerning the weapons recovered from the tombs of Middle Kingdom princesses, confirming that these artifacts were not simply symbolic funerary objects but were weapons actively used during the princesses' lifetimes.
The research was published in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, a peer-reviewed journal published by Frontiers Media SA. The journal is indexed in the Web of Science database and has an Impact Factor of 2.1 (Q3).
DOI: 10.3389/fearc.2026.1844402