Oops! Ancient Bronze Age shaman long assumed to be a man was actually a woman, DNA reveals
DNA analysis has identified the Bronze Age individual known as the Upton Lovell Shaman as a woman, contradicting long-held assumptions of male identity.
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The brief
New genetic testing has clarified the gender of the figure historically identified as the Upton Lovell Shaman. Discovered in Wiltshire, the remains were previously categorized as a male metalworker. Scientific findings now confirm the individual was a woman who practiced goldsmithing.
Coverage from The News International, La Brújula Verde, The Guardian, CNN, and Live Science highlights the shift in understanding this Bronze Age discovery. Reports focus on the efficacy of DNA analysis in reassessing historical assumptions regarding archaeological figures. The implications for further re-evaluating similar historical remains remain to be determined.
Coverage does not yet specify how this revelation will influence current museum displays or academic interpretations of Bronze Age social structures.
Synthesized by Archynetys from the headlines below under a strict no-invention contract. ✓ fact-checked: all claims supported by sources Updated 1h ago.
Quick answers
Who was the individual previously identified as a shaman?
The individual was a Bronze Age person discovered in Wiltshire, long assumed by researchers to be a male metalworker.
What enabled this shift in understanding?
Recent DNA analysis provided new data that corrected previous assumptions about the individual's gender.
What profession was associated with the remains?
The individual is identified as a goldsmith from the Bronze Age.
Coverage (5)
- Ancient DNA breakthrough solves 4,000-year mystery of Wiltshire’s Upton Lovell ‘Shaman’ The News International · 20h ago
- DNA Analysis Reveals that the “Shaman” of Stonehenge Was a Female Goldsmith from the Bronze Age La Brújula Verde · 20h ago
- Ancient DNA analysis reveals Wiltshire’s Upton Lovell Shaman was a woman The Guardian · 20h ago
- Bronze Age ‘shaman,’ previously assumed to be a male metalworker, was actually a woman CNN · 20h ago
- Oops! Ancient Bronze Age shaman long assumed to be a man was actually a woman, DNA reveals Live Science · 20h ago
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