Man or woman? New findings on ancient Etruscan ‘warrior’

Archaeologists exploring in the Tuscany region of Italy recently discovered an intact 2,600-year-old tomb, at first believed to hold the remains of a warrior prince. But it seems the researchers may have had a bit of gender bias.

A team of researchers led by Alessandro Mandolesi from the University of Turin made a stunning find last month – a tomb in the Etruscan necropolis of Tarquinia, a UNESCO world heritage site that features elaborate wall paintings and rare examples of Etruscan architecture.

The untouched tomb held what looked like the body of an Etruscan prince holding a spear, along with the ashes, presumably of his wife. Several news outlets reported on the discovery of the 2,600-year-old warrior prince.

But the grave held one more surprise – the 'prince' was probably a princess.

Because of the close proximity of the tomb to the queen's tomb, it was believed to be that of a prince of Tarquinia, an ancient Etruscan city dating 610-600 BCE.

A spear lying beside the skeleton inside the burial chamber seemed to indicate gender, but there were plenty of clues that suggested the presumed man was a female. The skeleton had brooches that fastened a cloak, and a jewellery box and gold jewellery were found within the chamber.

After analysing the skeleton, measuring hardness, structure and other functions, the researchers discovered the presumed prince was a princess and the incinerated skeleton was that of a male.

Historians know relatively little about the Etruscan culture that flourished in what is now Italy until its absorption into the Roman civilization 400 BC.

Unlike their better-known counterparts, the ancient Greeks and the Romans, the Etruscans left no historical documents, so their graves provide a unique insight into their culture.

The new tomb is in a site where more than 6,000 graves have been cut into the rock.

"The underground chamber dates back to the beginning of the sixth century BC. Inside, there are two funerary beds carved into the rock," Mandolesi said in an online posting.

When the team removed the sealed slab blocking the tomb, they saw two large platforms. On one platform lay a skeleton bearing a lance, while on another lay a partially incinerated skeleton. The team also found several pieces of jewellery and a bronze-plated box, which may have belonged to a woman, according to the researchers.

"On the inner wall, still hanging from a nail, was an aryballos (a type of flask) oil-painted in the Greek-Corinthian style," Mandolesi said.

"The spear, most likely, was placed as a symbol of union between the two deceased," he added.

Weingarten doesn't believe the symbol of unity explanation. Instead, she thinks the spear shows the woman's high status.

Their explanation is "highly unlikely," Weingarten told LiveScience. "She was buried with it next to her, not him."