New Study Indicates 1,000-Year-Old Warrior Burial May Have Belonged To A Non-Binary Individual

The grave of an unidentified warrior, which was first uncovered in the 1960s, is now at the center of new research that sheds more light on its story.

Understanding people who lived in the distant past can be a tough challenge as more time passes.

Historians and scientists usually have to rely on surviving artifacts, written records, and prevailing trends of the time to piece together the lives of ancient individuals.

However, a study focusing on the burial site found in Finland has raised new questions about our understanding of Iron Age and Medieval societies.

According to a paper published in 2021 in the European Journal of Archaeology, the warrior's grave was discovered in Suontaka Vesitorninmäki, Hattula, Finland, in 1968.

Inside the grave, a bronze-handled sword was found along with items suggesting that the buried person may have been a woman or, possibly, someone whose gender identity did not fit the traditional binary concept.

The grave was initially discovered in 1968 Veronika Paschenko

A statement from the University of Turku provided more context: "The jewellery inside the grave indicates that the buried individual was dressed in typical female clothing of the period."

"On the other hand, the person was buried with a sword - possibly two, according to some interpretations - which is often associated with masculinity."

Over the last 50 years, interpretations of this grave have ranged from it being a dual burial of a man and a woman to evidence of powerful female leaders or warriors in Late Iron Age Finland.

The presence of a sword alongside traditionally feminine items sparked debates and theories for decades.

Recent findings, however, indicate that only one person was buried in the grave, dressed in what was typical feminine attire for that era and with a hiltless sword positioned on their left side.

DNA analysis on the remains suggests the warrior may have had Klinefelter syndrome, a condition where an individual has an extra X chromosome (XXY).

This discovery adds another layer of complexity to how gender roles and identities were perceived in that society.

Ulla Moilanen, a doctoral candidate in archaeology at the University of Turku, commented that this could be an example of a person whose social identity didn’t align with the traditional male or female categories.

The sword was also discovered in the grave The Finnish Heritage Agency

The press release further explained: "If the characteristics of the Klinefelter syndrome have been evident on the person, they might not have been considered strictly a female or a male in the Early Middle Ages community."

"The abundant collection of objects buried in the grave is a proof that the person was not only accepted but also valued and respected."