Pharaoh’s Brutal Battle Wounds Reveal Cause Of Death

Pharaoh Senebkay is believed to have lived about 3,600 years ago, a Pharaoh’s life that was cut short, and cut down, in battle, according to researchers.

The same researchers also believe Pharaoh Senebkay is the first Pharoah that died on an ancient battle field. It was previously believed that Pharaoh Seqenenre Tao, who ruled Egypt about 100 years after Senebkay’s recently discovered reign, was the first Pharaoh to die in battle, reports FOX News.

But as it is, Pharaoh Senebkay has the macabre honor, and according to researchers, Senebkay’s death was not at all a pleasant one.

According to a press release given by the Ministry of Antiquities regarding what researchers found during their thorough examination of Pharaoh Senebkay’s ancient remains, the Pharaoh was killed by 18 distinctive, and ultimately lethal, blows, received from several different attackers during a possible ambush.

The weapon’s of the Pharaoh’s assailants obviously went all the way through the Pharaoh’s flesh to leave behind the damage they did on his skeleton, and reconstructive evidence for researchers to find. The 18 wounds found by the researchers revealed severe cuts sustained to the Pharaoh’s feet, his ankles, and grisly shots across his lower back.

It then appears Pharaoh Senebkay’s enemies went after his head, with several brutal strikes apparent on his skull.

The Pharaoh’s battle wounds don’t just tell the story of his death either, researchers also able to determine that the weapons likely used were battle axes, and even the shape of the blades and types of battle axes that were being wielded by his assailants.

The angles and apparent direction of how the blows struck Senebky also suggest to researchers that the Pharaoh was in an “elevated position” that would place him on a horse or in a chariot when he was attacked.

Put it all together and the possible dramatic story of Pharaoh Senebkay’s death begins to unfold, with the Pharaoh on horseback or riding in his chariot through battle when his assailants catch up and are suddenly upon him, first taking him out with strikes to his legs, feet, and lower back, the Pharaoh then falling from his perch to the ground where the battle axes do their ugly work, raining down to bash in his skull.

Pharaoh Senebkay wasn’t even a part of the history of pharaohs and Egypt until his remains were found in a modest tomb last year, reported the Inquisitr at the time.

But in his day, Pharaoh Senebkay seemingly led from the front, and he is one of the few Pharaohs that went down fighting.

[Images by Oli Scarff via Getty Images and Josef Wegner via Facebook]