Excavating a late Iron Age Durotriges burial at Winterborne Kingston. Image: Bournemouth University
This is the first time a ‘matrilocality’ has been documented in European prehistory, but researchers believe it might not have been rare.
In a surprising discovery, an international team of geneticists and archaeologists have found evidence that Britain’s Iron Age was led by women.
The geneticists, led by those from Trinity College Dublin (TCD), along with archaeologists from Bournemouth University in the UK, retrieved and analysed 50 ancient genomes from a set of burial grounds in Dorset, England, that was in use before and after the Roman conquest of 43 CE. In sharp contrast to modern patriarchal systems, the results revealed that this community was centred around bonds of female-line descent.
Their findings revealed that most of the community was centred around maternal lineage leading back to a single woman. Moreover, the scientists found that relationships through the father’s line were almost absent within the ancient community.
Dr Lara Cassidy, an assistant professor in TCD’s genetics department said: “This tells us that husbands moved to join their wives’ communities upon marriage, with land potentially passed down through the female line.” According to the researchers, this indicates the presence of a type of social organisation termed ‘matrilocality’.
“This is the first time this type of system has been documented in European prehistory and it predicts female social and political empowerment.”
Cassidy, who led the study that was published in the Nature journal yesterday (15 January), added that “it’s relatively rare in modern societies, but this might not always have been the case”.
Durotrigian burial of a young woman. Image: Bournemouth University
However, after delving through data from prior genetic surveys, the team concluded that this type of society was not just restricted to Dorset, but instead was spread throughout Iron Age Britain.
For example, in Yorkshire, one dominant matriline had been established before 400 BCE, explained Dan Bradley, a professor of population genetics at TCD.
“Across Britain we saw cemeteries where most individuals were maternally descended from a small set of female ancestors… To our surprise, this was a widespread phenomenon with deep roots on the island.”
Previously, the team had also observed that the more “richly furnished” Dorset burial sites of these people – who were referred to as the ‘Durotriges’ by the Romans – consisted of women.
“Beyond archaeology, knowledge of Iron Age Britain has come primarily from the Greek and Roman writers,” said Dr Miles Russell, the excavation’s director and co-author of the study, who explained that they aren’t considered the most trustworthy accounts.
However, the Romans did record that women were in power in Britain during that period, Russell said. “Two of the earliest recorded rulers were queens – Boudica and Cartimandua – who commanded armies.
“It’s been suggested that the Romans exaggerated the liberties of British women to paint a picture of an untamed society. But archaeology, and now genetics, implies women were influential in many spheres of Iron Age life.”
In 2024, a TCD study into the genetics of aurochs – the predecessors to modern cattle – revealed more diversity than previously believed, shining a light on early human activity and the effect of climate change in Europe.
Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.
