A study carried out by a team of international geneticists has found evidence that land was inherited through the female line during the Iron Age in Britain, with husbands moving to live with their wife's community.
The team which carried out the study was led by researchers from Trinity College Dublin. Archaeologists from Bournemouth University also took part in the research.
The aim of the research was to identify the structure of society during the Iron Age in Britain, which began at around 800 BC until the Roman Conquest of AD 43.
During the study, researchers sequenced DNA from many members of a community, retrieving over 50 ancient genomes from burial grounds in Dorset which were in use before and after AD 43.
According to the study, the results show that the community was centred around the bonds of female-line descent.
"This was the cemetery of a large kin group," said Dr Lara Cassidy, Assistant Professor in TCD's Department of Genetics.
"We reconstructed a family tree with many different branches and found most members traced their maternal lineage back to a single woman, who would have lived centuries before.
"In contrast, relationships through the father's line were almost absent.
"This tells us that husbands moved to join their wives' communities upon marriage, with land potentially passed down through the female line. This is the first time this type of system has been documented in European prehistory and it predicts female social and political empowerment.
"It's relatively rare in modern societies, but this might not always have been the case."
The research team also examined data from prior genetic surveys of Iron Age Britain and, even though they were smaller sample numbers from other cemeteries, researchers saw the same pattern emerge.
"Across Britain we saw cemeteries where most individuals were maternally descended from a small set of female ancestors," said TCD Professor of Population Genetics Dan Bradley.
"In Yorkshire, for example, one dominant matriline had been established before 400 BC.
"To our surprise, this was a widespread phenomenon with deep roots on the island."
