Genetic analysis showed that the highest position in Copper Age Spain was occupied by a woman (4 photos)

According to a study published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, the highest status man in ancient Iberian society of the Copper Age was a woman, not a man, as was considered earlier.





Since its discovery in 2008, the skeleton a high-ranking person buried in a tomb in the Iberian peninsula between 3200 and 2200 years ago, was considered the remains of a man. However, a new analysis shows that in fact this person was woman.

Spanish archaeologists have dubbed the woman "Lady of Ivory" because of an elephant tusk found next to her skeleton along with many other items, including flint, ostrich shell eggs, amber and a rock crystal dagger.



For more than a decade, archaeologists believed that the skeleton belonged to man, and even nicknamed him "Ivory Merchant". Besides, that this is a very rare example of the burial of one person, the grave contained a large number of valuable items, which suggests that that this man, who was originally thought to be a young man in between the ages of 17 and 25, held a high position in society.

“She is the most outstanding person who lived in that period in this region,” said Leonardo Garcia Sanjuan, one of the authors of the study and professor at the University of Seville.



Although the researchers do not know exactly who this woman was and what role she played in society, they suspect that she had both political and religious power and may have been founder of an important clan.

Since the pelvic region of the skeleton is poorly preserved, the new the research team used a different method to analyze the remains: they analyzed the skeletal enamel amelogenin peptide to determine if it contains the AMELX gene. Molar and incisor analysis revealed the presence of the AMELX gene, which produces amelogenin and is located on X chromosome, which indicates that the person was a woman and not a man.

“This analysis showed us for sure that the skeleton was female,” said Garcia Sanjuan.

“During this period, we began to see new forms of leadership in Western European societies,” he continued. - She was a leader existed before kings and queens, and her status was not passed on inheritance, which meant that her leadership was based on her personal achievements, skills and personality.



So far, no men have been found in the region with the same high status. Nearby was the same luxurious tomb with the bodies of at least 15 women, which is believed to have been built descendants of the "Ivory Lady".

Other burials in southern Spain, especially burials babies without any artifacts show that the birthright did not determine social status in the Copper Age. According to the study, the location of the woman's grave also gives us an idea of the ancient society that once lived there.

The Ivory Lady demonstrates that women could be leaders and occupy high positions in the copper age, the transition period between the Stone Age and the more technologically sophisticated Bronze Age.