According to the authors, this indicates that the highest-ranked individual in the Iberian Copper Age society was a woman. Furthermore, the absence of severe items in infant burials recommends that, in this duration, people were not approved high status by birth rite. The authors for that reason suggest that the Ivory Lady attained her status through benefit and achievements in life.
The authors report that no male of similarly high status has yet been discovered. As the only comparably lavish Copper Age burial place in the region, containing at least 15 females, was discovered beside the grave of the Ivory Lady and is presumed to have been built by individuals who declared descent from her. This recommends that ladies occupied positions of management in Iberian Copper Age society.
Reference: “Amelogenin peptide analyses expose female management in Copper Age Iberia (c. 2900– 2650 BC)” by Marta Cintas-Peña, Miriam Luciañez-Triviño, Raquel Montero Artús, Andrea Bileck, Patricia Bortel, Fabian Kanz, Katharina Rebay-Salisbury and Leonardo García Sanjuán, 6 July 2023, Scientific Reports.DOI: 10.1038/ s41598-023-36368-x.
The Ivory Lady, a high-status individual from ancient Copper Age Iberia, was validated to be female, overthrowing previous beliefs and highlighting ladiess potential functions in leadership at the time. Above is a recreation drawing of The Ivory Lady. Credit: Miriam Luciañez Triviño.
According to peptide analysis published in Scientific Reports, the highest-status individual in ancient Copper Age Iberia was a female, challenging previous assumptions that it was a male. Now referred to as the Ivory Lady, she was buried in a tomb containing the regions most comprehensive variety of valuable and distinct artifacts, such as ivory tusks, superior-quality flint, ostrich eggshells, amber, and a rock crystal dagger. These discoveries clarified the high-status functions that ladies could inhabit in this ancient society.
In 2008, a person was discovered in a tomb in Valencia, Spain dating to the Copper Age between 3,200 and 2,200 years earlier. Along with being an unusual example of a single occupancy burial, the tomb consisted of a great deal of important products, suggesting that this individual– originally thought to be a young male aged between 17 and 25 years.– held a high status within society.
Marta Cintas‑Peña and associates utilized amelogenin peptide analysis to test for the presence of the sexually dimorphic enamel-forming protein amelogenin in the teeth of the specimen. Analysis of a molar and an incisor detected the presence of the AMELX gene– which produces amelogenin and is located on the X chromosome– indicating that the person was female rather than male.
The Ivory Lady, a high-status person from ancient Copper Age Iberia, was confirmed to be female, overthrowing previous beliefs and highlighting ladiess possible functions in management at the time. Now referred to as the Ivory Lady, she was buried in a grave consisting of the regions most extensive assortment of unique and important artifacts, such as ivory tusks, superior-quality flint, ostrich eggshells, amber, and a rock crystal dagger. As the only comparably luxurious Copper Age tomb in the area, consisting of at least 15 females, was found next to the tomb of the Ivory Lady and is presumed to have actually been constructed by individuals who declared descent from her.
