The Grave Of An Intersex Warrior In Finland

A single individual's tomb in Finland in the municipality of Hattula, which was radiocarbon dated to between 1040 and 1174, contained remains buried with prestige weapons usually associated with men, but also jewelry and other grave goods usually associated with women (via Bernard's Blog in French).

Investigators considered the possibility that it was the grave of a man and a woman, but there was only one set of remains and it was too small for that. They considered the possibility as well that it could have been a woman who had a leadership position for whom the weapons and male associated grave goods were symbols of authority rather than tools that the decedent used in life.

The bones themselves were not in sufficiently good condition due to decomposition to determine the decedent's gender, but two femurs yielded some ancient DNA evidence. As Bernard relates:

there was very little preserved DNA and the authors were only able to test the gender of the individual. The results showed that this individual has an aneuploid karyotype: XXY (Klinefelter syndrome).

This syndrome is found in one out of 1000 to 2000 births, so while it is rare, it is an exceptional genetic condition that is observed now and then. 

Bernard identifies three other cases in the last three years where there is ancient DNA indicating either chromosomal abnormality (aneuploidy), or a gender identity suggested by grave goods that is contrary to what the person's genes would suggest.

Klinefelter syndrome increases the risk of someone's premature death somewhat, but is hardly a death sentence with people who have the condition usually living to adulthood and not discovering that they have the condition until then. According to Wikipedia (linked above):

The individual is then of a masculine character, but infertile. . . .

Under the name of Klinefelter syndrome we group together all or part of all of the following symptoms, a variability of expression being often observed and all the problems of life that cannot be linked to this syndrome: size on average larger than the siblings, possible delay in puberty, possibility during childhood of learning disabilities of language or reading, size of the testicles smaller from puberty, possibility in adolescence if there is a lack of testosterone of a low hairiness, lack of muscle tone, development of mammary glands or gynecomastia, brittle tooth enamel and osteoporosis adulthood.

The atypical expression of this syndrome therefore explains the frequent delay in its diagnosis, which is often done only as part of a search for sterility.

In other words, people with this genetic type, not infrequently, present as intersex individuals that don't fit nearly as neatly into categorization as male or female as the vast majority of people do. 

It seems clear that this medieval Finnish warrior presented in that way, and nonetheless lived a life ending with recognition as a high status member of this community.