The warlord from the 10th century burial turned out to be a woman.
The struggle of modern women for equality takes sometimes bizarre forms. For example, a public demonstration of naked breasts is considered an effective weapon of this struggle among enthusiasts. Which, for its part, can only be welcomed. Especially when the audience is presented with a weighty argument. I don’t know how much this will help citizens to pave the way to a brighter future. However, in the distant past, feminists achieved such successes in equality that they had entire groups of Vikings under their thumb!
This is the conclusion that archaeologists came to after examining the burial of a warrior found near the Swedish Viking town of Birka. This grave was discovered back in 1878, but the researchers, without studying the remains, decided that it was a male burial, because they found a large number of weapons and status items that usually accompany the burials of military leaders.
Iron objects found at the burial site.
However, the analysis of bones, made in 2017 by specialists from the University of Uppsala, gave sensational results: the military leader of the Vikings was … a lady! In the scientific world, a heated discussion immediately unfolded. The verdict of scientists turned out to be very unexpected: the military craft in those brutal years (and the burial belongs to the 10th century) was considered exclusively a man's business. The article made it into the Top 50 Most Popular Scientific Papers in the World, and was cited and reprinted 2.2 million times. Opponents accused the authors of hasty benefits, which were made allegedly for opportunistic reasons. The study fit well into the context of the triumph of feminist sentiments sweeping Europe.
Reconstruction of the burial of a warrior investigated by scientists.
This prompted Swedish archaeologists to once again conduct a detailed and detailed study. Its results were published the other day and now there is no doubt that it was the young lady who was the Viking commander. DNA cells extracted from bones have two X chromosomes, which is only found in females. Studying the objects found in the burial, scientists came to the conclusion that in her military specialty, Mademoiselle was most likely a horse archer. In her grave were the remains of two horses (a mare and a stallion), one of which was saddled for riding. In addition, scientists were struck by the abundance of offensive weapons, rare even for Viking burials: in addition to the sword, there were two spears, a combat knife, an ax, a quiver and 25 arrows with armor-piercing tips capable of piercing metal armor. Of the 1100 studied burials in Birka, only two (including this one) possessed a complete set of weapons. But that's not all! At the woman's knees was a set for a military strategy game, which included game pieces and iron planks. According to historians, such sets are found only in the graves of high-ranking military commanders.
Researchers believe that these are some kind of gaming accessories for an ancient game.
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Textile specialists (and we know that in those days people wore clothes strictly corresponding to their status), who studied the woman's clothes, came to the conclusion that she was a cavalry commander. Moreover, some of the details of her equipment - in particular, silver caps with tassels, were probably made in Kiev. Considering that in the 10th century Kiev was ruled by the son of Rurik, Prince Igor, it can be assumed that the cavalry girl was somehow connected with the Varangian squad in Kiev. Perhaps she was the granddaughter of one of Rurik's comrades. However, we have gone too deep into the realm of guesswork and assumptions.
Experts have found similarities with these silver jewelry and those found in the Kiev region.
One way or another, there was no doubt that in the 10th century a woman commanded one of the Viking troops. Perhaps it was a boy-woman like the cavalry girl Durova. It is possible that the lady of the Vikings could be something like a female minister of defense, who did not have to go into battle herself. In modern Germany, for example, the post of Minister of Defense is also held by a woman - Ursula Gertrude von der Leyen is a gynecologist by training. But there have been similar examples in history. So Princess Olga, the wife of that very Kiev prince Igor, led a military campaign against the Drevlyans in order to avenge her husband's death.
One way or another, in ancient times women probably played a very different role in society than we traditionally imagine. And the range of their interests was by no means limited to cuisine, taking care of children and serving her husband.
YAROSLAV KOROBATOV