Tombos discovery shatters centuries-old belief about Egyptian pyramids

In a recent article, New Scientist highlights that for centuries, archaeologists believed that Egypt’s iconic pyramids were reserved only for the elite. But a groundbreaking discovery at the Tombos archaeological site in northern Sudan is challenging this assumption. 

Tombos, which came under ancient Egyptian control around 3,500 years ago at the height of the civilization’s power, offers a unique insight into the practices of the time. By this period, Egyptian royalty had moved away from pyramid burials, but Egyptian nobles still valued them. Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of at least five mud-brick pyramids at the site.

Sarah Schrader, an archaeologist from Leiden University in the Netherlands, has been working at Tombos for more than a decade. Her research focused on analyzing subtle marks left on the bones of ancient inhabitants, which provide clues about their physical activity levels during their lives. Schrader and her team examined numerous skeletons associated with each pyramid tomb and made a surprising discovery: some of the remains belonged to individuals who had led very sedentary lives, while others showed evidence of intense physical activity.

“At first we didn’t quite understand what the data meant,” Schrader explains. Her colleague, Stuart Tyson Smith from the University of California, Santa Barbara, suggested an explanation: the low-activity individuals may have been nobles who lived in luxury, while the more active individuals were likely hard-working non-elites. This finding challenges the long-held assumption in Egyptology that monumental tombs, such as pyramids, were only for the elites.

“I think we have assumed for far too long that pyramids were just for the rich,” says Schrader.

While alternative explanations exist, Aidan Dodson, an archaeologist from the University of Bristol who was not involved in the study, proposes that the high-activity individuals might have been nobles who maintained physical fitness to reinforce their status.

However, Schrader remains skeptical. She points out that ample archaeological evidence from other sites indicates that elites in ancient Egypt had different activity patterns compared to non-elites. Furthermore, Schrader dismisses the idea of a sinister explanation for the presence of both nobles and workers in the same tomb. While human sacrifice did occur in the region about 500 years prior, Schrader notes that by the time Tombos was under Egyptian control, there is no evidence to suggest it was still practiced.

Schrader and her team speculate that the non-elites buried in the pyramids may have been servants, interred alongside their masters so they could continue to serve them in the afterlife. This theory is surprising, as most ancient Egyptians believed they could rely on small figurines called ushabtis placed in the tomb to serve their needs in the afterlife. It’s possible that some nobles chose to have their actual servants buried with them as a precaution, though the exact reasoning remains uncertain. “A lot of explanations are possible,” says Schrader.

The findings also raise questions about whether these mixed-status burials were unique to Tombos or part of a broader trend in ancient Egypt. Wolfram Grajetzki, an expert from University College London who was not involved in the study, suggests the pattern may be seen at other Egyptian sites as well. “There is some evidence from other places that high officials were buried close to servants,” Grajetzki notes.

As this discovery continues to spark debate and challenge long-standing assumptions about ancient Egyptian burial practices, researchers remain focused on uncovering more answers about the customs and social structures of this powerful civilization.

By Naila Huseynova