Birka grave Bj 581
[1] Archaeologist and ethnographer Hjalmar Stolpe (1841–1905) excavated a burial chamber in the 1870s as part of his archaeological research at the Viking Age site Birka, on the island Björkö in present-day Sweden.
"[4] 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 body was found collapsed from a sitting position, wearing garments of silk, with silver thread decorations.
[7] Additional items found were a bronze vessel, part of "an Arab silver dirham of Nasr ibn Ahmad from the reign of al-Muktadir (AD 913–933)", three tin rods, and the remains of a belt set.
[10] A study led by Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson published in September 2017 noted Kjellström's "osteological analysis triggered questions concerning sex, gender and identity among Viking warriors".
[5] Hedenstierna-Jonson's team extracted DNA from samples taken from a tooth and an arm bone of the person buried in Bj 581.
This determined that she had similar markers with present-day people living in areas that were under the sphere of influence of the Vikings.
The conclusion of the study was that "the individual in grave Bj 581 is the first confirmed female high-ranking Viking warrior".
[11] The authors responded to the criticism in a second article published in Antiquity that provided additional information about their methodology and reaffirmed their conclusion.
"[5] Additionally, they cited Marianne Moen's 2011 study that concluded that the "image of the male warrior in a patriarchal society was reinforced by research traditions and contemporary preconceptions".
The upper strata in society could easily afford to sacrifice not only a sword but also a host of other symbol-bearing items, ranging from peacocks to gilt brooches as abundantly witnessed in the archaeological record".
[19] However, in 2017 the results of the DNA test which confirmed that the person in Bj 581 was a woman included the claim that she was not only a warrior, but a professional one and a "high ranking officer".
The strong link they make between the gaming board and pieces [found with the remains] and the 'command' status of the individual is still unconvincing.
In the online supplementary material they refer to "[w]hat appears to be an iron-framed gaming board", suggesting that the evidential basis of their interpretation is insecure.
[21]Fedir Androshchuk, archaeologist, in "Female Viking Revisited," Viking and Medieval Scandinavia, pointed out flaws in the archaeological methods, including both the failure to acknowledge the disturbed state of the Birka graves, and also Stolpe's assistance from nonprofessionals (farmers) doing excavation as well as note-taking and drawings.
[11] Additionally, Martin Rundkvist, archaeologist, wrote on his blog Aardvarchaeology, "Your skeleton can't tell us anything about your gender, and your grave goods can't tell us anything about your osteo-sex [sex as determined your by bones] …The plan of the grave shows which bones were well preserved.
This the authors should have written a few sentences about it… We still can't rule out the early removal of an articulated male body.
"[23] The Hedenstierna-Jonson study concludes with the comment, "the combination of ancient genomics, isotope analyses and archaeology can contribute to the rewriting of our understanding of social organization concerning gender, mobility and occupation patterns in past societies.
