Archaeologists discover 10th century female burial with weapons in Hungary

Arkeonews in its article reveals that a fascinating archaeological discovery in Hungary has shed new light on the roles of women during the Hungarian Conquest. 

A team of archaeologists, headed by Balázs Tihanyi from the Department of Biological Anthropology and the Department of Archaeology at the University of Szeged, along with the Department of Archaeogenetics at the Institute of Hungarian Research, has dated the first known female burial with weapons to the 10th century. This burial was discovered in the Sárrétudvari-Hízófóld Cemetery in Hajdú-Bihar County, Hungary, a period corresponding to the Hungarian Conquest.

The Magyars (Hungarians), originating from the Eurasian steppes, migrated to the Lower Danube region around 830 AD. By the late 9th or early 10th century, they had reached the Carpathian Basin, where they swiftly gained control and established the Kingdom of Hungary by the end of the tenth century. Hungarian mounted archers gained a fierce reputation during this time, both in the Carpathian Basin and across much of Europe. It was common for warriors to be buried with an array of weapons, such as composite bows, arrows, quivers, bow-cases, axes, spears, sabers, swords, and sabers with hilted swords.

The presence of weapons in female burials has long been a subject of significant interest and debate among both scholars and the general public. These graves present challenges in interpretation, as the discovery of weapons in a female burial site does not necessarily imply that the woman was a warrior.

In a study published in PLOS One, archaeologists employed both morphological and genetic analyses to confirm the gender of the individual. Despite the poor preservation of the skeleton, the skull and genetic markers from various parts of the body provided conclusive evidence that the individual was female.

This study centers on tomb number 63, excavated between 1983 and 1985 but reexamined with modern interdisciplinary techniques. The contents of SH-63 were relatively modest yet distinctive. Among the items discovered in the tomb were a quiver, arrow fragments, a silver hair ring, glass beads, and semi-precious stone beads, which made it stand out from other tombs in the cemetery. Additionally, a bow with a horn plaque was found.

Determining the sex of the individual in SH-63 was difficult due to the poor preservation of the skeleton, particularly the pelvis. While the skull exhibited some feminine features, previous studies did not consider this enough to confirm the sex. However, Tihanyi and his team extracted genetic material, the petrosal process of the temporal bone, and a tooth, all of which indicated the person was female. Additionally, the sample from the pars petrosa provided enough evidence to rule out the possibility of the individual being male.

Archaeologists have previously found women buried with weapons, such as during the Sarmatian and Avar periods in this region. These graves typically contained a single weapon or a symbolic item but did not confirm that women were warriors. However, the SH-63 burial from the Hungarian Conquest period is unique. It showcases a distinctive combination of gender, burial artifacts, and social complexity.

The uniqueness of this discovery is further highlighted by the unusual arrangement of objects and the slightly tilted position of the body, which are rare in cemeteries from that time period. Researchers note that there has never been a recorded instance of a female burial with a full set of weapons in this region, sparking questions about the roles these women may have held in Hungarian society during the conquest.

By Naila Huseynova