A 4,000-year-old skeleton from Upton Lovell barrow—found by William Cunnington in 1801—was long called a 'shaman.' DNA analysis confirmed Beaker ancestry but revealed the individual was biologically female, likely a goldworker with arthritis suggesting tool use. 🦴🔬
DNA reveals 'shaman' at Upton Lovell barrow was a female Bronze Age metalworker
Site mentioned
📍 Upton Lovell
Key facts
- Bones of a 3,800-year-old individual were found in 1801 by William Cunnington in a barrow mound in Upton Lovell, west of Stonehenge
- Grave goods included pierced animal bone, boar tusk-decorated pouch, fossil sponge cups, flints, metalworking debris, green stone axe, and touchstone
- A secondary grave contained a skeleton in an upright seated position, originally assumed to be the shaman's wife
- The Francis Crick Institute sent the shaman's bones for ancient DNA analysis for their 'We Go Way Back' exhibition
- DNA analysis confirmed beaker ancestry but revealed the individual was biologically female, challenging 200-year-old interpretations
- Multiple bone samples all returned as female and from the same individual, approximately 165 cm (5'4") tall with arthritis in right wrist consistent with tool use
Sources
Oops! Ancient Bronze Age shaman long assumed to be a man was ...livescience.com
The nearly 4,000-year-old burial was unearthed in 1801 near the village of Upton Lovell, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of Stonehenge.
4,000-year-old Bronze Age "shaman" identified as a woman, not a manarchaeologymag.com
Ancient DNA reveals the famous 4000-year-old Upton Lovell "Shaman" near Stonehenge was a skilled female goldworker.
Bronze Age 'shaman,' previously assumed to be a male metalworker ...cnn.com
The 4,000-year-old skeleton, which became known as the Upton Lovell Shaman, was found in a barrow, a special type of burial mound reserved for ...
Cracking the genetic code: Illuminating the past and informing ...the-past.com
In 1801, William Cunnington – a prolific excavator of Bronze Age barrows investigated a particularly impressive burial mound at Upton Lovell, ...
Item record - Wiltshire Museumwiltshiremuseum.org.uk
A slate burnisher or touchstone excavated by William Cunnington in 1801 from the bowl barrow Upton Lovell G2a, the 'shaman' burial.
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