Archaeologists find ancient Egyptian whistle carved from cow's toe bone

The 3,300-year-old object was used by police officers monitoring royal tomb workers, researchers say

A 3,300-year-old ancient Egyptian whistle was likely used by police officers tasked with guarding the royal tomb. Photo: Michelle Langley

A 3,300-year-old whistle, thought to have been used by an early police officer monitoring royal tomb workers, has been found where an ancient Egyptian village, founded by King Tutankhamun’s father, once stood.

The object, carved from a cow's toe bone, was discovered in the remains of Akhetaten, about 300km south of Cairo.

It is thought to be the first bone whistle from ancient Egypt found by archaeologists.

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"It is very unique," study co-researcher Michelle Langley, an associate professor of archaeology at Griffith University in Australia, told the website Live Science.

The whistle was found at a site known as the Stone Village in a structure thought to have been used as a checkpoint for the village, Ms Langley said.

The village, and another nearby site referred to as the Workman's Village, likely housed workers creating the royal tomb, researchers said.

"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," Ms Langley said.

"The whistle being used by a policeman or guard makes the most sense," she said.

The whistle was found in 2008 by archaeologists with the Amarna Project during an excavation of a site within Akhetaten, but was not analysed until recently.

It has a single hole drilled into it. Researchers using a replica made from a fresh cow toe bone found that 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," Ms Langley said.