Archaeologists unearth graves of ancient warrior women in Russia

Tales of fierce female warriors abound in Greek mythology, even inspiring pop culture icons like Wonder Woman. Now, new archaeological finds suggest there may be some truth behind the legends. In the steppes of western Russia, archaeologists uncovered the graves of four Scythian warrior women ranging in age from their early teens to their late 40s, The Washington Post reports this week. The women were buried with an assortment of spears, arrowheads, and horseback riding equipment, and the oldest wore an ornate golden headdress called a calathus (above), researchers announced last month at a meeting of the Institute of Archaeology at the Russian Academy of Sciences. Similar remains have been found before, but this is the first time multiple generations of women have been discovered in the same tomb, suggesting the warriors trained together as young girls.