„Male” and „female” grave-goods in Sarmatian tombs found in Wallachia
„Male” and „female” grave-goods in Sarmatian tombs found in Wallachia

Summary/Abstract: Upon finding a grave or necropolis, an archaeologist is tempted to make assumptions about the gender of the deceased even before an anthropological analysis could be made. In this respect, the decisive argument for the archaeologist is the funerary inventory. At first sight, it seems easy to separate the “male” from the “female” inventory items: according to the specialty literature1, the weapons, harness items and knives are the attributes of the men, while the adornments and the personal hygiene items point to a woman. Most of the times, the anthropologist confirms the assumptions based on the funerary inventory. However, there are situations that prove yet again, if anybody thought otherwise, that there are no rules that must be applied before the fact, at least in the case of grave analysis.

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