Ancient Egyptians may have used branding irons on human slaves

Live Science ^ | last updated 9 days ago | Tom Metcalfe

[SunkenCiv]

Small branding irons from ancient Egypt were likely used to mark the skin of human slaves, a new study suggests.

Several of the ancient Egyptian branding-irons — actually made of bronze — were too small for large animals like cattle and were probably used to brand human slaves.

Several ancient texts and illustrations, as well as 10 branding irons dating to 3,000 years ago, suggest that ancient Egyptians branded slaves. These branding irons, actually made of bronze, are now in the collections of the British Museum and the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology at University College London.

The branding irons are thought to date roughly to Egypt's 19th dynasty, from around 1292 B.C. until the 25th dynasty, which ended in 656 B.C., according to a study published Oct. 15 in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology(opens in new tab)...

Some of the ancient Egyptian branding irons are almost exactly the same size as branding irons used by Europeans on African enslaved people during the trans-Atlantic slave trade many centuries later, Karev said...

Ancient Egyptian writings also talk about "marking" slaves, which was assumed to be a reference to the practice of tattooing, Karev told Live Science. For instance, branding is seen in a depiction of prisoners of war in a carving at Medinet Habu near Luxor in Upper (southern) Egypt dated to the 20th dynasty, perhaps around 1185 B.C.

[trebb]

I can say it in two words, “Reparations on the way”...🤓

[Dan in Wichita]

Wait a minute here...

We've been told slavery was invented in America in 1619. Is this article suggesting slavery existed in the world long before there was an America? Who knew?

[Red Badger]

[4yearlurker]

There was a movie and a old TV shoe called “Branded.”

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

When I read this Chuck Conners is the first thing I thought of. Wonder how many remember that movie.

[Deaf Smith]

>>first thing I thought of

First thing was specific NFL players with the omega brand.

[BenLurkin]

What would be an example of an inhuman slave?

[SunkenCiv]

Probably written by a vegetarian devotee of The Agenda Driven Life.

[consult]

This article corrects the attempts in the past decades to re-write Egyptian history claims that all the workers on the pyramids etc were some kind seasonal collective of pheasants voluntarily helping for the greater good of the country.

[SunkenCiv]

My favorite is, “they were just paying their taxes”.

[central_va]

Worst words spoken in anciant Egypt, “Ok. Drop ‘em”

[consult]

“they were just paying their taxes”....exactly!!

Here is a modern history text that we teach our kids with

“”The pyramids were built by farmers during the season when the Nile flooded their fields, so there was no farm work....Unlike slaves, who might be forced to work for someone else for their entire lives, conscripted farmers worked on a pyramid for a set time, then returned to their farms. “”

https://lsintspl3.wgbh.org/en-us/lesson/midlit11-soc-splegypt/5?as_guest=True#:~:text=The%20pyramids%20were%20built%20by,charge%20of%20the%20pyramid%20project.