The Magyars – or Hungarians – were among the most feared warriors of the medieval world, and were particularly renowned for their deadly skill as mounted archers. Male skeletons dating back to the 10^th century are regularly found alongside bows, arrows, and other weapons, yet the authors of a new study report the surprising discovery of a 1,100-year-old female whose grave goods include similar armaments, raising questions over her unique identity.

The mysterious lady is something of a rarity in the global archaeological record, which contains very few female skeletons buried alongside weapons. And while it’s tempting to assume that she must have been a warrior woman, the study authors urge caution before jumping to any exciting conclusions.

Known simply as SH-63, the puzzling individual was found at the Sárrétudvari–Hízóföld cemetery in Hungary, where researchers have previously unearthed large numbers of burials containing weapons and horse riding equipment. The graveyard was in use during the period of the Hungarian conquest in the 10^th century, when these expert archers wreaked death and havoc upon their enemies across Europe as their horses thundered through the continent.

Unlike all other burials at the site, however, SH-63’s grave contains a perplexing mix of male and female-associated grave goods, with weapons like “armor-piercing” arrowheads, an antler bow plate, and fragments of a quiver found alongside jewelry and a hair ring. This left the study authors in some doubt as to the ancient individual’s sex, inspiring them to conduct a series of morphological and genetic analyses.

Unfortunately, the bones’ poor state of preservation made it difficult to obtain detailed information regarding the subject’s lifestyle, health, and age at death, although all data pointed to the fact that this person was indeed female. Significantly, this marks the first time that a female has ever been found buried alongside weapons in the 10^th-century Carpathian Basin.

The next question that automatically arises therefore concerns whether or not these were the remains of a warrior. As the study authors point out, a warrior occupation is difficult to ascertain since it entails a specific social and legal status that can only really be confirmed from written sources.

However, they do note that the female’s remains appear to display certain upper limb injuries and alterations to her joints that are usually only seen on male skeletons at Sárrétudvari–Hízóföld. Significantly, these markers are strikingly similar to those found on other individuals buried alongside weapons and horse riding equipment, suggesting that she probably had a similar lifestyle to these men.

“Certainly, one of the most intriguing questions is whether the case can be considered a warrior burial,” write the researchers. “Unfortunately, at the current research level, this must remain an open debate.”

“Nevertheless, we can confidently conclude that this individual indeed represents the first known female burial with weapon[s] from the Hungarian Conquest period in the Carpathian Basin.”

The study is published in the journal PLoS ONE.