4,000 years ago, a tribe of female warriors, seemingly straight out of mythology, existed in reality—but in Asia.
This tribe, composed entirely of female warriors, is referenced in numerous myths, legends, and classical European works, most notably the Amazon warriors of ancient Greece in Homer’s Iliad.
Recently unearthed ancient graves in Azerbaijan suggest that this legend may have been inspired by real events.
Researchers discovered the graves of several female warriors in Azerbaijan – (Photo: ANCIENT ORIGINS).
According to Ancient Origins, an international archaeological team recently conducted excavations at an ancient burial site in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan.
They were astonished to find a series of graves belonging to women who lived around 4,000 years ago: Buried with sharp arrows, bronze daggers, and spears, they were laid to rest as true warriors.
In an interview with The Observer, historian Bettany Hughes, who led the study, noted that some of the skeletons indicate that these women from an enigmatic tribe extensively used bows and arrows.
This is evidenced by joint deformities in their finger bones, suggesting they trained rigorously with bows, a condition that cannot be explained by any other activity.
Their pelvises were also found to be wider, indicating that they likely spent significant time in the saddle.
Additionally, a type of semi-precious stone known as carnelian was discovered in some of the graves, typically associated with high priestesses or goddesses, suggesting that these graves may have belonged not only to female warriors but also to female leaders.
The oldest woman among the graves died at around 45-50 years of age, while the youngest warrior was only 12-13 years old.
The significance of this discovery is further amplified when considered alongside previous findings.
In 2019, a grave containing four female warriors buried with arrows and spears was discovered in Russia. Earlier, the remains of a woman who died in battle with an arrow embedded in her leg were excavated in Armenia, Azerbaijan’s neighbor.
In the early 1990s, near the Kazakhstan border, the remains of another female warrior were found alongside a dagger.
All of these graves are extremely ancient, dating back thousands of years, inadvertently piecing together a narrative in which many female warriors roamed the Eurasian steppes, fighting like men, dying in battle, and being buried with the same honor as their male counterparts.
Therefore, the Amazon warriors were not merely mythological figures; they were more numerous than modern perceptions suggest.
