First injured Langobard woman in skeletal record reshapes view of male-only violence

June 1, 2026 feature First injured Langobard woman in skeletal record reshapes view of male-only violence Sandee Oster Author Lisa Lock Scientific Editor Robert Egan Associate Editor The Langobards are frequently depicted as fierce warrior-like people, with all known archaeological evidence of violence restricted to men. However, nearly 1,400 years ago, a Langobard woman took two severe injuries to the head, one a clean slice made by a blade, the other a crushing blow, making her the first direct evidence of interpersonal violence in Langobard females. She is known as individual T46, and her wounds are consistent with those found on male Langobards, but they also show signs of healing, meaning she survived the violent encounter years after it occurred. Her discovery challenges the long-held belief that warfare and brawling were exclusively male-dominated in Langobard society. The study is published in the International Journal of Paleopathology. Bones scarred by violence The Langobards were an ancient Germanic people who conquered parts of Italy and Hungary, establishing a kingdom from roughly the 6th to the 8th century CE. According to historical sources, they were fierce, warlike people whose graves could contain swords, knives, and bones marked by violence. However, the all-male-dominated skeletal record of violence is odd when contrasted with the Langobard legal records, which spell out penalties for attacking women and even include examples of women who engaged in fights themselves. "The Edictum Rothari includes six provisions dealing with violence against women, covering cases ranging from husbands killing wives to women who voluntarily joined fights between men," said study co-author Valentina Martinoia, of the University of Udine. This includes one law (Liutprand 141) that describes men sending women to fight on their behalf, noting that women would commit evil deeds "more cruelly than men might do." Yet despite these laws suggesting violence against women, the archaeological record had so far not provided any physical evidence of interpersonal violence in Langobard women. She was not spared T46 was found in 2012 in the Ferrovia cemetery in Cividale del Friuli, the first Langobard duchy in Italy. "The 2012 excavation was actually an emergency rescue excavation, required by urban redevelopment work in the area," explained Dr. Martinoia. The recovered remains were in poor condition, partially due to later graves cutting right through T46, leaving the bones broken and incomplete. Given the poor condition of the skeleton, determining its sex had to be done via protein analysis, which confirmed she was female. Her forehead showed clear signs of violence; one narrow gash was found on her left forehead. The angle and force suggested the attacker had stood before her, striking down at her head, likely with a blade similar to a scramasax, a long knife used by Germanic warriors. The second wound caused a crushing fracture likely inflicted by a blunt, flat object, such as a stone. The resulting wound left signs of infection, indicating a difficult recovery. When researchers compared T46 to other Langobard head-wound cases, they found just 33 individuals across Italy and what's now Hungary: every single one was a man. So why was T46 the only known woman? The researchers suspect a mix of reasons, including women simply generally not participating in raids and armed warfare, which are more likely to leave marks on bone. Similarly, violence against women typically took the form of household abuse, which often bruises soft tissue but leaves no marks on the skeleton. While it cannot be said for certain how T46 received her wounds, signs of healing indicate she received care and social support after the event, living for years after the injuries were first inflicted. "We hope this case serves as a starting point for Langobard research to systematically revisit the theme of female interpersonal violence," said Dr. Martinoia. Among the future avenues of research are isotopic studies, which may provide insight into whether these victims were locals or came from elsewhere. Similarly, Dr. Martinoia suggests that ancient DNA, protein analyses, and traditional pathological examinations could be combined "to uncover more cases and challenge the assumption that violence was an exclusively male experience." Written for you by our author Sandee Oster, edited by Lisa Lock, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan—this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you. More information Paola Saccheri et al, She was not spared: Evidence of interpersonal violence on a Langobard female from the Ferrovia necropolis in Cividale, NE Italy (6th–7th century CE), International Journal of Paleopathology (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2026.04.008 © 2026 Science X Network