Iron Age men used to join wive's families, says latest DNA study

While archeological histories so far showed that there has always been a tradition of women joining men's families, recent research found that in Britain’s Celtic communities, tables were turned. Researchers studying the DNA of Iron Age individuals in Britain revealed evidence showing men used to move to join their wives' families. This practice is known as matrilocality. 

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Dr Lara Cassidy, the first author of the research from Trinity College Dublin told The Guardian that the latest findings challenged the long-run assumption that most societies were patrilocal. 

“Potentially there are periods in time where matrilocality is much more common and that has really important knock-on effects for how we view women in the past and their roles and their influences in society,” she told the British newspaper. 

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She added that there is an "awful habit" that mankind still practices in which we often look into the past and see women captured in the domestic sphere but this study shows that it was not the case. 

"In a lot of societies today and in the past, women wield huge influence and huge power, and it’s good to remember that," she told The Guardian. 

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The scientists studied the genomes of over 50 individuals who were buried in a cluster of cemeteries. The study said most of these individuals belonged to the Durotriges tribe. 

The particular site has been an interesting spot for experts not only because Iron Age burials are rare but also because women used to be buried with valuable items. 

“That is suggesting not much of a status difference between men and women, or even perhaps higher-status burials for women. How that then translates into the role of women in society, that’s hard to say. And that’s why genetic data adds another important dimension there," Cassidy further told the news agency. 

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(With inputs from agencies)