Wonder Woman, the female hero from DC Comics, appears as a princess of a tribe of women warriors from Greek mythology. In Egypt 4,000 years ago, there was a princess who was a real-life version of Wonder Woman. An analysis of the mummy's skeleton found that she had trained for so long with swords and bows that the bones of her palm had curved, and she turned out to be a warrior who did not mind injuries.
A research team led by Professor Zeinab Hashesh of Beni-Suef University in Egypt said on the 17th (local time) in the international journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology that "an analysis of the mummies of five ancient Egyptian princesses revealed they were actually able to handle the swords and bows buried with them." The claim is that the bows and daggers from the tombs were not mere ornaments but evidence of an active, tough life that they took with them into the afterlife.
◇Skeletons changed from handling swords and bows
Professor Hashesh's team examined six royal mummies found in the Dahshur pyramids and tomb complex from Egypt's Middle Kingdom, roughly between 1850 B.C. and 1700 B.C. Five of them were women. Weapons such as swords, bows, arrows, and maces were also found in the tombs. Although excavated in the 1890s, they were missing for some time and were rediscovered during a collection inventory project at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo in 2020.
Four of the six mummies were daughters of Amenemhat II (reigned 1929–1895 B.C.), the third king of the 12th Dynasty. They were buried in the same underground tomb. Princess Ita was next to Princess Khenmet, and Princess Itaweret was buried alongside Princess Satathormeryt. The other two royals were Princess Nubhotep, presumed to be related to King Hor of the 13th Dynasty, and a royal relative. The soft tissues of the mummies had already turned to powder. The skulls were gone, but the remaining bones were in good enough condition to determine age and sex at death and whether there had been disease or injury.
From the tomb of Princess Ita, estimated to have died at age 28–34, came a lavish dagger decorated with gold and lapis lazuli. Lapis lazuli, from Latin meaning "stone of the sky," is a deep-blue gemstone. Professor Hashesh said, "The attachment sites where muscles connect to the bones in the forearm are robust, showing habitual use of weapons such as maces or daggers." It means she took the sword she used in life with her in death.
Princess Khenmet, a woman in her late 30s to 40s, showed signs of bone thinning, but her ligament attachment sites were very robust. Princess Itaweret (20–34) showed hypertrophy of the forearm bones. This was interpreted as an adaptation to the stress of repeatedly drawing a bow. Itaweret also showed signs of having overcome rib and foot fractures. As a royal, she likely received good treatment, but this was interpreted to mean she did not shy away from injuries during training.
Princess Nubhotep (40–44) was buried with arrows; the second of the five bones forming the right palm was curved, and the attachment sites of the finger muscles were reinforced. The researchers explained that this is a typical feature seen in archers who grip a bow. Professor Hashesh said, "You might think a princess lived a sedentary, ornamental life, but the lives of Egyptian princesses were far from that," adding, "For the archer's hand posture with curved hand bones to develop, they likely began archery and martial training from a young age."
◇"Changing the image of princesses" vs. "error of overgeneralization"
Across many ancient tombs worldwide, the remains of high-status women have been unearthed with weapons. Remains from the 10th century, excavated with weapons such as swords, axes, and bows and with two horses, were thought at the time of their discovery in the late 19th century to be a male Viking commander, but DNA testing in 2017 revealed they were female.
Academics have debated whether weapons were symbolic grave goods indicating status, or whether they meant women actually used weapons in life. This time, the Egyptian researchers sought answers by analyzing the women's remains rather than the weapons themselves. They concluded that the princesses who became mummies had the bodies of warriors who long used swords and bows in life.
The academic community expressed both support and skepticism about the findings. Michelle Langley, an archaeologist at Griffith University in Australia, said, "This study provided practical insights into the lives of Egyptian princesses," adding, "Royal women did not just lounge around the palace or trail after male relatives; like their fathers or brothers, they trained in martial arts and hunting skills."
By contrast, Professor Sonia Zakrzewski of the University of Southampton in the U.K. said, "Juggling or frequent use of sickles can cause similar changes in the bones of the arms and hands," adding, "Even if you found similar changes in the bones of a tennis player buried with a racket, you could not conclude they were the result of hitting people in life." From bones alone, it is impossible to tell whether the changes were due to violence, sports, or labor.
Sébastien Villotte of France's National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) also said, "Grave goods such as arrows or daggers increase the likelihood that the princesses participated in weapons training, but the authors did not provide sufficient biomechanical or biomedical evidence to support this claim," proposing, "We should compare remains from contemporary non-elite groups in the region to verify whether the princesses' skeletal features were unique to them."
References
Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology (2026), DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fearc.2026.1844402
Journal of Physical Anthropology (2017), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23308