Late Iron Age female warriors from Jrapi cemetery (Armenia, Shirak province) (bioarchaeological studies)

Anahyit Yu. Khudaverdyan

Published: 2024/06/01

Abstract

Since ancient times, women have been seen primarily as keepers of the home, but this has not prevented them from showing courage throughout history. Most often, women took part in battles when their home, territory or country was attacked. Anthropological material was obtained from the Jrapi cemetery as a result of the 2013-2022 rescue archaeological work in northwestern Armenia (Shirak Province). The female burials from the 8th to 6th century BC in the cemetery contained weapons. The anthropological study used a combination of visual inspection and radiography. The article lists the types of injuries found in the skeletal bones of the women. The consequences of the trauma suffered by the women are presented as ante-mortem and peri-mortem injuries. Their nature (head injuries, arrow and weapon wounds) indicate a violent event that led to serious injury or death of these women. These data provide evidence of the paramilitary nature of the local population. Keywords: Armenia, Late Iron Age, Jrapi, Female warriors, Amazons, Burials, Injuries

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