Two 'warrior women' from ancient Mongolia may have helped inspire the Ballad of Mulan

By Laura Geggel - Associate Editor 4 days ago

Archaeologists in Mongolia have found the remains of two ancient women warriors, whose skeletal remains indicate that they were well practiced in archery and horseback riding.

These two women lived during the Xianbei period (A.D. 147 to 552), a period of political fragmentation and unrest that gave rise to the Ballad of Mulan, the researchers said.

Perhaps these women were so athletic because during the Xianbei period, "it may have been that women were needed to defend home and country alongside the men," said study researchers Christine Lee and Yahaira Gonzalez, bioarchaeologists at California State University, Los Angeles.

Lee added that many historians pin Mulan to the Xianbei period. There's a lot of research into the Ballad of Mulan, and "my research just reinforces what they've been finding," Lee told Live Science.

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