In 2008, archaeologists working at a desert settlement in central Egypt uncovered a small, hollowed-out cow bone no more than 7 centimeters long. At the time, it was carefully documented and packed away. Years passed without much focus on it.
But when researchers recently pulled it back out of storage and gave it a closer look, they kind of thought it looks like a whistle. They made a replica of it and when they tested the replica, it produced a clear, piercing sound. It wasn’t a tune for music, but likely a sharp signal to draw attention. Given the context, archaeologists think it was likely used by a guard at a royal tomb. A new study in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology suggests the 3,300-year-old bone whistle may be the oldest example of its kind found in Ancient Egypt.
The Sound of Surveillance
Archaeologists found the whistle in the Stone Village, nearby Akhetaten, now known as Amarna. Akhetatan is ancient city built by the pharaoh Akhenaten, also known as the “Heretic King.” The Pharaoh briefly abandoned Egypt’s traditional gods in favor of a single deity, the sun disk Aten. It really wasn’t a popular move. After his death in 1332 BCE, the city he built was quickly abandoned and nearly forgotten.
But in its heyday, Akhetaten bustled with royal projects. It was also home to laborers working on tombs for the royal family. Tombs that, given Egypt’s long history of grave robbing, would have been under heavy guard.
That’s where the whistle comes in.
Found in a building thought to be a checkpoint or guard station, the small whistle—carved from the toe bone of a juvenile cow—bears a single drilled hole and fits easily in the palm.
“This area appears to have been heavily policed in order to keep the sacred location of the tomb known and accessed by only those that need to know and go there,” Michelle Langley, an archaeologist at Griffith University in Australia and co-author of the study, told Live Science.
Testing the Theory
At first glance, the bone’s purpose wasn’t obvious. It could have been a game piece or a decorative item, or something completely different. Because it’s so fragile, you can’t really put it to the test.
So the team made a replica from a fresh cow toe bone, drilling a similar hole through it. When they blew across it, the answer came in the form of a sharp, piercing tone. It wasn’t a flute or a musical sound. It was a loud signal.
“The natural form of the end of the bone creates the perfect surface to rest your lower lip so you can blow across the hole,” said Langley.
The whistle didn’t produce multiple notes, ruling out its use as a musical instrument. It showed little wear, which made recreational use unlikely. But its location near a royal tomb, its functionality, and the broader context of policing in New Kingdom Egypt all support a the possibility of a control tool.
Although researchers can’t be 100% certain, all the evidence hints at a policing whistle.
Policing the Pharaoh’s Tomb
The idea of a whistle-wielding police force might a bit bizarre. But Egypt, especially during the New Kingdom (1550–1070 BCE), had an organized system of security personnel. The pharaohs later employed the Medjay as elite guards and police officers. The Medjay originally a nomadic people from Nubia who served as warriors and border guards for Ancient Egypt
Langley pointed to visual evidence from Akhetaten itself: the decorated tomb of Mahu, the city’s chief of police. Inside are scenes of sentries patrolling roadways and arresting intruders.
“In his tomb, one scene shows police holding men in custody—apparently having been caught trying to sneak into the city,” Langley told Live Science. “In other scenes, we see a series of sentries standing along what might be a roadway like that around the villages.”
Whistles like the one discovered could have been essential tools for those guards—easy to carry, simple to use, and unmistakably loud. A sharp blast from the whistle could stop a suspicious worker, summon help, or enforce discipline in a zone where royal secrets lined the rock.
This type of whistle is exactly the type of object that makes modern archaeology so exciting. It opens a window into everyday life in ancient Egypt—particularly for people who weren’t royal, rich, or powerful. This artifact speaks for the people who labored in the background, and those who kept them in line.
It also hints that researchers still have much more to discover. However, archaeologists continue to uncover some of ancient Egypt’s simplest technologies (like bone tools) despite centuries of fascination with the civilization.
“Despite over 200 years of intensive academic interest in Pharaonic Egypt, little focus has been given to understanding the production, use, and diversity of the osseous material culture created by this enigmatic culture,” the authors wrote in their paper.
In other words, even the smallest bones can still speak volumes if we learn to listen.
