Uncovering the Past
LIGA, Latvia – Earlier this year, The Wild Hunt reported on groundbreaking research that confirmed Iron Age communities in Britain were organized around maternal descent. Published in Nature, that study revealed a striking pattern of matrilocality, where women remained in their home villages and men moved in with their wives’ families. Property and land likely passed through the female line, suggesting women held significant political and social power. These findings aligned with Roman accounts of formidable Celtic rulers like Boudica and Cartimandua and highlighted the central role of women in shaping community identity.
Now, new research published in PLOS One offers another perspective on gender in prehistory, this time reaching back even further into the Stone Age.
The study, Multiproxy study reveals equality in the deposition of flaked lithic grave goods from the Baltic Stone Age cemetery Zvejnieki (Latvia), focuses on burials dating between 7500 and 2500 BCE. It is part of the aptly-named “Stone Dead Project” and was carried out by teams from the University of Belgrade, University of Helsinki, the University of Latvia, the University of Tartu, and the University of York, with funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Boadicea Haranguing the Britons [John Opie- Public Domain]
The Zvejnieki site in northern Latvia was first uncovered in 1964 during gravel extraction. Since then, archaeologists have excavated 330 graves containing at least 350 individuals, making it one of Europe’s largest Stone Age cemeteries. Evidence suggests that more burials remain to be found, and scattered human bones indicate that the total number of individuals interred may be far higher.
What sets this research apart is its multiproxy approach, which examines artefacts from multiple angles. The team studied the geology of the stone to determine whether it was local or imported, analyzed how the tools were made, and used microscopes to detect microscopic wear marks. They also considered where tools were placed in the graves and compared these findings with the age and sex of the deceased.
Through this detailed work, the researchers examined 158 stone tools from 33 burials and uncovered surprising results. Stone tools were not the exclusive domain of men. Men and women were equally likely to be buried with them, and children were the group most frequently given such items. Offerings ranged from simple flakes and long blades to scrapers, knives, and finely shaped bifacial points. Many had never been used, and some appear to have been deliberately broken before burial, suggesting their role was symbolic rather than practical.
Dr. Aimée Little, from the University of York’s Department of Archaeology, emphasized the significance of this discovery:
“The site in Latvia has seen numerous investigations of the skeletal remains and other types of grave goods, such as thousands of animal teeth pendants. A missing part of the story was understanding, with greater depth, why people gave seemingly utilitarian items to the dead. Our findings overturn the old stereotype of ‘Man the Hunter’ which has been a dominant theme in Stone Age studies, and has even influenced, on occasion, how some infants have even been sexed, on the basis that they were given lithic tools.”
Microscopic analysis revealed that some tools had been briefly used to cut meat, scrape hides, or work bone, while traces of mineral processing appeared only in women’s graves. Yet most bifacial points showed no signs of wear, suggesting they were crafted specifically for funerary purposes.
The researchers also observed that the practice of burying stone tools increased during the 4th millennium BCE. This period in the eastern Baltic saw dramatic cultural changes, including the rise of group burials, the creation of clay “death masks,” and the use of red ochre in graves. Within this context, stone tools became part of a broader transformation in ritual life and expressions of community identity.
Dr. Anđa Petrović, from the University of Belgrade, underscored the implications:
“This research demonstrates that we cannot make these gendered assumptions and that lithic grave goods played an important role in the mourning rituals of children and women, as well as men.”
The study’s findings overturn decades of scholarship that linked stone tools solely with male hunters. Instead, the evidence shows that women and children were fully included in these symbolic practices, and in some cases, women were as likely, or even more likely, to be buried with certain tool types. Children and older adults were also among the most common groups to receive these offerings, further complicating stereotypes about who valued or used such objects.
Artifacts from the Zvejnieki [via University of York
“The study highlights how much more there is to learn about the lives, and deaths, of Europe’s earliest communities, and why even the seemingly simplest objects can unlock insights about our shared human past and how people responded to death,” Dr. Little explained.
Tools that were never used, or intentionally broken before burial, hint at a shared ritual tradition across the eastern Baltic, where similar practices have been noted. These acts suggest that stone tools were not only functional objects but also carried deep symbolic weight in commemorating the dead.
The findings also resonate with broader conversations about gender roles and power in ancient societies. Just as the Nature study on Celtic women revealed matrilineal descent and female leadership in Iron Age Britain, the Zvejnieki research demonstrates that even in the distant Stone Age, burial customs reflected a more complex and inclusive view of social roles than previously assumed.
Together, these studies remind us that assumptions about “Man the Hunter” or “Woman the Domestic” oversimplify the rich realities of prehistoric life. Instead, the archaeological record continues to reveal societies where women, men, and children all played visible, meaningful roles in shaping community, ritual, and identity.
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