Birka female Viking warrior

Sketch of archaeological grave found and labelled "Bj 581" in Birka, Sweden, published 1889. Birka grave Bj 581 held remains confirmed to be of a Norse female, who was buried with two horses, an arsenal of weapons, and other elite grave goods during the 10th century in Birka, Sweden. Although the remains had been thought to be of a male warrior since the grave's excavation in 1878, both a 2014 osteological analysis and a 2017 DNA study identified that the remains were of a female. The 2017 study interpreted the person in Bj 581 was a high-ranking female professional warrior, a conclusion that attracted worldwide attention, but has been disputed by scholars who argue that grave goods do not by themselves prove the individual's social role or occupation.

Excavation, remains, and grave goods Archaeologist and ethnographer Hjalmar Stolpe (1841–1905) excavated a burial chamber grave in the 1870s as part of his archaeological research at the Viking Age site Birka on the island of Björkö in Mälaren, a lake in Sweden. In 1889 he documented the grave as Bj 581.

The grave was marked by a large stone boulder and was found on an elevated terrace where it was in direct contact with the garrison. The burial chamber was made out of wood, 3.45m long and 1.75m wide.

The grave contained a human skeleton, probably collapsed from a sitting position. The skeleton was later proved to be the remains of someone who was biologically female and over the age of 30.

Scant garment remnants of silk, with silver brocade, were found about the skeleton along with a simple iron ring pin, suggesting the garments of a kaftan, and a cloak which would have been secured with the pin. Also found was a tasseled hat of samite trimmed with intricate silver ornaments. The garment remnants generally suggest an eastern material cultural similar as that of the Caucasus region.

Osteological analysis first showed that the skeleton was female in the 1970s, but the findings were dismissed In 2016, osteological analysis by Stockholm University bioarchaeologist Anna Kjellström again concluded that the skeleton was female.

In 2017, the female sex of the skeleton was confirmed by genomics in a study led by Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson of Uppsala University.

Hedenstierna-Jonson points to patriarchal assumptions within academia as an explanation for the previous misidentification of the skeletal remains of Bj 581, stating, "Viking scholars have been reluctant to acknowledge the agency of women with weapons", and that "at Birka, grave Bj 581 was brought forward as an example of an elaborate high-status male warrior grave," despite skeletal evidence otherwise. According to Kjellström, "Only a few warriors are buried with gaming pieces, and they signal strategic thinking."

The term "warrior's grave" has been criticized; In 1980, Anne-Sofie Gräslund disagreed with interpreting the graves at Birka as warrior graves, arguing that it implies the deceased was a full time warrior, when it is possible that presence of many weapons represents a social elite.

Judith Jesch critiqued the study's use of textual sources, as well as the failure to discuss alternative interpretations.

Response The authors responded to the criticism in a second article published in Antiquity that provided additional information about their methodology and reaffirmed their conclusion. Hedenstierna-Jonson has stated that "Since [the site] was excavated in the 1870s, it has constantly been interpreted as a warrior grave because it looks like a warrior grave and it's placed by the garrison and by the hillfort," she says. "Nobody's ever contested it until the skeleton proved to be female, and then it was not a valid interpretation anymore."

Hedenstierna-Jonson stated that Hjalmar Stolpe was known for his meticulous note-taking and careful documentation. Each bone found in the grave had been labelled "Bj 581" with India ink at the time of excavation.

Swedish historian Dick Harrison of Lund University wrote, "What has happened in the past 40 years through archaeological research, partly fueled by feminist research, is that women have been found to be priestesses and leaders, too... This has forced us to rewrite history."

Additionally, Martin Rundkvist, archaeologist, wrote on his blog Aardvarchaeology, Holly Norton, historian and State Archaeologist of Colorado, posed these questions: "What does it mean that Bj 581 was a female? What does this reveal about the structure of Viking society? Was Bj 581 unique, or did she represent a category of women that has been largely relegated to mythology? And what can this tell us about how violent conflict was viewed and experienced?"

Popular press coverage After the 2017 genomic sex identification of the Birka Bj 158 skeleton, the following news outlets provided press coverage: National Geographic , CNN, The Guardian , the Washington Post, and the New York Times. In 2020, PBS aired an episode about Birka Grave Bj 581, titled "Viking Warrior Queen" on their show Secrets of the Dead .