Matriarchal society discovered in 9,000-year-old ancient city

Archaeology has caused a stir when discovering an ancient civilization in Türkiye that was centered on women, challenging long-standing historical beliefs.

In a new study published in the journal Science, archaeologists extracted ancient DNA from skeletons found in Neolithic graves in the city of Çatalhöyük, Turkey, about 9,000 years old. The results of the study help confirm that women and girls played an important role in the agricultural society at that time. Photo: Jason Quinlan.

“With Çatalhöyük, we now have the oldest genetically inferred pattern of social organization in food-producing societies,” said study co-author Mehmet Somel, an evolutionary geneticist at Middle East Technical University in Turkey. Photo: Scott D. Haddow.

Located in Türkiye, Çatalhöyük was built around 7100 BC and was inhabited for nearly 1,000 years. The vast settlement, spanning 13.2 hectares, is known for its underground burials, intricate iconography including vivid wall paintings, and numerous female statues. Photo: Jason Quinlan.

When archaeologist James Mellaart first excavated Çatalhöyük in the early 1960s, he interpreted the numerous female statues as evidence of a matriarchal society that practiced the worship of a “mother goddess.” This was probably a way to ensure good harvests after the major economic transition from foraging to grain-based agriculture. Photo: Jason Quinlan.

In the 1990s, Stanford archaeologist Ian Hodder took over excavations at Çatalhöyük, and his research showed that the society there was largely egalitarian, with no significant social or economic differences between men and women. Photo: Jason Quinlan.

However, a new study analyzed the DNA of 131 skeletons dating from 7100 BC to 5800 BC buried beneath the floors of houses. They looked for connections between 109 people living in 31 houses and found that all first-degree relatives (parents, children, and siblings) were buried together in the same building. Photo: Serhat Cetinkaya/Anadolu via Getty Images.

Meanwhile, second-degree relatives (uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces and grandparents) and third-degree relatives (such as cousins ​​and great-grandparents) are often buried in nearby buildings. Photo: Anadolu via Getty Images.

In particular, the team found another interesting trend in the intergenerational connections in the burial houses: They were all based primarily on maternal lineage. Photo: Anadolu via Getty Images.

From this, experts came to the conclusion that Çatalhöyük is the oldest society where DNA evidence shows a female-centered social organization. Photo: Çatalhöyük (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

Readers are invited to watch the video : Revealing lost civilizations through archaeological remains.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/phat-hien-xa-hoi-mau-he-trong-thanh-pho-co-9000-nam-tuoi-post1551504.html