Ammon’s severing of the arms of King Lamoni’s enemies leaves some readers wondering why such an honorable servant of God would perform such a gruesome feat. But Hugh Nibley points out that on ancient Egyptian monuments, depictions of battle scenes show piles of severed hands and arms delivered to the king as trophies. Recent research has revealed that in Mesoamerica, an arm was considered a war trophy, and was as valuable as fine jewelry taken from a dead opponent. In at least one firsthand account, Aztec warriors held up the severed arms of their sacrificed battle opponents to warn the Spanish and their allies against further aggression. According to scholars John Welch and John Lundquist, many ancient reliefs portray Assyrian troops cutting off the heads, hands, and feet of their conquered foes. It is highly improbable that Joseph Smith would have had access to this information; therefore, it is one more evidence of the Book of Mormon’s authenticity. (See
Echoes, 422–425.)