A groundbreaking study has uncovered evidence of a society in Iron Age Britain where women played central roles in family, politics, and society.
Using DNA from ancient burial sites, an international team of geneticists and archaeologists discovered that maternal lineage was the foundation of these communities, with land and power likely passed down through female lines.
Led by researchers from Trinity College Dublin and Bournemouth University, the study focused on a burial site in Dorset, southern England, and the findings were published in Nature.
The team retrieved DNA from over 50 individuals buried at the site, which was in use before and after the Roman invasion of AD 43.
Remarkably, most people buried there could trace their maternal ancestry to a single woman who lived centuries earlier, while paternal connections were nearly absent.
Dr. Lara Cassidy, Assistant Professor in Trinity’s Department of Genetics and the study’s lead author, explained: “This was the cemetery of a large family group. We reconstructed a detailed family tree and found that nearly everyone shared the same maternal ancestor. This indicates that husbands likely moved into their wives’ communities, and land and property may have been inherited through the female line.”
This system, known as “matrilocality,” suggests that women held significant social and political power. While rare in modern societies, this discovery shows that such structures existed in European prehistory.
Dr. Cassidy added, “It’s fascinating to think that this type of social organization may have been more common in the past than it is today.”
The researchers didn’t stop with the Dorset site. They reviewed DNA data from other Iron Age burial sites across Britain and found similar patterns of matrilineal descent.
For example, in Yorkshire, one dominant maternal line existed as far back as 400 BC. This widespread phenomenon indicates that maternal ancestry played a key role in shaping group identities across the island.
The Dorset site, known as “Duropolis,” has been excavated since 2009 by archaeologists from Bournemouth University. The burial customs of the local people, called the “Durotriges” by the Romans, preserved their skeletons unusually well. Previous findings had already suggested that women in the community were influential, as their graves were often more richly furnished than those of men.
Historical records from Greek and Roman writers, though sometimes unreliable, also mention the prominent roles of women in Iron Age Britain. The Romans were reportedly surprised to find women holding positions of power, including military leadership. Two early rulers, the famous queens Boudica and Cartimandua, are examples of women who commanded armies and ruled tribes.
Dr. Miles Russell, the director of the excavation, explained, “The Romans often exaggerated the freedoms of British women to portray them as part of an ‘uncivilized’ society. However, archaeology and now genetics show that women were indeed influential in many aspects of life during the Iron Age.”
The DNA analysis also revealed insights into marriage practices and ancestry. Anthropologist Dr. Martin Smith noted that marriages within distant branches of the same family were common, but close inbreeding was avoided. “These results allow us to see beyond the skeletons and understand these individuals as mothers, husbands, daughters, and so on,” he said.
The study also uncovered evidence of migration into southern England during the Iron Age, further fueling debates about when Celtic languages arrived in Britain. While migration during the Bronze Age is already well-documented, this study highlights significant movement across the English Channel during the Iron Age as well.
Dr. Cassidy concluded, “Our findings suggest that Celtic languages could have been introduced to Britain on more than one occasion. Pinning down their exact arrival is still a challenge.”
This research sheds new light on the structure of Iron Age society and reveals the central role women played in shaping their communities. It also highlights the value of combining genetics and archaeology to uncover hidden stories from the past.
