Matriarchy in the Neolithic. Archaeologists have discovered something strange at an ancient cemetery in Spain

Researchers have discovered a surprising gender inequality at the 5,600-year-old Panoria cemetery in Granada (Spain) – twice as many women were buried as men.

Teenage funerals were particularly different, with a ratio of 10 girls for every boy. This unique discovery raised questions about the social structure and cultural practices of the ancient region.

An interdisciplinary team of scientists from the Universities of Tübingen and Granada analyzed the remains in nine tombs in the necropolis.
Using modern bioarchaeological techniques, they determined chromosomal sex by analyzing DNA and the protein amelogenin, which allowed them to create a detailed demographic profile.

Scientists suggest that, in this prehistoric society, the role of women was dominant, and that social and funeral customs were based on the maternal line.
This imbalance may reflect a social structure in which women had a dominant role and men could leave the group to join other clans, according to the practice of male exogamy.
This discovery provides a new perspective on social life and gender relations in the ancient cultures of the Iberian Peninsula.