Ancient DNA reveals Celtic women’s power in ancient British society

New genetic research is challenging long-held assumptions about ancient European societies, particularly during the Neolithic, Copper, and Bronze Ages, which were believed to be predominantly patrilocal, with couples settling near the husband’s family.

A groundbreaking study published in Nature reveals an extraordinarily different social structure in Iron Age Britain, showing that Celtic communities were, in fact, matrilocal. Here, married women stayed in their ancestral homes, while men moved around to join them.

The latest findings from Trinity College Dublin provide genetic evidence to support this theory. Researchers analysed the genomes of 57 individuals buried in Iron Age cemeteries associated with Durotrigian people, part of a Celtic tribe that lived in Dorset 2,000 years ago.

The results concluded that most of the individuals were maternally related, while the male individuals in these cemeteries appeared to have migrated into the area, likely after marriage.

This discovery challenges previous assumptions, as archaeologists have generally found the opposite pattern in earlier European societies, from the Neolithic through the Medieval period.

While such findings are surprising, archaeologists and historians had already recognised the unique role of women in Iron Age Britain. Historical accounts from the Romans describe powerful Celtic women, such as queens like Boudica and Cartimandua, who commanded armies and wielded significant influence.

Roman dictator Julius Caesar, in his account of the Gallic Wars, noted Celtic women participating in public affairs, exercising political influence, and sometimes having multiple husbands.

Another discovery that points to the significant role of Celtic women in society at the time includes the resolution of a decades-long mystery regarding the gender of a warrior buried 2,000 years ago on the Isles of Scilly, off the Cornish coast.

A burial site on the island of Bryher (Isles of Scilly), discovered in 1999, had puzzled archaeologists due to its unusual contents – both a sword, typically associated with male burials, and a mirror, traditionally linked to female burials.

However, a groundbreaking study in 2023 led by Historic England solved the mystery by analysing the tooth enamel of the remains. Using proteins linked to the X and Y chromosomes, the team determined with 96% certainty that the person buried was female.

“Although we can never know completely about the symbolism of objects found in graves, the combination of a sword and a mirror suggests this woman had high status within her community and may have played a commanding role in local warfare, organising or leading raids on rival groups,” said Dr. Sarah Stark, a Human Skeletal Biologist at Historic England.

Stark added: “This could suggest that female involvement in raiding and other types of violence was more common in Iron Age society than we’ve previously thought, and it could have laid the foundations from which leaders like Boudicca would later emerge.”