Warrior Women

So far, archaeologists have excavated about 1,000 graves throughout Ancient Scythia and until recently it was common for archaeologists who found a skeleton buried with weapons to assume it was that of a male. But now with the DNA testing and bio-archaeology, we now know that a little over one third belonged to women warriors. This episode follows the life of Scythian girl Alkaya who grows up to become a skilled and fearless horse warrior. After losing her mother in a raid, orphaned Alkaya is accepted by the chief of another clan. She grows up with her stepsisters and becomes leader of the clan after her stepfather is killed in a battle with rival Scythians. As the new chief, Alkaya leads her tribe after an annual gathering into a defining battle against the Persians in 6th Century BC.

The story of female gladiators is largely unknown. Contemporary Roman writers, to whom we owe much of our historic knowledge, did not approve of women fighting in the arena. But ironically their outbursts against women gladiators give us indirect proof of their existence. Based on hard historic evidence, we recreate the life of a fictional Roman gladiatrix we call Ardala. Through her dramatic journey, we discover how these young women survived desperate conditions, why so many were ready to die for the sake of public entertainment and the skills they needed to fight and survive in the arena.

The Agooji of West Africa were the terrifying all-female fighting force of the Kingdom of Dahomey, a small but powerful West African kingdom in modern day Benin that steadily expanded from the 17th Century, against the much larger Asante and Yoruba Kingdoms. Dahomey was feared for its annual slave raids deep into its neighbour’s territories and the ruthlessness of their women warriors. Our story begins at the end of the 19th Century. Dahomey is under threat from the European colonial powers who vie for control of one of the last independent kingdoms in Africa. Based on historical records, we recreate the life of a village chiefs‘ daughter - Sukeoun. Against her father's wishes, she is taken as a tribute to the King of Dahomey.

For centuries, historians believed all Viking Warriors were men. But new remarkable, archaeological findings in Sweden reveal a startling twist to history - some Viking warriors were women, thus challenging historic presumptions about the role of women in the Viking Age. This drama-led documentary tells the story of 20-year old Viking woman Signe who, driven by revenge for the murder of her chieftain father, sets out from 10th-century Sweden on an incredible journey along the Russian river networks. The film follows Signe’s rise to military leader of Birka, the most important Viking trading town of its age.