The importance of Celtic women

A new study of the DNA of ancient Britons confirms this. This was previously believed to be a myth: during the Iron Age, women held key positions in society. Scientists found evidence of a matriarchal social structure in which men joined female communities and inheritance was passed down the female line. The importance of Celtic women is confirmed by this finding.

The British Isles were first known when the Roman Army invaded them 2,000 years ago. Julius Caesar, writing notes on his campaigns, mentioned that the British tribes were ruled by women.

The importance of Celtic women is confirmed by a recent study.
The importance of Celtic women is confirmed by a recent study.

Migratory waves

Modern historians tend to think that he exaggerated reality. They thought he wanted to present the foreign tribes as more exotic. But recent archaeological excavations suggest that women occupied a key place in ancient British society.

The researchers analyzed 57 remains from burials of the Durotriges tribe in the county of Dorset, England. They tried to trace the kinship and migration waves of its inhabitants to the British Isles. This tribe had the tradition of burying its people in the fetal position, which draws attention.

Among the large family group, who lived before and after the Romans launched their invasion in AD 43, more than two-thirds descended from a single female ancestor. Meanwhile, 80% of unrelated relatives were male.

The offspring followed the maternal line in these communities.
The offspring followed the maternal line in these communities.

Primacy

«This tells us that husbands moved to join their wives’ communities when they married. And also, that the lands could be transmitted through the female line. It is explained by geneticist from Trinity College Dublin Lara Cassidy.

The importance of Celtic women is a notable fact. At the moment, archaeologists have studied the genome of the ancients in 156 ancient burials across Europe. But only 6 of them – and all of them in England – reached a similar conclusion about the primacy of women. The study was published in Nature.

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