UPTON LOVELL — Genetic analysis has revealed that the individual known as the “Upton Lovell Shaman” was female, overturning more than 200 years of assumptions that the person was male. The DNA results showed sex chromosomes of XX instead of XY, a finding that reshapes long-held interpretations about gender roles in early Bronze Age Britain.

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute in London conducted the ancient DNA analysis, originally intended to trace the individual’s ancestry. To confirm the sex determination, they tested DNA from a tooth and a toe, and both samples yielded the same result. There was no evidence that the grave held more than one person, confirming the findings apply solely to the individual buried there.

The burial was unearthed in 1801 near the village of Upton Lovell, which lies about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of Stonehenge. William Cunnington, who excavated the burial mound, noted at the time that the remains “appeared to be a stout man” based on the largeness of the bones. From that point forward, the individual’s sex was assumed to be male for two centuries. The museum display of the remains at the Wiltshire Museum—where the remains and grave goods are housed—depicted a bearded male figure, further cementing this interpretation in public and scholarly understanding.

The burial contained stone axes, metalworking implements with traces of gold, a touchstone for testing metal purity, and pierced animal bones. The pierced animal bones were likely once sewn onto a garment as decorations. Archaeologists had interpreted the individual as a spiritual specialist based on the mix of high-status metalworking tools and objects with ritual significance. A 2022 study found that the individual was likely a skilled goldsmith who fashioned gold ornaments.

The individual stood around 5 feet, 4 inches (165 centimeters)—a height that was unusually tall for a Bronze Age woman—and died at about age 45. She had arthritis in her right wrist but not her left, a pattern that fits years of repetitive work with metalworking tools. This physical evidence aligns with the presence of metalworking implements in the grave and reinforces the conclusion that she was actively involved in that craft.

“It completely tears up previous assumptions,” said David Dawson, Director of the Wiltshire Museum. “We’re so used to the assumption [that] men do everything, men are the leaders, men are the metalworkers.” He added, “Here we have smoking gun evidence of a female metalworker. And metalworking was the space science of its day.”

Lisa Brown, Curator of the Wiltshire Museum, said the new findings fundamentally alter how scholars view early Bronze Age society. “We now have a whole new understanding of this burial, rewriting their story, breaking stereotypes, and putting women front and center in our understanding of early Bronze Age society.”

The revised identification of the Upton Lovell individual adds to a growing body of archaeological evidence that challenges traditional narratives about gender roles in prehistoric Europe. Similar reassessments have occurred elsewhere: an elite person from Sweden’s Viking Age buried with weapons and strategy games was previously thought to be male but was later verified to be female, and a high-ranking individual from Copper Age Spain was also reidentified as female through DNA analysis after being assumed male based on grave goods.

The findings will be unveiled on July 16 in a new exhibition on ancient DNA titled “We Go Way Back,” opening at the Francis Crick Institute. The exhibition highlights how advances in genetic science are transforming historical interpretation by revealing biological truths that material culture alone cannot provide.