Dozen Severed Hands Found In Egyptian Pits Point To A Grisly Practice

A dozen right hands found buried beneath pits in an ancient Egyptian palace belong to enemy warriors who were captured more than 3,000 years ago, according to a study published in Nature. The grisly discovery was reported from Hyksos Palace in Avaris, a northern Egyptian city, in 2011 and the hands were being analysed by a team of researchers led by Julia Gresky of the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin. According to the study, this is the first time that archaeologists have found and analysed actual amputated hands in Egypt.

"The hands were deposited in three pits within a courtyard in front of the throne room of a 15th dynasty Hyksos Palace," the study said. 

The researchers noted in the study that the right hands belong to at least 12 adults - 11 males and one female. It is, however, unclear if the hands were taken from dead or living individuals.

The researchers point towards a shocking practice that used to take place in Egypt in those times. It's possible they belonged to enemy warriors who were captured before having their hands chopped off and thrown into pits for public display.

"They belonged to at least 11 males and possibly one female, which may indicate that women and warfare were not worlds apart," the study authors said in their published paper.

"Although this kind of practice is known from tomb or temple inscriptions and reliefs from the New Kingdom onwards, this is the first time that physical evidence has been used to learn more about the procedure and the individuals whose hands were taken," they further said in the paper.

With no signs of age-related degeneration, the upper age range was estimated to be below 60.