Russian researchers made a first-of-its-kind discovery — a tomb containing three generations of ancient Amazon women warriors.
According to a release by the RAS Institute of Archaeology, the clay-and-oak-block tomb contained four skeletons in a range of ages.
The youngest skeleton was estimated to be around 12 or 13 years old, while the second and third were 20 to 29, and 25 to 35 years old, respectively. The fourth of the skeletons was likely around 45 to 50 years old.
READ MORE: ‘Aliens exist’ and may be on Earth, U.K. astronaut Helen Sharman says
It’s believed, per the release translated from Russian, that the Amazon warriors found were part of the Scythians, a nomadic tribe that lived in Siberia from between 200 and 900 BC.
Film and history buffs may remember Amazon warriors as they were depicted in the Wonder Woman movie and in Greek mythology: powerful, strong female fighters.
“The Amazons are a common Scythian phenomenon and during the last decade our expedition has discovered approximately 11 burials of young armed women,” Valerii Guliaev, head of the Don expedition, said.
“Separate barrows were filled for them and all burial rites which were usually made for men were done for them.”
The four skeletons were buried with items — like arrowheads, horse harnesses, knives and animal bones — that helped researchers estimate their burial to be in around the fourth century BC.
They were found in the Devitsa V cemetery, which has been under study for a decade in the Voronezh region of the country.
READ MORE: Utah man claims to own ‘world’s oldest’ McDonald’s hamburger
The tomb holding the older woman and the one a bit younger than her remained in perfect condition, undisturbed by grave robbers, unlike the other tomb.
Per a translation by CNN, the younger of the two was buried with her knee tendons cut to make it appear as though she were on horseback. A bronze mirror was kept under her shoulder, and she had two spears and a bracelet on her left side.
She also had a drinking cup and a dish at her feet.
The older woman, on the other hand, was buried wearing a ceremonial headdress, decorated with pendants and floral plates.
—