DNA Reclassifies 4,000-Year-Old Stonehenge Burial as Female Metalworker, Overturning 200 Years of Assumptions
Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 10
DNA Reclassifies 4,000-Year-Old Stonehenge Burial as Female Metalworker, Overturning 200 Years of Assumptions
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 10
Summary
XX-chromosome DNA from a temporal bone, tooth and toe bone showed the 4,000-year-old skeleton long labeled the "stout man" was genetically female.
Researchers say the woman was likely a metalworker and possibly a shaman, citing a touchstone for testing gold, ochre polishing bowls and wrist arthritis consistent with craft work.
William Cunnington had identified the burial as male in 1803 because the bones looked large and robust; scientists now say the woman was likely over 45 and post-menopausal, which can make female bones appear more masculine.
Ancestry clues link her to Beaker migrants associated with metalworking, and the finding is being used by Wiltshire Museum to update a Stonehenge-era burial story that historians say puts women at the forefront of Bronze Age technology.