Archaeologists in Kazakhstan found the “perfectly preserved” remains of an ancient warrior (reminiscent of the fabled Xena from the show, Xena: Warrior Princess. She would have lived between the 11th century between and the fourth century A.D. in a remarkable discovery, the Telegraph reports.
The exciting finding comes after researchers had been working in the area for 23 years. And the discovery of the ancient remains is especially striking because the researchers had not found evidence of female warriors in the region as a result of their research in the past.
THE REAL-LIFE XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS
A comparison has already been made to the titular protagonist of “Xena: Warrior Princess” by Jeva Lange of The Week. Though unlike Xena, the warrior whose remains were discovered is very real, there may be some truth to the comparison.
Along with some arrows, the scientists discovered a sword placed near the woman’s left hand and a knife placed near her right hand, an indication that she was a distinguished fighter. In addition to the weapons, the bowls and pots also found with her body suggest that the warrior was probably a wealthy figure during her time – which would perhaps make her a “warrior princess”.
The researchers believe that the woman was a significant citizen of the archaic state of Kanguy, which existed in modern-day Kazakhstan. It is also thought that the warrior was probably the leader of a group of nomads that lived somewhere in the country.
The National Museum of Kazakhstan in Astana plans on exhibiting the discovery soon.
August has been a fruitful month for archaeologists in Kazakhstan. A recent analysis of the remains of the ancient Saka Princess found that were two years ago determined that the woman died between the ages of 40 and 45 years. Along with these findings, the Kazakh government recently received 5,000 historical documents under a heritage program and Paleolithic drawings just beyond its border with Siberia were ascertained to be between 8,000 and 10,000 years old.
OTHER FEMALE WARRIORS
If you liked this article, you should check out this SparkNotes list of the “Top 10 Most Badass Female Warriors in History.”
