{
  "id": 12866158,
  "title": "Ancient Egyptians May Have Sacrificed Royal Servants After Kings’ Deaths, New Forensic Study Finds",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/ancient-egyptians-may-have-sacrificed-royal-servants-after-kings",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-08T12:10:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/ancient-egyptians-may-have-sacrificed-royal-servants-after-kings-deaths-new-forensic-study-finds"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "New forensic study reveals that ancient Egyptian kings may have sacrificed royal servants after their deaths around 3000 BC, according to the October 8, 2026 report from CNN. The remains of 46 retainers, including 18 with potentially fatal head injuries, were discovered in royal funerary complexes at Abydos, eastern Egypt, during excavations in the 1920s. The injuries, consistent with blunt force trauma to the head, occurred around the time of death, suggesting the retainers were killed and buried with the kings. Roselyn A Campbell, the lead researcher from Purdue University, noted that the injuries could have been caused by a flat, wide weapon, and were consistent with rapid unconsciousness, internal bleeding, and death. Campbell suggested that the practice of sacrificing retainers could be linked to religious beliefs about the afterlife and the display of royal power. However, the study does not establish that all the individuals buried around the royal tombs were sacrificed, as the findings are based on a small and incomplete data set. Experts have long suspected human sacrifice among royal retainers, but the new study provides forensic evidence supporting the theory and clarifying the manner of their deaths. Campbell is currently preparing a book on the subject, scheduled for publication in 2027, which will explore the identities of the retainers, ancient Egyptian beliefs, and broader questions surrounding violence and sacrifice in historical cultures.",
  "summary": "Cairo, October 8, 2026: A new forensic study of human remains discovered near the tombs of ancient Egyptian kings has found evidence suggesting that royal servants were killed and buried alongside their rulers around 3000 BC. The findings support a long-standing archaeological theory that servants, also known as retainers, were sacrificed following the deaths of monarchs, possibly to serve them…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Live Science",
        "title": "Ancient Egyptians sacrificed pharaohs' servants so they could continue to serve their king in the afterlife, new study finds",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/ancient-egyptians-sacrificed-pharaohs-servants-so-they-could-continue",
        "published": "2026-10-05T16:40:38.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}