A recent genetic analysis of skeletons from a 9,000-year-old Neolithic proto-city in Turkey has confirmed what experts have long suspected: women and girls played a key role in early agricultural societies. The study, published in the journal Science, analyzed DNA from 131 skeletons buried beneath house floors in Çatalhöyük, a vast settlement that was occupied for nearly 1,000 years.
The research found that female lineages were crucial to the social organization of Çatalhöyük, with family members often buried together in the same building. However, it also revealed a trend in intergenerational connections based primarily on maternal lineages, suggesting that women held significant power and influence.
The study’s findings have significant implications for our understanding of Neolithic societies and challenge traditional views of patriarchal power structures. While some experts have expressed concerns about the researchers’ use of the term “female-centered,” others see it as a more nuanced approach to describing the social organization of Çatalhöyük.
The discovery is particularly significant because Çatalhöyük is one of the oldest societies where DNA evidence has revealed a female-centered social organization. Further analysis and comparison with other Neolithic societies may provide insights into when, how, and why such shifts in social organization occurred.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-female-centered-society-thrived-9-000-years-ago-in-proto-city-in-turkey