Find from the Copper Age: Ivory man turned out to be woman

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This was reported by Austrian and Spanish researchers in the journal “Scientific Reports” on Thursday. Luxurious grave goods such as amber, ostrich eggs, flint, rock crystal daggers and ivory occupied the status of the highest-ranking person. “Because of the magnificent grave goods from far away, it was previously assumed it was a man,” archaeologist Katharina Rebay-Salisbury told Austrian news agency APA. Early publications on the find always referred to an “ivory merchant”.

In Copper and Bronze Age societies (3200-2200 BC), the usual analyzes of sex based, for example, on the shape of the pelvis or head are not so easy because at that time gender differences were not as great as they are today. Also, a definitive survey is often difficult due to the climatic conditions in the Mediterranean region. This affects both DNA analysis and poor preservation of bones.

Analysis of tooth enamel showed that the individual was female, not male. “So the highest-ranking person in Copper Age Iberian society was a woman, the ‘Ivory Man’ turned out to be the ‘Ivory Lady,'” says Rebay-Salisbury.

According to Rebay-Salisbury, the research results inform not only about the possible life of the “ivory woman”, but also about how ideas of the present shaped the interpretation of the past: leadership positions were occupied by men. With this finding, many of our gender stereotypes are thrown overboard,” says the archaeologist.

The results invite to reconsider established interpretations of the political role of women at the start of a time when societies are becoming more complex, and to challenge traditionally held views of the past. (SDA)

Source : Blick