Severed hands of war

The Egyptian military estimated the number of those killed in front of the king soon after combat ended by displaying the severed hands of the deceased enemy.

This was all but a theory based upon ancient reliefs until 2012 when archaeologists excavating at the modern site of Avaris, Tell el-Daba, unearthed 16 human right hands buried within four pits. Two of the pits were discovered within the remnants of what is thought to have once been a throne room.

Avaris Findings: A pit full of hands

In 2012, archaeologists uncovered a remarkable and rather grisly find at Avaris (Tell el-Daba)—the former capital of the Hyksos during their rule of Egypt in the Second Intermediate Period, c. 1650–1550 B.C.

At the palatial compound of a Hyksos ruler, believed to be king Khayan, researchers found 16 severed right hands buried in pits within what appeared to be a ceremonial courtyard. The hands were carefully placed, and in some cases, laid out one by one, suggesting this wasn’t a haphazard burial.

All the hands were right hands, and none showed signs of being from left limbs, which suggests it was deliberate and symbolic. The hands appeared to be from adults, and there’s no evidence they were from the same individuals. The pits were located directly in front of the throne room, a highly symbolic placement, possibly intended as a display of power or victory.

This aligns with a practice mentioned in New Kingdom Egyptian texts, especially from the time of Ramesses II and Thutmose III, where enemy warriors’ right hands were cut off as a means to count the dead and claim rewards from the pharaoh (often gold in exchange for each hand).

What’s particularly interesting here is that this is the first archaeological evidence of the practice, and it predates the textual references by a few centuries, showing that the Hyksos might have introduced this custom—or at least practiced it before it became standard in later Egyptian military traditions.

This discovery not only sheds light on warfare and ritual humiliation of enemies in Ancient Egypt, but it also challenges perceptions of the Hyksos as purely foreign invaders. It suggests they were already engaged in Egyptian-style royal rituals, or possibly influenced Egyptian customs with their own warrior traditions.

Tell el-Daba, Ancient Avaris:

Tell el-Daba is the modern name of an archaeological site located in the eastern Nile Delta, near the present-day town of Faqus. Beneath this quiet stretch of farmland lies the ancient city of Avaris, once the vibrant capital of the Hyksos, a dynasty of Asiatic rulers who controlled northern Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, c. 1650–1550 B.C.

At its height, Avaris was a bustling, multicultural metropolis, unlike any other in Egypt at the time. Strategically situated near the Pelusiac branch of the Nile, it was ideally placed for trade, migration, and military movement, acting as Egypt’s gateway to the Levant and beyond.

The Hyksos, a term derived from the Egyptian heqa khasut (“rulers of foreign lands”), were likely of mixed Semitic origin, possibly from Canaan. They didn’t invade Egypt in a sudden onslaught, but gradually gained influence through settlement, economic strength, and eventually political control.

Avaris became their stronghold, a city where Canaanite, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian cultures blended. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of Levantine-style houses and pottery, Syrian-style tombs, Egyptian temples and administrative buildings and horse burials and early chariots, marking one of the earliest appearances of horses in Egypt

This cultural intermingling makes Avaris one of the most cosmopolitan cities of Ancient Egypt, revealing a society where foreign and local traditions coexisted and shaped each other.

Excavations led by Austrian archaeologist Manfred Bietak have uncovered a palatial complex, elaborate burial grounds, granaries, temples, and harbour installations. The palace where the severed hands were found forms part of this sprawling Hyksos-era compound.

The discoveries at Tell el-Daba provide a rare glimpse into a time of political fragmentation but cultural flourishing. They challenge older narratives that painted the Hyksos as mere invaders and instead present a nuanced picture of exchange, adaptation, and hybrid identity.

Eventually, the Hyksos were expelled by the southern Theban kings, most famously Ahmose I, who founded the 18th Dynasty and ushered in the New Kingdom—Egypt’s imperial golden age. Avaris was abandoned, and nearby Pi-Ramesses, built later by Ramesses II, rose from its ruins.

Dating the Severed Hands

While absolute dating remains difficult due to the fragmentary nature of Second Intermediate Period chronology, multiple lines of evidence suggest that Khayan’s reign is the most likely time frame for this ritual deposition of severed hands.

The severed right hands discovered in 2012 at Tell el-Dab‘a (ancient Avaris) were found in three pits located within a Hyksos-era palace compound, directly in front of what appears to have been a ceremonial throne room. Based on the architectural context, stratigraphy, and pottery typology, archaeologists have tentatively dated the palace, and by extension, the pits, to the reign of king Khayan, one of the most prominent Hyksos rulers.

Khayan was a ruler of the 15th Dynasty, which consisted of Hyksos kings of Asiatic origin who ruled Lower Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period. It is important to note that, the Hyksos themselves were not a single ethnicity, but a composite group of peoples from the Near East who settled and gradually gained control in the Nile Delta.

Khayan is considered one of the most powerful and far-reaching Hyksos monarchs. His name, Khayan (also rendered as Khian or Khayun), is Semitic in origin and likely linked to Western Asia, possibly the Levant. Although records from this period are sparse, Khayan appears to have ruled over a unified northern Egypt, exerting considerable influence. His reign likely saw a period of relative stability and administrative sophistication under Hyksos control. His titulary included traditional Egyptian royal names such as Heqa-khasut Seuserenre, suggesting an attempt to legitimize Hyksos rule in Pharaonic terms.

Seal impressions bearing his name have been found not only in Avaris, but also deep into Upper Egypt, and even as far as Knossos in Crete and Baghdad in Mesopotamia, indicating a far-reaching network of trade and diplomacy.

It is thought that the act of cutting off right hands to count enemies or humiliate foes is not attested in Egyptian practice until later New Kingdom inscriptions. The fact that this practice appears in a Hyksos context earlier suggests that it may have been introduced by them, perhaps drawn from Levantine or Mesopotamian customs and later adopted by native Egyptian kings.