Rich Millennia-Old Grave Offers Clues About Women’s Lot in a Bronze Age Civilisation

The woman, who passed away between the ages of 25 and 30, was buried with an assortment of valuable items, including a silver diadem.

The ancient burial ground of a female belonging to a European Bronze Age civilisation known as El Argar that dates back to the second millennium BC may shed light on what role women could have played in that society, a new study led by researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona suggests.

The burial, a large ceramic jar designated as Grave 38, was originally discovered in 2014 at the La Almoloya archaeological site located in Spain, with the burial itself resting “beneath the floor of what seems to be the governing hall, filled with benches in a palace”, according to Science Alert.

The vessel itself contained the remains of a man “who died between the ages of 35 and 40”, and a woman “who died between the ages of 25 and 30”.

One item in particular, a silver diadem that the woman wore on her head, has reportedly “excited” the researchers, with the media outlet noting how that circlet is “similar to four other diadems found in the 19th century in richly appointed women’s graves”.

The researchers suggest that “the opulence of the funerary goods found in the tombs of the elite women of El Argar” likely serves as “an indication of the distinguished role played by these women in the governance of some of these settlements”.

Sourse: sputniknews.com