Archaeology & History

Severed hands discovered in ancient Egypt

By T.K. Randall
August 14, 2012 ·  21 comments

Image Credit: Wikipedia The remains of 16 human hands were found within two pits and are thought to be 3600 years old, placing them at a time when the Hyksos people controlled part of Egypt and King Khayan ruled from the Palace in Avaris. It is believed that the hands are the first direct evidence of an ancient practice involving soldiers cutting off and presenting the right hand of their enemies.

"Most of the hands are quite large and some of them are very large," said excavations field director Manfred Bietak. "Our evidence is the earliest evidence and the only physical evidence at all."

Source: Live Science | Comments (21)

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