New study suggests ancient Egyptians may have used branding irons on human slaves

The ancient Egyptians used branding irons to mark their animals, as evidenced by carvings and tomb paintings. Now a new study suggests they also used branding irons stamps to mark the skin of human slaves.

New study suggests ancient Egyptians may have used branding irons on human slavesA bronze branding iron from ancient Egypt. Credit: © The Trustees of the British Museum; (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0))

Several historical texts and illustrations, and ten branding irons dating back 3,000 years, suggest that slaves were branded by the ancient Egyptians. These bronze branding irons are presently housed at the British Museum and the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology at University College London.

The branding irons, which date between 1292 and 656 B.C.E., were likely too small to be used on livestock, according to the researchers.

“They are so small that it precludes them from being used on cattle or horses,” Ella Karev, an Egyptologist at the University of Chicago and the study’s author, told Live Science. “I’m not excluding the possibility, but we have no evidence of small animals like goats being branded, and there is so much other evidence of humans being branded.”

Furthermore, Karev told Live Science that ancient Egyptian texts describe “marking” enslaved people. Though phrase has long been believed to refer to tattoos, Karev argues that it might also refer to branding.

She also pointed to the Medinet Habu carving, which depicts ancient Egyptians “marking” prisoners of war. Though the carving, which dates from around 1185 B.C.E., appears to depict prisoners being tattooed, Karev believes it could actually show them being branded.

She says that some of the ancient Egyptian branding irons are almost exactly the same size as branding irons used by Europeans on African enslaved persons during the trans-Atlantic slave trade many centuries later.

The new study, published in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology:

More information: Karev, E. (2022). ‘Mark them with my Mark’: Human Branding in Egypt. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 0(0).

Related Posts

Lost medieval tale The Song of Wade decoded by Cambridge scholars solving 130-year-old Chaucerian mystery

Lost medieval tale The Song of Wade decoded by Cambridge scholars solving 130-year-old Chaucerian mystery

A literary enigma that has puzzled scholars for more than a century might have finally been unraveled. Researchers at Cambridge University have reinterpreted a fragment of the…

Medieval Hungarians continued eating horsemeat for centuries despite Christian influence, new study reveals

Medieval Hungarians continued eating horsemeat for centuries despite Christian influence, new study reveals

A recent archaeological study is rewriting our understanding of medieval food and the Christian influence on the foodways of Europe. Contrary to long-held ᴀssumptions that Christianity led…

Ancient elk petroglyphs in Mongolia show 12,000-year shift from realism to wolf-like symbols

Ancient elk petroglyphs in Mongolia show 12,000-year shift from realism to wolf-like symbols

A new study, published in the Cambridge Archaeological Journal by Dr. Esther Jacobson-Tepfer, reveals an astonishing transformation in elk images in 12,000 years of Altai rock art…

Wild hyenas in Tanzania found to disturb prehistoric campsite remains, study shows

Wild hyenas in Tanzania found to disturb prehistoric campsite remains, study shows

A recent expedition to Tanzania by the SCAVENGERS project team has revealed that wild hyenas can significantly alter the archaeological record of early human campsites. Led by…

Ancient rural settlement in Fordingbridge reveals Iron Age to Roman transition, daily life, and industry

Ancient rural settlement in Fordingbridge reveals Iron Age to Roman transition, daily life, and industry

Archaeologists from Cotswold Archaeology have revealed the remains of a previously unknown rural settlement on the western edge of Fordingbridge, Hampshire, England. The excavation, ahead of a…

Medieval leather treasures unearthed in Oslo reveal shoes, bags, and daily life 700 years ago

Medieval leather treasures unearthed in Oslo reveal shoes, bags, and daily life 700 years ago

Archaeologists excavating Oslo’s historic neighborhood of Bjørvika have uncovered a trove of medieval leather artifacts—over 2,900 pieces, including hundreds of beautifully preserved shoes, bags, and knife sheaths….