Although there have been few documentations of the Copper Age, many unknown things remain. This applies to high-ranking individuals as a new analysis reveals that what was previously believed to be a man was actually a woman.
What the Study Changes
According to Live Science, previous findings of what was believed to be a high-ranking individual were long believed to be from a man. However, new analysis reveals that the remains came from a woman.
The skeleton was discovered in 2008 in an Iberian Peninsula tomb and was long thought to be a man. The skeleton was estimated to be around between 3,200 to 2,200 years old.
Now, as the skeleton was finally clarified to be a woman, it was dubbed the "Ivory Lady" due to artifacts surrounding her skeleton. Scientific Reports said the discovered items included ivory tusks, an ostrich eggshell, a rock crystal dagger, and amber.
Before being called the "Ivory Lady," the skeleton had long been called the "Ivory Merchant" for over a decade. Leonardo García Sanjuán, a University of Seville professor of prehistory, described how they looked at the pelvis in previous analysis and concluded that the skeleton was male.
This was due to the poor condition of the skeleton's pelvis, which led the researchers to take a different approach. Eureka Alert reports that before they thought the skeleton to be a woman, they believed it to be a young male just 17 to 25 years old.
Amelogenin Peptide Analysis
The researchers decided to conduct an amelogenin peptide analysis, which examined the tooth of the skeleton. The researchers were looking for an AMELX gene found on the X chromosome to determine the actual biological sex of the skeleton.
After testing two of the skeleton's teeth, they found AMELX, suggesting the skeleton was a female. They were also able to determine that the skeleton was a high-ranked person within her society.
Live Science reports that García Sanjuán described that during her era, there were different types of Western European leadership forms in different societies. The skeleton was believed to be a leader whose time was way before kings and queens.
The researchers also determined that she didn't inherit her status, meaning her achievements, skill, and personality were what made her a leader.
High-Ranking Individual Sightings
Unlike other skeletons, her grave was single occupancy, supporting her status. Being buried in one grave alone was considered only for the elite during BC 2900 to BC 2650, the Iberian Copper Age.
Live Science reports that at least 15 women were also found in a nearby tomb, suggesting they were the Ivory Lady's descendants. The researchers believed they likely found a central gathering place where the Ivory Lady was buried.
There were also other instances of wrong biological sex being attributed to a certain skeleton. This was because of assumptions that certain graves belonged to certain sexes.
García Sanjuán described the approach of attributing biological sex to a skeleton based on their grave as a "poor scientific practice."
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