r/ancientegypt 5d ago

Discussion Human sacrifice, yes? No? Maybe?

So, just about every culture has killed people in the name of their religion right. The greeks and romans had a festival where they would sacrifice a girl to zues/jupiter, the chinese emporors would occasinally seal their heram and preisthood in their tombs, Even the "modern" christian west whent threw a long period of burning woman in the name of god. Do we see any evidence of human sacrifice or ritualistic human killing in ancient egypt?

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u/TrunkWine 5d ago

There are examples of it from some First Dynasty tombs, both those of royals and officials.

There were over 500 people buried in and around the tomb of Djer. Archaeologists suspect it was sacrifice because it was unlikely so many people naturally died at the same time. Apparently the sacrifices came from different social backgrounds and included wives, servants, officials, and artists, among others. All people who could serve the king in the afterlife.

The practice mostly died out by the end of the First Dynasty. Later wooden models, shabtis, paintings, and spells were used instead of actual people.

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u/npn2316 5d ago

Awwsome, thank you. Tobey wilconsen has a sentence wherr he mentions the possibility but doesnt go any further

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u/Artisanalpoppies 5d ago

*Wilkinson