New findings published in the journal Nature suggest that women were at the top of British Iron Age societies. After examining ancient genomes uncovered in a cemetery in Dorset, an international research team determined that this community had a strong female-line descent, which may be a first for early Europe.
Uncovering Ancient Genomes
Durotrigian burial of a young woman from Langton Herring sampled for DNA (c) Bournemouth University. She was buried with a mirror (right panels) and jewellery, including a Roman coin amulet showing a female charioteer representing Victory.jpg (Credit: Bournemouth University.)
The research team — geneticists, led by Trinity College Dublin and archeologists from Bournemouth University — examined remains from Iron Age era burial grounds in Dorset, England, that were used before and after the Roman Conquest in 43 A.D. The team sequenced 50 genomes from this single community and determined that the female lineage was dominant.
