Archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient Scythian Amazon woman, buried in an impressive headdress forged from precious metal.
The same tomb contained the remains of two young Scythian women aged between 20 to 29 years old and 25 to 35 years old, and those of a teenage girl aged between 12 to 13.
The discoveries were announced in a statement[1] released by the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Archaeologists found the remains at a burial site at Cemetery Devitsa V in southwest Russia. The site consists of 19 partially covered mounds.
The women are female Scythians, nomads and warriors who came from the Eurasian steppe in what is now Southern Siberia—before extending their influence throughout Central Asia, from China to the Black Sea.
The eldest of the four women is thought to have died when she was between 45 and 50 years old—an impressive feat for a time when the average life expectancy is believed to have been around 30 to 35. Scythians appear to have had a higher risk[2] of dying in early adulthood than those in other Iron Age groups as a result of their penchant for warfare.
The woman was found buried in a ceremonial headdress decorated in floral patterns, with a rim displaying amphora-shaped pendants. Testing shows the headdress is made from gold (65 to 70 percent) with copper, silver and a small fraction of iron making up the rest. According to the researchers, this is a high concentration of gold for Scythian culture.
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