Women as warriors and military shamanesses according to epic legends and archaeological monuments of the nomadic peoples of Southern Siberia and Central Asia

Purpose. The article aims at analyzing historical and folklore data using graphic and archaeological sources on a topical issue of women’s role and participation of young women from some ancient and medieval nomadic tribes in hostilities. Archaeological materials testify to the presence of armament objects among the accompanying inventory found in female burial places in the cultures of ancient Iranian-speaking nomads, the Savromats and Sarmatians, on the Northern Black Sea Coast. We investigated the data of historical sources about the utilization of different kinds of weapon by the ancient warriors-amazons, including bows and arrows, battle-axes, helmets, protective belts and shields and found out historical facts that the ancient militant nomadic tribes of Central Asia could have been headed by women. We also studied images of women with weapons on the mural paintings of the medieval Sogdian ancient settlement Panjakent, which illustrated a medieval Persian poem, as well as examined the descriptions of militant women from epics of the Turkic and Mongolian people of Central Asia, including the Oghuz, Karakalpaks and Kyrgyz people. Another source of information was separate burial places of women with weapons in the monuments of the ancient nomads of the Pazyryk culture in the Altai Mountains and the Kyshtyms living in Minusinsk Hollow during the Late Middle Ages. The archaeological monuments studied serve as an important supplement to the data of historical and folklore sources. They testify that women took part, though rarely, in the military activities of the ancient and medieval Iranian, Turkic and Mongolian nomadic people in Central Asia. Results. We discovered bows, arrows, wooden components of quiver, chisel and dagger in a female burial among the burial mounds of the ancient nomads of Scythian times, in particular in the burial ground Ak-Alakha in the Altai Mountains. It is the only female burial place with weapons. We also found a figure of a human in men’s apparel, with long hair and without moustache, with a sabre suspended to the belt, carved as a stone sculpture at the monument Tuura-Suu in Tian Shan. This figure might represent a young woman. Having analyzed the findings of armament objects and shaman’s vestments from the excavated burial at the monument Ortyzy-Oba in the valley of the Tabat River in the south of Minusinsk Hollow, we conclude that it was the burial place of a woman who served as a military shamaness of the Yenisei Kyrgyz. The collection of objects discovered in this burial included some goods of Russian handicraft trade. Judging by the findings of the Russian things, we date the excavated burial place by the beginning of the 18th century. Conclusion. The monuments of the ancient and medieval nomadic people of Southern Siberia and Central Asia examined testify that women took part in wars and played, for instance, the role of military shamanesses. That is why they were buried with weapons. We also conclude that such occasions were quite rare.