A recent study led by Dr. Balázs Tihanyi and his colleagues, published in PLOS ONE, has revealed the first-known female burial with weapons from the 10th-century Carpathian Basin in Hungary. This discovery has sparked renewed interest and debate among scholars regarding the historical role of women in warfare, as female burials containing weaponry have long been a subject of intrigue. However, the identification of a woman buried with weapons doesn’t automatically indicate that she was a warrior, as there are many complexities involved in interpreting such findings.
For decades, the concept of female warriors has been a source of both fascination and skepticism. The mere presence of weapons in a female burial does not necessarily point to the individual being a warrior, as other cultural or ceremonial practices could explain the inclusion of such items. Historical studies have often rushed to conclusions, drawing connections between weaponry and combatants without first applying rigorous scientific methods. This has led to some misinterpretations, with many early studies neglecting crucial scientific approaches such as morphological and genetic testing.
The challenge of correctly identifying whether an individual was female or male arises primarily from the preservation of the remains. Ancient human remains are often poorly preserved, with bones fragmented and skeletal features degraded by time. As a result, scholars face significant obstacles when trying to determine sex using morphological analysis alone. Additionally, genetic tests, although a powerful tool, are susceptible to contamination and may yield inaccurate results if modern DNA is introduced into the sample. Given these limitations, it is crucial for researchers to approach the interpretation of such findings with caution and use multiple lines of evidence to support their conclusions.
Similarly, determining whether a woman was a warrior is fraught with complexity. Warriors were typically members of a distinct social and legal class, and while physical trauma and changes in bone morphology could provide clues about an individual’s life experiences, such markers are not exclusive to warriors. Repeated physical activities such as horseback riding or the use of weapons could cause wear and tear on bones, but these could also result from non-combat-related activities. For example, some individuals might have led physically demanding lives, which could also manifest in joint changes or physical trauma without necessarily implying they were warriors. In this context, the presence of weapons in a burial does not immediately suggest the person was involved in battle.
Thus, Dr. Tihanyi and his team proceeded cautiously with the identification of SH-63, an individual found in the Sárrétudvari–Hízóföld cemetery, one of the largest and most significant 10th-century burial sites in Hungary. The cemetery dates back to the Hungarian Conquest period, a time marked by military campaigns and the rise of mounted archery in Europe. Many graves in the cemetery contain weapons and horse-riding equipment, signifying the martial nature of the society at the time. However, SH-63’s burial presented a distinctive mixture of grave goods, which set it apart from other burials in the cemetery.
The typical grave goods associated with male burials from this period include weapons such as sabers, axes, and archery equipment, along with functional items like jewelry, belt buckles, and knives. Male graves often also contain horse-riding equipment, sometimes accompanied by horse bones. Female graves, on the other hand, tend to contain more jewelry and clothing accessories, with fewer functional items. SH-63’s grave deviated from these patterns, containing a blend of both typical male and female grave goods. Among the items found with the burial were a silver penannular hair ring, three bell buttons, a string of beads made from glass and stone, an armor-piercing arrowhead, iron quiver parts, and an antler bow plate. These grave goods included both traditionally feminine items, like jewelry, and martial objects such as archery-related weapons.
This unique combination of grave goods raised questions about SH-63’s role and status in society. While finding weapons in a female burial is not in itself conclusive evidence of a warrior identity, the presence of these items, alongside the more typical female grave goods, warranted further scientific investigation. The researchers conducted both genetic and morphological analyses of the remains to verify the sex of the individual, despite the challenges posed by the poor preservation of the bones. The results confirmed that SH-63 was indeed female, marking her as the first-known woman to be buried with weapons in the Carpathian Basin during the 10th century.
However, the preservation of the remains was not ideal for performing more detailed anthropological analyses. The skeletal remains of SH-63 had suffered significant degradation, which hindered the researchers’ ability to estimate key aspects of the individual’s life, such as age at death and stature. Furthermore, the team was unable to identify pathological conditions or evidence of activity-related skeletal changes that could indicate her lifestyle, including possible evidence of injury or trauma from combat. Despite these challenges, the researchers were able to identify signs of osteoporosis and several major traumas in the upper limb bones.
Osteoporosis, a condition that causes bones to become weak and brittle, is more common in older women, which supports the conclusion that SH-63 was indeed female. The identification of three major traumas in the upper limbs suggests that the individual had suffered injuries, likely from a fall, which had not fully healed. This type of injury is consistent with everyday life and could have been caused by physical labor or other non-combat activities. Additionally, the team observed joint changes that are often associated with the physical demands of horse-riding, a practice that was common among the Hungarian Conquest period’s mounted archers. These morphological changes suggest that SH-63 may have lived a physically active life, but the researchers stopped short of labeling her a warrior based solely on these findings.
The physical markers seen in SH-63’s bones are similar to those found in other graves containing weapons and horse-riding equipment, which could suggest a connection between these traits and a particular lifestyle. While it is not possible to definitively say that SH-63 was a warrior, her burial is a clear indication that women in this society could have engaged in physically demanding activities, possibly even those associated with warfare. The presence of weaponry in her grave is a significant addition to the growing body of evidence suggesting that the roles of women in historical societies may have been more complex and multifaceted than previously understood.
The discovery of SH-63’s burial opens new avenues for research into the social structure of 10th-century Hungary. The presence of weapons in her grave challenges conventional assumptions about gender roles in medieval Europe and raises important questions about the nature of warrior societies during this period. Was SH-63 an exceptional individual who enjoyed a higher social status? Did her role in society influence the grave goods buried with her, or were there other factors at play? These questions remain unanswered, but the study of SH-63’s burial provides a starting point for further investigation.
Dr. Tihanyi and his team stress the need for further research to better understand the social and cultural context of the time. Comparative analyses of other graves from the Sárrétudvari–Hízóföld cemetery could help clarify whether SH-63’s burial was an anomaly or part of a larger trend. The researchers also emphasize that the daily life of the people living in Hungary during the 10th century CE was likely far more complex than we have previously imagined. The unique combination of grave goods found in SH-63’s burial highlights the multifaceted nature of her identity and the diverse roles that women may have played in society during this period.
More information: Balázs Tihanyi et al, ‘But no living man am I’: Bioarchaeological evaluation of the first-known female burial with weapon from the 10th-century-CE Carpathian Basin, PLOS ONE (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0313963