Weapons in Iron Age Women’s Graves
Volume 8 (2007): Weapons, Weaponry and Man (In memoriam Vytautas Kazakevičius), pp. 283–291
Pub. online: 9 November 2007
Type: Article
Open Access
Received
15 January 2007
15 January 2007
Revised
5 September 2007
5 September 2007
Published
9 November 2007
9 November 2007
Abstract
Female graves, which contain a wholly unfeminine or male-related grave inventory, and not only a single item, are discussed in this paper. The main intention is not to describe in great detail these graves, but rather, by removing them from the context, to approach them as possible archaeological evidence of cross-dressing. Drawing on different historical parallels, a tentative explanation is suggested following two supposed inspirations for cross-dressing: cross-dressing by military consideration, and cross-dressing by cultural consideration.