A 2,500-year-old grave containing the remains of an ancient warrior couple has been unearthed in Siberia.
The pair are believed to be in their 30s and were buried with a baby and an 'elderly woman' who was found in a 'crumpled' position at their feet - it's thought the woman could have been a servant who was taken to care for them into the afterlife.
The grave was found in southern Siberia and may indicate evidence of an Amazon woman fighter. Unusually, the woman was buried with the same weaponry as the man - who is believed to be her spouse.
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Unlike other female warriors from ancient Siberia, she was buried with a long-handled hatchet or battle axe and short sword, not the usual bow and arrows.
Dr Oleg Mitko, head of Archeology at Novosibirsk State University, said: "We have an impressive set of weaponry.
"We found close fight weapons in a female grave, which is not so typical.
"The woman had a battle axe...so she was a part of a warrior strata."
Senior researcher Yuri Teterin said: "The man had two axes and two bronze daggers.
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"It is a brilliant burial in that there is authentic bronze weaponry."
The male also had a bronze mirror.
The older woman - who was probably in her 60s - had two broken teeth and her only possessions were a small ceramic vase and a broken comb.
The baby's remains had been scattered around the grave, presumably by rodents.
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Archaeologists also found larger ceramic vessels, which they believe would have been full of food, with bones indicating mutton and beef.
Scientists have said there's no evidence of battle wounds to suggest a cause of death but that research is still being undertaken.
One theory is that the they all died from some sort of infection at the same time, leading to them all being buried together.
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The remains of the four people are from the Tagar culture, part of the Scythian civilisation, in the modern-day republic of Khakassia in southern Siberia.
Ancient Greek historian Herodotus left a detailed account of the Scythians and their young women warriors.
But physician Hippocrates added that a young woman would cease her role as a fighter after "she takes to herself a husband".
Yet in this case the woman warrior appears part of a family unit.
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Archaeologist Anatoly Vybornov said: "Both males and females took part in hostilities.
"Violence was an acceptable and legal way to solve problems then."
Featured Image Credit: East2WestTopics: Interesting, Weird