A unique arrangement of objects marked the hierarchy within an isolated tomb. The burial corresponded to a young woman who held a leadership position within her communitywith exotic materials placed on the body and an organization of space which testifies to social authority. This provision focused elephant tusks, rock crystal and ambermaterials external to the immediate environment, and generated a clear reference to female leadership within the group. Thus, the funerary structure reflected a chain of command recognized by the entire community.
The study of the site of Valencina de la Concepción-Castilleja de Guzmádocumented a Copper Age society with female leadership, high mobility, and limited hierarchy. The analysis was based on 126 individuals buried between 4,900 and 4,650 years ago, which allowed reconstruct social, demographic and ritual models with unprecedented resolution. The complex thus provides a solid empirical framework for interpreting the internal organization of the habitat.
Prominent tombs positioned women as figures of power
The leading role of women was manifested in various funerary contexts. The tomb known as Lady of Ivory He assembled the richest trousseau from the pre-Beaker period in Iberia and corresponded to a young woman buried alone. Another sheltered grave seven women and girls deposited in successive phases, in addition to coinciding with one of the oldest structures in the sector, the data thus positions women as political and religious agents with a recognized command capacity at different times.
Mobility was another central characteristic of the group. Strontium isotope analysis indicated that the 52% of individuals were not raised in the immediate vicinity of the habitat. Men and women had similar proportions of external origin, which precluded a residential model based on the movement of only one sex, and Valencina therefore functioned as a gathering space for people of different origins. At the same time, biological kinship is limited in collective graves, even if a second-degree link is documented between two men with different social trajectories.
Funerary practices showed great variety. Primary and secondary burials, individual and collective burials as well as various body positions were recorded. Children and adolescents were underrepresented, with only 19% of the total, and they never appeared buried alone or with prestigious objects, which is why social status was acquired during life and was not attributed to birth within this community.
For decades, knowledge of the Iberian Copper Age was limited by the lack of well-contextualized human remains. This obstacle has begun to be overcome in the 21st century through systematic excavations and the combined use of bioarchaeological analyses, amelogenin peptides, ancient DNA and total mercury. The detection of high levels of mercury, associated with use of cinnabarrecurrently affected women, which added information about ritual practices and prolonged exposure, and thus Valencina was defined as a complex social formation with continuity for almost a thousand years.
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