Iron Age societies were more progressive than most, including modern times

In a collaborative effort between geneticists and archaeologists, new evidence about the structure of Iron Age society has been uncovered. At the heart of this discovery lies the surprising and influential role of women in both social and political arenas.

Their findings stem from an extensive DNA analysis conducted in Dorset, Southern England, where they sequenced over 50 ancient genomes from burial sites used before and after the Roman Conquest in the year 43 CE.

Power of women in the Iron Age

The genetic data opened up a new narrative, revealing a society built around strong female-lineage.

“We reconstructed a family tree with many different branches and found most members traced their maternal lineage back to a single woman, who would have lived centuries before. In contrast, relationships through the father’s line were almost absent,” explained Dr. Lara Cassidy, assistant professor in Trinity College Dublin’s Department of Genetics and the leader of the study.

Such a discovery alters our understanding of societal norms during that time, and indicates that women held sway in both political and social aspects.

“This tells us that husbands moved to join their wives’ communities upon marriage, with land potentially passed down through the female line,” Cassidy added.

“This is the first time this type of system has been documented in European prehistory and it predicts female social and political empowerment. It’s relatively rare in modern societies, but this might not always have been the case.”

“Matrilocality” in Iron Age society

More astonishingly, this form of social organization, known as “matrilocality,” was not exclusive to Dorset.

After scrutinizing earlier genetic surveys, the team found echoes of the same pattern throughout Iron Age Britain.

“Across Britain we saw cemeteries where most individuals were maternally descended from a small set of female ancestors,” remarked Dan Bradley, professor of population genetics in Trinity’s Department of Genetics, and co-author of the study.

“In Yorkshire, for example, one dominant matriline had been established before 400 BCE. To our surprise, this was a widespread phenomenon with deep roots on the island,” he added.

Understanding the Iron Age — the basics

The Iron Age was an exciting period in ancient history when people began using iron to make tools, weapons, and everyday items instead of relying on bronze or stone.

This shift was a game-changer because iron was more durable and widely available, allowing communities to build stronger farms, better homes, and more effective weapons.

With these advancements, societies grew bigger and more complex, leading to the rise of powerful kingdoms and empires.

Farming became more efficient, which meant more food was available, supporting larger populations and sparking innovations in various aspects of daily life.

Different regions around the world entered the Iron Age at their own pace, but it generally took place between 1200 BCE and 500 BCE in places like Europe and the Near East, drifting into the first century CE.

During this time, trade routes expanded as people exchanged iron goods and ideas, fostering cultural exchanges and technological progress.

Archaeological discoveries

The team tapped into a rich vein of well-preserved burials in Dorset, which is a rarity in Britain. The local inhabitants of the time, known by the Romans as “Durotriges,” had distinct burial customs that led to this abundance of data.

The village of Winterborne Kingston, amusingly nicknamed “Duropolis,” was one of the excavation sites where the more elaborately decorated burials were usually those of women.

“Beyond archaeology, knowledge of Iron Age Britain has come primarily from the Greek and Roman writers, but they are not always considered the most trustworthy,” observed Dr. Miles Russell, the excavation’s director and co-author of the study.

“That said, their commentary on British women is remarkable in light of these findings. When the Romans arrived, they were astonished to find women occupying positions of power. Two of the earliest recorded rulers were queens – Boudica and Cartimandua – who commanded armies,” Russel added.

“It’s been suggested that the Romans exaggerated the liberties of British women to paint a picture of an untamed society. But archaeology, and now genetics, implies women were influential in many spheres of Iron Age life. Indeed, it is possible that maternal ancestry was the primary shaper of group identities.”

Digging deeper into the past

Beyond the insights into societal structure, the research from Bournemouth University also picked up previously unnoticed waves of migration into coastal southern England during the Iron Age.

A re-examination of the arrival of the Celtic language in Britain is now on the horizon.

“Migration into Britain during the later Bronze Age has previously been detected, leading some to hypothesize that Celtic language arrived during this period. But our results point towards substantial cross-channel mobility during the Iron Age as well,” Cassidy concluded.

“Narrowing down the arrival time of Celtic will be difficult. Indeed, it is quite possible that Celtic languages were introduced to Britain on more than one occasion.”

This investigation into the past has thus brought forth unexpected insights into the role of women, and has shed light on a crucial piece of Iron Age societal structure while also opening up new pathways for understanding Britain’s historical timelines.

The full study was published in the journal Nature.

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