Bronze Age 'shaman' revealed as female goldworker in 'smoking gun' evidence

A Bronze Age metalworker, long believed to be a man, has been revealed as female through groundbreaking DNA analysis. The Upton Lovell Shaman, whose remains date back approximately 4,000 years, was found to possess XX sex chromosomes, indicating female biological sex. This discovery, presented at London's Francis Crick Institute's "We Go Way Back" exhibition, challenges long-held assumptions about gender roles in ancient societies.

“

It completely tears up previous assumptions. It’s a fantastic revelation of the position of women in society.

David Dawson, Director of Wiltshire Museum, described the finding as a "fantastic revelation of the position of women in society." He emphasized that the assumption of men holding all leadership and skilled positions is being dismantled by such evidence. The analysis also revealed arthritis in the shaman's right wrist, consistent with the repetitive use of metalworking tools, further supporting her role as a craftswoman.

“

We’re so used to the assumption of men do everything, men are the leaders, men are the metalworkers. Here we have smoking gun evidence of a female metalworker. And metalworking was the space science of its day.

The shaman's remains were originally excavated in 1803 by William Cunnington, who, based on the "largeness of the bones," assumed the individual was a male. Artifacts found with the remains, including a battle axe, stone gold-working tools, and a cloak decorated with animal bones, indicated a person of importance who was equipped for the afterlife. The barrow was re-excavated in 2000, leading to further scientific analysis.

“

The field of ancient DNA has surged in technical capability over the last two decades, now giving us answers to questions that were previously inaccessible. It feels really good to give this to archaeologists.

Pontus Skoglund of the ancient genomics laboratory at the Crick stated that advancements in ancient DNA technology are now answering questions previously inaccessible to researchers. Lisa Brown, Curator at Wiltshire Museum, added that making museum collections available for scientific analysis is crucial. This research, she noted, offers a "whole new understanding of this burial, rewriting their story, breaking stereotypes, and putting women front and centre in our understanding of early Bronze Age society."

“

We now have a whole new understanding of this burial, rewriting their story, breaking stereotypes, and putting women front and centre in our understanding of early Bronze Age society.