A recent study has led to the identification of the first known burial of a woman with weapons in the 10th century Carpathian Basin in Hungary.
The existence of female burials with weapons has always been a topic of great interest and debate for scholars and the general public. However, interpretation remains a challenge, as the mere discovery of weapons in a woman’s grave does not automatically mean she was a warrior.
Individual SH-63 was discovered in the Sárrétudvari–Hízóföld cemetery, the largest 10th-century cemetery in Hungary, which contains a large number of graves with weapons and riding equipment. The cemetery was used during the Hungarian conquest, when many mounted archers deployed and fought battles in Europe, according to Phys.org.
Casual jewelry and clothing accessories
Male graves often contained functional objects, such as simple jewelry (eg, hair rings and bracelets), clothing accessories (belt buckles), and tools (fire kits and knives). The most distinctive grave goods included weapons, usually bow equipment, with two graves containing swords and one grave containing a hatchet.
The grave goods found in grave SH-63 contained a combination of these features. Compared to other graves in the cemetery, its inventory was relatively simple, including ordinary jewelry and clothing accessories.
What researchers found in the woman’s grave
More specifically, SH-63 was found along with a silver hair ring, three bell buttons, a string of stone and glass beads, an “armor-piercing” arrowhead, iron parts of a quiver, and a bow horn.
However, the mere discovery of weapons associated with bows in the tomb was not enough to draw conclusions. The researchers they performed morphological and genetic analyzes to determine whether the individual was female.
Despite the skeleton’s poor state of preservation, the skull and genetic markers from various body regions indicated that the person buried was female. This made her the first known woman buried with weapons in the Carpathian Basin in the 10th century.
Everyday Life in 10th Century Hungary
Although the researchers cannot clearly say that we are talking about a warrior, they were able to confirm that this is the first known case of a woman being buried with weapons in the Carpathian Basin in the 10th century.
Further research is needed to determine if this is indeed a singular case and if her social status influenced how she was buried. These investigations could help answer some questions about everyday life in 10th-century Hungary.
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Source: www.descopera.ro
