A groundbreaking study led by Dr. Lara Cassidy at Trinity College, Dublin, has unearthed evidence of matrilineal societies in ancient Britain, challenging long-held assumptions about gender roles in the Iron Age. The research, published in the scientific journal Nature, reveals that communities in Winterborne Kingston, Dorset, and other parts of Britain were centered around the female lineage from 100 BC to AD 100. This discovery provides insight into the societal structures of ancient Britons, suggesting that women held significant power and influence.
Dr. Cassidy and her team traced mitochondrial DNA from skeletons excavated by archaeologists at Bournemouth University. The findings indicate that these communities likely originated with one woman, with most women related by blood across generations. The society was matrilocal, meaning women moved to their husband's communities—a practice uncommon in modern societies. This matrilocality implies that women maintained a stable support network within their families, a system that could reduce internal conflicts.
"The most sort of obvious benefit to a woman is that if you don't leave home, you don't leave your support network. Your parents, siblings, family members are all still around you," said Dr. Cassidy.
The research suggests that women in Britain 2,000 years ago had high status and passed on land and wealth to daughters rather than sons. This matrilineal inheritance was widespread across Britain, as similar evidence was found in cemeteries in Cornwall and Yorkshire. These findings challenge the notion that powerful women in ancient communities were anomalies.
"This points to an Iron Age society in Britain where women wielded quite a lot of influence and could shape its trajectory in many ways," stated Dr. Lara Cassidy.
The presence of elaborately furnished graves with high-status objects further supports the theory of wealth being passed down the female line.
"We find quite elaborately furnished graves with high status objects of wealth. Every time we find that, it occurs in women's graves, so we think wealth was being transferred down the female line," explained Prof Martin Smith at Bournemouth University.
The communities analyzed lived during the same period as Boudica, the warrior Queen who led a rebellion against Roman invaders around AD 61. This parallel suggests that powerful women were more common than previously thought.
"Women in Britain had power and it was a more egalitarian place. That was the biggest problem that Romans had with the Britons because Rome was a deeply patriarchal society. To them, it marked Britons as the ultimate Barbarians," remarked Professor Miles Russell at Bournemouth University.
Dr. Cassidy's research also highlights the societal benefits of matrilocality, such as fostering unity among neighboring communities and preventing feuds among related males.
"It can promote feelings of unity among neighbouring communities and villages. It disperses groups of related males, stopping groups of related males developing strong loyalties and starting feuds with the related males nearby," noted Dr. Cassidy.
Iron Age Britain may have favored matrilocal societies due to frequent male absences caused by warfare, placing women at the center of community stability and governance. The study's findings are unprecedented in ancient European history, documenting for the first time communities built around women.
"It's your husband who's coming in, he's the relative stranger to the community, and he's dependent on your family for his livelihood and land," highlighted Dr. Cassidy.
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