According to research published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, the drilled bone was found during excavations at Akhetaten in 2008. The city was founded in 1347 B.C. by Pharaoh Akhenaten, the husband of Nefertiti and the father of . The capital was inhabited for a short time; its residents abandoned it in 1332 B.C. Today, the ruins of the city are part of the archaeological complex of Tell el-Amarna.
What Did the Researchers Discover?
“This modest artifact is unique; nothing like it has ever been found in ancient Egyptian cities before,” said archaeologist Michelle Langley, a co-author of the study from Griffith University (Australia), in an interview with Live Science. According to her, this item has a single drilled hole and “fits comfortably in the palm.” Everything indicates that this is a whistle of an ancient guard.
Langley also noted that the artifact reminded her of bone whistles from the Stone Age found in Europe. The researchers tested their hypothesis by recreating the Egyptian whistle using a modern cow bone and discovered that “the natural shape of its tip creates an ideal surface for the lower lip to blow through the hole.”
Within the archaeological complex of Tell el-Amarna, specifically on the hills near the city, lie the tombs of its prominent residents. Among the burials is also the tomb of Akhenaten’s family.
The inscriptions on the walls of the tombs helped archaeologists learn what the ancient capital of Egypt looked like and how it functioned over 3,000 years ago. Akhenaten’s family tomb was adorned with scenes of worshiping Aten, the sun god—the only recognized deity during the pharaoh’s reign.
As for the bone whistle, it was found in one of two worker settlements on the outskirts of the city. Scientists believe these settlements may have been under strict police control, as the workers likely labored on the construction of royal tombs.
The whistle was discovered in a structure that researchers believe may have served as a checkpoint.
“It seems that the area of the royal burials was heavily monitored by police, and access to this sacred site was restricted. So, it makes perfect sense to find a guard’s whistle here,” Langley explained.
The team noted that this and other findings in the ancient Egyptian settlement shed light on the daily lives of the ancient worker community. According to the research, their task was to navigate between “the reality and the realm of the dead.”
“Even the simplest, unrefined bone can contain important information about Egypt’s past,” the scientists wrote in their report.