Contemporaries depicted them as dangerous and aggressive barbarians.
Researchers studied the skeleton of a Lombard woman who lived approximately between 590 and 630 in northern Italy and discovered two injuries on her skull, inflicted by sharp and blunt objects. Both wounds had healed, leading scientists to conclude that the girl survived the attack. The most likely explanation was considered to be interpersonal violence. Previously, similar injuries had only been recorded on male skeletons. It has now been revealed that women in the ancient Germanic society of the Lombards also became victims of violence from male tribesmen.
The Lombards were an ancient Germanic tribe that invaded Italy during the period of the Great Migration and established the Lombard Kingdom there. It lasted for two centuries — from the 6th to the 8th, after which it was conquered by the Franks.
In early medieval sources, the Lombards are described as fierce warriors. When they arrived in Italy in 568 under the leadership of King Alboin, Byzantine and ecclesiastical authors depicted them as brutal conquerors who devastated cities and rural areas. The 6th-century Frankish historian Gregory of Tours portrayed them as dangerous and aggressive barbarians. Papal documents from the period of their invasion also contain complaints about violence, looting, and land seizures.
In Lombard burials from the 6th to 7th centuries, archaeologists have repeatedly found weapons and human remains showing signs of violence. However, all known cases of such injuries pertained exclusively to men. Some of the injuries were sustained as a result of interpersonal disputes within the community. In other words, archaeological data created the impression that during interpersonal disputes, physical violence was inflicted solely on men.
At the same time, the written laws of the Lombards painted a more complex picture. Legal documents detailed the punishments for attacks on women, and some texts even mentioned women themselves participating in conflicts. The edict of King Rothari contained six provisions dedicated to violence against women. They covered various situations — from a husband murdering his wife to cases where women voluntarily intervened in fights between men.
