Archaeologists have discovered in Armenian Highlands, the grave of a woman who seemed to live as a professional warrior and was buried as an individual of rank.
In a study published by the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, a group of Armenian researchers led by Anahit Khudaverdyan of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia detail their study of a skeleton from the Bover I necropolis in Lori Province.
The paper focuses on the traumas in the craniological material found at the burial site. The number of skeletal fractures (one antemortem and three perimortem) emphasizes the fact that for this Early Armenian female from Bover I interpersonal violence was an ever-present aspect of life.
Discovered in 2017, the skeleton was buried in a flexed manner with ceramic vessels and jewelry.
The study first reported by Forbes suggests that this individual belonged to the Early Armenian period of the 8th-6th century BC, and was a young female, based on morphological characteristics of the skull and pelvis, appx. 20 to 29 years old based on dental wear, stage of fusion of the cranial sutures, auricular surface morphology scoring system.
Despite the gracile skeleton, the muscular attachments were strong, indicating considerable work activity. Both upper limbs were mechanically loaded (physical stress). The pectoralis major and deltoid muscles had been used in flexing and adducting the hand (at the shoulder) and drawing the bow via the chest (medial rotation).
sources : Forbes , Massis media
