Mystery 2,000-Year-Old Iron Age Warrior Identified as Female

The mysterious burial site, unearthed in 1999, initially left experts puzzled as it contained both a sword and a shield, typically associated with male burials, and a mirror, which was often known as a burial item for women.

In a groundbreaking discovery, a 2,000-year-old grave found on the British island of Bryher has been determined to belong to a female warrior from the Iron Age.

Findings from a tooth enamel analysis indicated with a 96% probability that the buried warrior was indeed female. Due to the advanced decomposition of the body, DNA testing proved inconclusive during the initial excavation.

The remains, dating back to BC 100 to BC 50, provided officials with a rare insight into ancient British life and raise the intriguing possibility that women played a far more active role in military raids, even before the well-known warrior queen Boudicca led a rebellion against Roman colonization in AD 60.

"Our findings offer an exciting opportunity to re-interpret this important burial. They provide evidence of a leading role for a woman in warfare on Iron Age Scilly," said Sarah Stark, a human skeletal biologist at Historic England, which funded the study.

The presence of both a sword and a mirror suggests the woman held high status within her community and likely played a commanding role in local warfare, possibly leading raids on rival groups.

Officials tapped into pioneering biomolecular analysis techniques at the University of California to help determine the individual's sex through tooth enamel, which contains a protein linked to either the X or Y chromosome. The breakthrough initiative could potentially aid in re-examining other ancient graves using the same process.

The artifacts from the Bryher grave, including the sword, shield and mirror, are now on display at the Isles of Scilly Museum on St. Mary's Island, offering visitors a glimpse into the remarkable historical find.

The Celtic people who inhabited Britain before the Roman invasion largely remain shrouded in mystery. Archaeologists believe their main form of warfare involved surprise attacks on enemy settlements.

The mirror found in the Bryher grave, along with the shield, held both symbolic and practical significance for warriors, as they were used to coordinate attacks, signal to allies, and communicate with the supernatural world.

The study was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.