DNA Analysis Finds 4,000-Year-Old Upton Lovell Shaman Was Female

3 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · Jul 16

XX chromosomes from both a tooth and a toe showed the 4,000-year-old Upton Lovell burial near Stonehenge belonged to a woman, overturning a male identification that had stood since 1801.
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute had set out to study ancestry, but repeated tests found no sign the grave contained more than one person, confirming the result.
Rich grave goods — stone axes, gold-traced metalworking tools, a touchstone and decorated animal bones — had already marked the individual as a high-status metalworker with ritual significance.
Skeletal evidence adds to that picture: she was about 165 cm tall, died around age 45, and had right-wrist arthritis consistent with years of repetitive metalworking.
The finding, unveiled in a new ancient-DNA exhibition, adds to other cases in Sweden and Spain where elite prehistoric burials long assumed male were later identified as female.

Sources

Left50%

Center50%

Livescience.com22h ago

Ancient DNA Reveals "Upton Lovell Shaman" Was Female

CNN15h ago

Bronze Age 'shaman,' previously assumed to be a male metalworker, was actually a woman | CNN

The Guardian22h ago

Ancient DNA analysis reveals Wiltshire's Upton Lovell Shaman was a woman | Archaeology | The Guardian

7 Sources

Beyond her sex, what secrets does the DNA of this powerful Bronze Age leader hold?

A powerful shaman was female. How many other women has history mislabeled as men?

Science is rewriting the past. What historical 'facts' will be the next to fall?

The Upton Lovell Shaman: How Ancient DNA Is Transforming Our Understanding of Gender, Power, and Craft in Bronze Age Britain

Overview

The confirmation that the Upton Lovell Shaman was female has transformed our understanding of gender roles and spiritual leadership near Stonehenge. Researchers used ancient DNA to reveal her true biological sex, overturning long-held assumptions. Her elaborate burial, filled with ritual artifacts and a specialized tool kit, strongly supports her identity as a respected shaman and skilled craftsperson. The presence of these grave goods shows her community valued her expertise and wanted her to carry essential items into the afterlife. This discovery challenges stereotypes about women’s roles in the Bronze Age and highlights the importance of modern scientific methods in archaeology.

...