News Genetics

Iron Age Celtic women’s social and political power just got a boost

DNA clues hint men married into women-led communities

excavation at Celtic site in England

Excavations of Iron Age skeletons such as this one from Celtic sites in southern England have produced genetic evidence reflecting social practices that enhanced women’s power, researchers say.

© Bournemouth University

By Bruce Bower

Celtic women’s social and political standing in Iron Age England has received a genetic lift.

DNA clues indicate that around 2,000 years ago, married women in a Celtic society, known as Durotrigians, on the coast of south-central England stayed in their home communities while their partners came from outside the area, say paleogeneticist Lara Cassidy of Trinity College Dublin and colleagues.