Genetic evidence from a late Iron Age cemetery in southern Britain shows that women were closely related while unrelated men tended to come into the community from elsewhere, likely after marriage.

Wondering how widespread matrilocal societies may have been in the ancient world, the researchers then examined the genomes of individuals from 156 cemeteries across Europe, spanning from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. Fascinatingly, they found evidence of matrilocality at six different sites, all from Iron Age England.

Genetic evidence from Iron Age Britain shows that women tended to stay within their ancestral communities, suggesting that social networks revolved around women