Digging in the land of Magan: excavations yield evidence of cultures spanning some 8,000 years

Article Abstract:

The earliest archaeological evidence in Oman attests to nomadic herders and fishing communities from the Neolithic period. Remains of campfires from the pastoralists date back 8000 years, and a 7000-year-old fishing village has been excavated at Ras al Hamra. Thousands of stone tombs similar to those from the island of Umm an-Nar have been discovered in Oman. An earlier culture associated with the Jabal Hafit site left single-chambered tombs. Oman appears to have been the land called Magan in Sumerian cuneiform texts from around 2300 BC. A transitional Wadi Suq culture flourished between 2000 and 1300 BC, followed by the Omani Iron Age, from about 1300-300 BC.

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Warrior women of the Eurasian steppes: new evidence suggests that tales of Amazon warriors may be more than mere legend

Article Abstract:

Greek legends of Amazon warrior women may have a factual basis in people called Sauromatians and Sarmatians, who lived in the steppes of southern Russia. Sauromatian women have been found with weapons in burial mounds near Pokrovka, Russia, on the border of Kazakhstan. The Sauromatians were reportedly a matriarchal tribe that resulted from the pairing of Amazons with Scythians. The Sauromatians lived near Pokrovka in about 600 BC and were displaced by the Sarmatians around 400 BC. Parallels between Arthurian legend and Ossetian folklore may be due to Sarmatian cavalrymen who served in Britain under the Romans.

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Chieftain or warrior princess?

Article Abstract:

A re-examination of evidence from a 5th century BCE Saka burial may lead to the reevaluation of the corpse's sex. Similarity of dress and artifacts found with the body to other burials in the southern Ural steppe and the Ukon Plateau suggest it may be a female warrior or priestess instead of a young male leader. DNA testing is required to determine the corpse's sex and it is unknown if it still exists. The body was discovered in 1969 in Issyk, 31 miles east of present day Almaty, Kazakhstan.

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