Egyptian kings and pharaohs conquered entire nations, but if a person stole so much as an animal hide he could be whipped with 100 lashes and stabbed five times in the back… and then be sent back to work.
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Archaeologists studying skeletons of people buried in Amarna’s humble commoners’ cemetery have speculated five men with wounds to their shoulder blades were punished in this way. A wall carving from ancient Egypt spells out the punishment for stealing animal hides, but researchers did not know if the penalty was actually carried out, as reported by USA Today.
The alleged crimes of the men in question, who were in middle age at the time of their deaths, are not known, nor are their names or identities. But if the stab wounds on their shoulder blades were indeed punishment, they probably were able to return to work; an important consideration in Amarna, a labor-intensive city where workers were mustered to build huge temples and palaces for Akhenaten, the pharaoh who imposed a new religion on Egypt.
While studying skeletons from Amarna cemetery, archaeologist Gretchen Dabbs of Southern Illinois University and her colleagues found that the everyday people there had many hardships, including an insufficient diet and hard labor , USA Today said. She and her team published their findings in the International Journal of Paleopathology.