Throughout history, women have been fighters, strategists, and charismatic leaders, practicing strength, cunning and courage. And in 2020, archaeologists uncovered intriguing evidence from the past, showing that women didn’t hesitate to kick butt and take names. From hoisting a spear to hurling a vengeful spell, here are six times women of old showed us they couldn’t be played with.
Inspiration for ‘Mulan’
Two women – one about 50 years old and the other about 20 – who were buried in Mongolia during the Xianbei Period (147 to 552 AD) may have inspired the famous ‘Ballad of Mulan’, about a girl who lived in served her father’s army. place. Although Mulan’s ballad was first transcribed by Chinese writers, stories of her brave deeds may have originated in what is now Mongolia; she is described in the ballad as serving the “khan,” a term reserved for Mongol leaders, and China was not on military service at the time, the researchers said. The skeletal remains of the Mongol women revealed that they were expert archers and horsemen, and that they likely fought alongside men.
Read more: Two ‘warrior wives’ from ancient Mongolia may have helped inspire the Ballad of Mulan
Big game hunter
A 9,000-year-old burial of a female hunter led to an investigation that called into question the long-held idea that men were the main hunters in ancient hunter-gatherer societies, while women were relegated to collecting herbs and plants. When researchers excavated the grave in the Andes Mountains of southern Peru, they found a hunting “toolbox” near the skeleton containing multiple projectile weapons, indicating that the person was an accomplished hunter and as such was respected by their community. Although the remains were initially believed to be of a man, further analysis of the bones and teeth revealed that the hunter was a woman.
“These findings underscore the idea that the gender roles that we take for granted in society today – or that many take for granted – may not be as natural as some may have thought,” said lead author Randy Haas, an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Twente. University of California, Davis.
Read more: Ancient burial of fierce female hunter (and her weapons) discovered in Peru
Road pirate
A cobbled 1,000-year-old limestone road connecting two ancient Mayan cities may have been built by a ruthless queen named Lady K’awiil Ajaw so that she could expand her regional power. She reigned in Cobá on what is now Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, and archaeologists recently reported that the Mayan queen paved the way to invade a city about 100 kilometers to the west called Yaxuná, which is steadily grew in strength. and threatened her rule.
Using lidar (light detection and range), a remote sensing method that uses laser pulses to measure distances, the researchers analyzed the ancient ‘white road’. Previous investigations stated that the road ran in a straight line between Cobá and Yaxuná. But the new analysis revealed unexpected twists and turns in the so-called White Road that likely included small settlements, which the Queen’s troops would also have captured on her way to victory.
Read more: Maya warrior queen may have built the longest ‘white road’ in Yucatán
Polo champion
The funeral of a noblewoman named Cui Shi from ancient China included donkeys, perhaps so she could play polo in the afterlife. Since Cui Shi was wealthy and a member of the elite, the donkeys in her grave probably served a more important purpose in her household than just a means of carrying heavy burdens.
Archaeologists discovered Cui Shi’s tomb in 2012, and recent analysis of the donkeys’ leg bones confirmed that they had a different gait than pack animals, suggesting they were bred to maneuver quickly during fast polo games. Records from this period during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 to 907) show that polo was popular among the upper classes of imperial China, despite the dangers of the game; a historical account notes that Cui Shi’s husband lost an eye during a polo match.
Read more: First evidence of donkey polo in ancient China has been found in the grave of a noblewoman
Under her spell
About 1,800 years ago, in ancient Egypt, a woman in love named Taromeway ordered an “erotic binding spell” to drive a man named Kephalas crazy with lust – the spell was documented in a papyrus scroll, which researchers recently translated. It summoned a ghost to chase Kephalas until he gave in to Taromeway, with “his male organs chasing her female organs,” the spell said. The scroll also included a drawing of Kephalas in the nude, with the Egyptian god Anubis with the head of a jackal firing an arrow at the naked man (presumably to fuel Kephalas’ desire for Taromeway). Scholars have translated binding spells like this one before, but such spells are mostly used by men to attract women, the scientists reported.
Read more: Woman seeks man in ancient Egyptian ‘erotic binding spell’
Daggers, knives and an ax
A 2,500-year-old burial in Siberia holds a female warrior and her weapons supply, including an ax, knives and bronze daggers. There are a total of four bodies in the tomb – the woman, a man, an elderly woman, and a baby – and they belonged to the ancient Tagar culture, a subgroup of the nomadic Scythian civilization in Southern Siberia. The woman was probably in her 30s or 40s when she died, lying on her back with her set of weapons close by. Tagarian women were often buried with long-range weapons, so the presence of a long-handled melee-style battle ax is very unusual, one archaeologists said.
Read more: Old Siberian grave contains ‘warrior woman’ and huge stock of weapons
Originally published on Live Science.