DNA reveals that women headed societies

Researchers located two cemeteries at the Archaeological Site of Fujia, in the east of present -day China. On site, more than 500 burials were excavated. You skeletons were analyzed and dates from the period between 2750 and 2500 BC

But what caught the most attention, according to the scientists responsible for the work, is how these societies were organized. Tests of DNA They revealed that all belonged to one of the two clans headed by women during the Stone Age.

Mothers found on site were all relatives

During work, the team analyzed the 60 skeletons DNA. All 14 people found in the North Cemetery shared the same type of mitochondrial genetic material (MTDNA), which is transmitted only from mother to child. This suggests that everyone had the same maternal lineage.

In the South Cemetery, a different mitochondrial DNA lineage was identified. In addition, scientists found a high degree of diversity by analyzing the Y chromosomes of men’s skeletons.

According to scientists, these findings indicate that the parents of the buried in the cemeteries came from different strains, while mothers were relatives. The conclusions were described in a study published in the magazine Nature.

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Organization of society is unique in the region

• According to the researchers, this unique social organization was not previously found in the populations of the East Asia of the Stone Age.
• The study provides important information on social and environmental conditions during the transition from smaller to more complex societies.
• According to the team, this consanguinity inevitably occurs in small and closed societies.
• New archaeological and DNA research can help clarify what social organization was like in early human societies.