Ancient Egyptian princesses didn't just rule - they hunted too

Think Egyptian princesses only wore fancy clothes and lived in palaces? Well you might need to think again!

A new study of mummies of the daughters of Pharaoh Amenemhat II suggest that these princesses may have been talented archers and hunters, according to researchers.

The mummies, originally found in the 1890s, but re-examined in 2020, were buried with items such as bows and arrows.

Now fresh analysis is claiming the weapons buried with them were tools they knew how to use - not just status symbols.

The mummies were first discovered in the 1890s but were lost for many years before being found again at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Since then further studies of the mummies have helped archaeologists learn more about them.

In research published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, scientists argue the mummies' skeletons indicate that the women had powerful muscles, from repeating the same movements over many years.

"Members of the royal family, especially the women, were active participants in skilled, physically demanding activities such as archery and hunting," said Dr Zeinab Hashesh of Beni-Suef University, lead author of the article, in a statement.

Some of the princesses also had broken bones that had healed.

The researchers behind the article argue that these injuries may have happened while hunting, training or doing other demanding activities.

However, the team also points out that much more research needs to be done on the remains.

They say aim to find out more about their identities, and about the lives and roles women played in ancient Egyptian society.

"Our dream would be to go far beyond simply identifying the Dahshur royals," said Dr Hashesh.

"We would try to tell their full life stories, their families, health, and even their political roles, with as much detail as possible."