An international team of geneticists, led by researchers from Trinity College in collaboration with archaeologists from Bournemouth University, has uncovered secrets of the social structure of Iron Age Britain. Their work has provided evidence of the political and social empowerment of women during this period.

The study, recently published in the journal Nature, was based on genetic analysis of more than 50 ancient genomes extracted from a cemetery in Dorset, in southern England. This site, which was in use before and after the Roman conquest of 43 AD, allowed researchers to reconstruct the family tree of a community that appeared to revolve around female descent.

Dr. Lara Cassidy, Assistant Professor in the Department of Genetics at Trinity, explained that the majority of members of this community shared a common maternal line tracing back to a woman who lived centuries earlier. In contrast, paternal-line relationships were almost nonexistent. This finding suggests that men relocated to their wives’ communities after marriage and that land inheritance was passed through women.

Celts Britain Matrilocal Society
Durotrigian burial of a young woman from Langton Herring from which DNA samples were taken. She was buried with a mirror (right panels) and jewelry, including a Roman coin amulet showing an auriga representing Victory. Credit: Bournemouth University

This social model, known as matrilocality, documents for the first time a social structure of this kind in European prehistory. Although uncommon in modern societies, researchers believe it may have been standard in certain historical periods.

By comparing these results with data from other Iron Age cemeteries in Britain, the researchers observed a similar pattern. For example, in Yorkshire, a dominant matrilineal line had existed since at least 400 BC. Professor Dan Bradley, co-author of the study, emphasized that this social organization was not only deeply rooted in Dorset but also widespread across the island.

The Dorset cemetery, located near the village of Winterborne Kingston, is exceptional due to the funerary customs of the Durotriges, a people mentioned by the Romans. Excavations led by Dr. Miles Russell of Bournemouth University since 2009 revealed that the most richly decorated graves belonged to women. This finding aligns with Roman accounts describing British women in positions of power, such as the queens Boudica and Cartimandua.

Celts Britain Matrilocal Society
A researcher, from above, excavating a Late Iron Age Durotriges burial at Winterborne Kingston. Credit: Bournemouth University

Although the Romans tended to exaggerate certain aspects to emphasize the “barbarism” of conquered peoples, the genetic and archaeological evidence supports the influence of women in the political and social life of the Iron Age.

The genetic analysis also showed that these communities valued lineage and avoided close-kin marriages. According to anthropologist Dr. Martin Smith, this demonstrates that Iron Age people had a deep understanding of their ancestry and employed conscious strategies to preserve their family structures.

Additionally, the study identified traces of migrations to the southern coast of England during the Iron Age, raising new questions about the arrival of the Celtic language in Britain. While it has been suggested that Celtic may have arrived during the Bronze Age, these findings point to multiple moments of cultural and linguistic introduction.


SOURCES

Trinity College Dublin

Cassidy, L.M., Russell, M., Smith, M. et al. Continental influx and pervasive matrilocality in Iron Age Britain. Nature (2025). doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08409-6


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