Study First Osteological Evidence of Severed Hands in Ancient Egypt finds evidence of gold of honour ceremony

Egyptologists have found evidence of a gruesome practice called the “gold of honour” which involved severing the hands of enemies.

The study First Osteological Evidence of Severed Hands in Ancient Egypt was published in the journal Scientific Reports on March 31.

It described the first analysis of the bones of 12 severed hands found in the front throne room of a 15th Dynasty (1640 to 1530 BCE) palace.

There were distinct periods in Ancient Egypt and the area had been controlled by the Naqada, Summerian-Akkadian, Nubian, Hyksos and Greek people.

During the 15th Dynasty the Hyksos, from Western Asia, had seized control of Egypt and made their capital Avaris.

The hands had been deposited in three pits within a courtyard in the front throne room of the Hyksos palace at Avaris, Tell el-Dab’a.

The study found the hands belonged to 12 adults - 11 men and possibly one female.

They were not able to establish if the hands had been removed pre or post mortem.

The “gold of honour” practice had been depicted on temple and tomb walls, and recorded on papyrus.

It showed soldiers presenting the severed right hands of foes to the Pharaoh in order to garner the “gold of honour”.

The ceremony appears to have been introduced to Egypt by the Hyksos, and adopted by Egyptian pharoahs until at least the 18th to 20th Dynasties.

Early 18th Dynasty tomb inscriptions and temple reliefs from the 18th to the 20th Dynasties consistently depict hand counts on the battlefield following major battles

Following removal the hands were placed in the ground with wide splayed fingers palm down. They were all right hands.

The study found the hands were soft and flexible when they were placed in the pit.

This means the hands either came from living victims who were mutilated during or shortly before the ceremony or they were taken about 24 to 48 hours after death.

The hands came from individuals older than 14 to 21 years, and were taken before they reached old age.

The “gold of honour” ceremony has long been debated in academic circles and this study is the first time that physical evidence has been used to learn more about the procedure.