In 2008, in a cemetery in Valencina, scientists discovered an unparalleled collection of funerary goods that indicated that they had just found the most prominent figure of the Spanish Chalcolithic period. Analysis of the remains now yields a big surprise: it is a woman.
A few kilometers from Seville, we find the small town of Valencina de la Concepción. In the vicinity of the city, the people must have felt more at home than they did in the Copper Age; Archaeologists have made several discoveries that – in an area of up to 450 hectares – indicate that people lived and worked here between 3000 and 1500 BC.
Private grave
One find that immediately caught the eye was a tomb found in 2008. Archaeologists must have noticed right away that they had found something special, because where most graves in the area contain the remains of several people, only one person was buried in this Grave. However, this person was accompanied by amazingly expensive funeral goods. For example, porcelain (with remains of wine in it) was found in the tomb, as were copper awls and many ivory objects. Including 1.8 kilos of horn ivory from an African elephant. In addition, indications were found that funeral burials were also added to the tomb at a later stage – some time after the burial – including a beautiful dagger with an ivory handle, inlaid with 90 mother-of-pearl beads.
Prominent figure
Both the quantity and quality of the grave goods indicate that the person buried in this grave had a high social status. In fact, based on the grave goods, this individual has been bombarded by archaeologists as the most prominent figure we know of from the Spanish Chalcolithic period. In previous research, the researchers wrote, the man must have died somewhere between the ages of 17 and 25. But new research published in the journal Scientific reportsNow it seems to be turning everything upside down. A new analysis of the remains found in the tomb shows that this prominent figure was a woman!
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The researchers base this conclusion on the analysis of the deceased’s molar and incisor teeth. It turns out that the enamel of that tooth and tooth contain a protein that is only found in women. Therefore, we must conclude that the most prominent figure in the Iberian Peninsula at the time of the Chalcolithic period was female.
You earned yourself
And the researchers add that this prominent position does not appear to have fallen into the lap of women. They noted that no graves were found in the graves of children from the same time. He hints that people did not inherit a high position from their parents, but had to earn it themselves. Based on this, the researchers concluded that the woman must have done great things to become an outstanding person. The researchers wrote, “[The woman, ed.]seemed to derive her influence, status, and power not from her birth or control over the harvest, but from her charisma and accomplishments.”
No man came close
It is certainly not the first time that one has come across a tomb in which a woman was buried long ago (say in the Bronze or Copper Age) who had a high social status. But earlier, graves of men of similar high social status were also always found. But in this case, that is not the case. Indeed, in the whole of the Iberian Peninsula scholars do not know of a tomb from this part of the Chalcolithic period (between 3200 and 2500 BC) filled with funerary goods and a shelter for a man. The only tomb that also dates from this period and which comes somewhat close to the woman’s tomb in terms of quality and quantity of incense burners, even includes no fewer than fifteen women. This large and filled tomb is also located next to the tomb of the prominent woman. According to the researchers, this indicates that in the Copper Age women held high positions (which may not even have been reserved for men).
Researchers believe it could radically change our view of history. “Our results call for well-established explanations for the political role women played as societies began to become more socially complex.”
