Iranian Warrior Woman

From Science on NBC News:

DNA tests on the 2,000-year-old bones of a sword-wielding Iranian warrior have revealed the broad-framed skeleton belonged to a woman, an archaeologist working in the northwestern city of Tabriz said Saturday.

“Despite earlier comments that the warrior was a man because of the metal sword, DNA tests showed the skeleton inside the tomb belonged to a female warrior,” Alireza Hojabri-Nobari told the Hambastegi newspaper.

He added that the tomb, which had all the trappings of a warrior’s final resting place, was one of 109 and that DNA tests were being carried out on the other skeletons.

Hambastegi said other ancient tombs believed to belong to women warriors have been unearthed close to the Caspian Sea.

Web Links:

Women of Persia

CAIS: The Women Warriors

Persianesque Magazine: Artemis

The Persian Lioness: Iranian Women In History

Iran Politics Club: Famous Historical Persian Women

Women's Status & Life In Iran

Article in the Kurdish Globe by Sara Saye:

Iran has thousands years of civilization, and the country played a great role in social, political and economic transformation until the rise of Islam and Arab occupation.

Ancient Iran was one of the most powerful political entities and an empire with a multi-ethnic society. At times its borders extended from China to Egypt and from Yemen to central Asia. In analyzing the past traditions and norms of this society we find that beside the great male political and social figures of this land, the role of women was also remarkable. For example, a top admiral of the Persian Empire's navy 2,300 years ago was a woman and before that, women played an important role in building and leading the political establishment.

Many historical documents indicated that in the various dynasties of ancient Iran, with its multi-ethnic structure, the social status of woman was respected. Therefore, it is reasonable to argue that the relatively liberal atmosphere and economic strength of those regimes resulted in some progress and improvements for both men and women.

Qajar Women

Women's World in Qajar Iran:

Explore the lives of women during the Qajar era (1796-1925) through a wide array of materials from private family holdings and participating institutions. Women’s Worlds in Qajar Iran provides bilingual access to thousands of personal papers, manuscripts, photographs, publications, everyday objects, works of art and audio materials, making it a unique online resource for social and cultural histories of the Qajar world.