DNA Study Reveals Female-Centered Societies in Iron Age Britain

Genetic evidence shows women played central roles in social networks, property inheritance, and community structure before the Roman conquest.

Analysis of ancient DNA from 57 individuals in Dorset revealed a matrilocal society where women stayed in their communities and men joined through marriage.
More than two-thirds of the individuals shared a maternal lineage, indicating land and identity were passed through female ancestry.
Similar patterns of matrilocality were found at other Iron Age sites across Britain, suggesting this social structure was widespread.
Archaeological evidence, such as lavish female burials, aligns with Roman accounts describing empowered Celtic women like warrior queens Boudica and Cartimandua.
The findings challenge traditional assumptions about prehistoric gender roles, showing Iron Age Britain as more egalitarian compared to the patriarchal Roman world.