1. Female sex bias in Iberian megalithic societies through bioarchaeology, aDNA and proteomics.
- Author
-
Marta, Díaz-Zorita Bonilla, Gonzalo, Aranda Jiménez, Margarita, Sánchez Romero, Rosa, Fregel, Katharina, Rebay-Salisbury, Fabian, Kanz, Miriam, Vílchez Suárez, Sonia, Robles Carrasco, Paula, Becerra Fuello, Alejandra C., Ordóñez, Michael, Wolf, Javier, González Serrano, and Lara, Milesi García
- Subjects
- *
MEGALITHIC monuments , *DIAGNOSTIC sex determination , *SEXISM , *GENOMICS , *SEX ratio , *AGE groups - Abstract
Uncertainties regarding traditional osteological methods in biological sex estimation can often be overcome with genomic and proteomic analyses. The combination of the three methodologies has been used for a better understanding of the gender-related funerary rituals at the Iberian megalithic cemetery of Panoría. As a result, 44 individuals have been sexed including, for the first time, non-adults. Contrary to the male bias found in many Iberian and European megalithic monuments, the Panoría population shows a clear sex ratio imbalance in favour of females, with twice as many females as males. Furthermore, this imbalance is found regardless of the criterion considered: sex ratio by tomb, chronological period, method of sex estimation, or age group. Biological relatedness was considered as possible sociocultural explanations for this female-related bias. However, the current results obtained for Panoría are indicative of a female-centred social structure potentially influencing rites and cultural traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF