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Gender archaeology examines the roles of men and women in ancient human cultures using evidence-based methodologies such as skeletal, chemical, and microscopic analysis. It challenges conventional cultural studies and reveals that men and women shared responsibilities in some cultures. Burial placement was used to categorize gender until DNA tests showed some bodies were misidentified. Third gender individuals were found in some societies, and women acquired status with age. Gender archaeology has revealed the burial sites of possible princesses and queens.
The branch of anthropology known as gender archeology strives to deepen our understanding of the roles of men and women in ancient human cultures. The founders of this branch of archeology state that a gender archaeologist requires a higher degree of evidence before formulating theories or arriving at conclusions. Methodologies used when examining burial sites may include skeletal, chemical, and microscopic analysis; in-depth investigations of funerary artifacts; and comparative studies of other tombs. Some believe that gender archeology began with the feminist movement and argue that the study emerged in an effort to elevate the role of women in human history. Proponents of gender archeology argue that conventional cultural studies often misinterpret data based on preconceived ideas.
Many common notions in anthropological study characterize males as having the dominant political, religious, and social positions. Gender archeology prefers to examine history based on physical evidence rather than automatically assigning roles based on biological sexual traits. Many have proposed that males, thought to be physically stronger than females, forged tools and accepted responsibility for hunting and fighting while women were responsible for child rearing, gathering, and typical household chores. Based on artifacts and skeletal evidence, more recent archaeological evidence suggests that in some cultures, men shared childrearing and other household responsibilities, and that women made tools.
Ancient cultures often buried men lying on their right side with their heads facing east or north while women were placed on their left side with their heads facing south or west. Archaeologists often categorized the gender of remains based on burial placement until gender archeology dug deeper by performing deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) tests on the remains. Some bodies, originally thought to be female, were, in fact, male.
Investigation of burial artifacts across multiple cultures revealed that some societies believed in third gender, or two-spirited individuals, who often acted as gravediggers, shamans, or other religious leaders of high prestige in the community. During some investigations, the jeweled bodies were originally considered to be female. Further investigation showed that both sexes wore jewelry in some cultures, and that the number and placement of the jewelry more accurately determined an individual’s gender.
In some societies, women have acquired status with age. A gender archaeologist studying an entire cemetery found that as women aged in particular communities, societies buried them with more extravagant clothing and artifacts. Gender archeology has also found that men of various cultures did not always possess political and social power. Artifacts and remains in a tomb discovered in central Europe and dated to around 500 BC have revealed the burial site of a possible princess. Another large tomb found in Korea, and dated to around AD 400, indicates the final resting place of a queen.
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