Bournemouth UniversityThe ancient Celtic teenager, believed to be a victim of human sacrifice, that was discovered in Dorset, England.While excavating an ancient Celtic site in Dorset, England, a team of archaeologists recently came upon a 2,000-year-old skeleton that had been buried in an unusual position: face down in a pit, hands likely having been tied, and without any grave goods.Although the gender of this person has yet to be confirmed, researchers believe the deceased was likely female, based on previous similar discoveries in the area. The strange positioning of the body recalls the nearby ancient burials of a teenage girl discovered in 2024 and another young adult female burial found in 2010.All three, believed to sacrifice victims, were found as part of an ongoing archaeological project focused on learning more about the Celtic Durotriges tribe.These burials reveal fascinating new insights into the history of pre-Roman England. A study published in Nature in January 2025 examined evidence found within burials from the Celtic Durotriges tribe that indicated they were a matrilocal community that is to say, one in which a married man moved to live with his wifes community.But these three seemingly sacrificial burials suggest that not all Celtic women were held in high regard.The Matrilineal Structure Of Celtic Tribes In Pre-Roman EnglandWhen the Romans first arrived in Britain 2,000 years ago, many were shocked to find that the Celtic tribes who were living there often structured themselves around women and their families, as opposed to the more patriarchal model of Rome. The evidence of this relative importance of Celtic women can be seen even today, thanks to what they left behind in their graves.As the studys authors noted, many Celtic womens graves featured substantial grave goods, pointing to their high status in society. But such evidence alone isnt necessarily enough to confirm that this was a matrilocal society.So, to investigate further, the researchers analyzed 57 ancient genomes from Durotriges burial sites and found an extended kin group centered around a single maternal lineage.In southern England in particular, researchers noted a strong matrilocality thanks to the presence of a single, rare mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup among more than two-thirds of related individuals.Since mtDNA is passed from mother to child, this served as an indicator of a long-term community structured around the female line. In contrast, the Y chromosome (male line) diversity was high, suggesting males moved into females home communities, likely as spouses.Bournemouth UniversityThe nearby burial site of an ancient Celtic woman in which many valuable grave goods were uncovered.These findings corroborate Roman accounts of their encounters with the Celts as well. One Roman historian wrote, for example, that among the Celts the tasks of men and women have been exchanged, in a manner opposite to what obtains among us.They Romans were shocked at how the Celts organized society. But until now, many modern historians dismissed their accounts as exaggerated or even propaganda.[The Romans] wrote about it because they found it so weird, Trinity College Dublin geneticist Lara Cassiday told Science.Women are staying close to family and are embedded in the support network theyve known since childhood. Its the husband whos coming in as a stranger and is dependent on the wifes family.Bournemouth University archaeologist Miles Russell pointed to the grave goods as further proof of this: If you judge social status by burial goods, then female burials have vastly more than male.But the Celtic emphasis on women as the backbone of social organization only makes these three unusual burials of young females all the more baffling. So, why were these girls and young women buried in such a bizarre and macabre fashion?Celtic Female Sacrifice Victims Were Likely Disposable Young WomenEven in a society that emphasized the important place of women, not all women received equal treatment. A social hierarchy still existed, and some women were unfortunately at the bottom of it particularly those who were not from the area or were unrelated to the ruling families.The first of these newly-studied Durotriges burials of young women and girls was found in 2010 and has now undergone a full analysis. The second burial, a teenage girl found in 2024, and the newly-unearthed third body, believed to be a teenage girl, have yet to receive the same level of study.Still, there is some insight to be gleaned from these. There was, for instance, a notable lack of grave goods at each burial site. And of course, there was the strange position of the bodies.Bournemouth UniversityThe teenage Celtic girl unearthed nearby in 2024.This has the sense of a body thrown into a pit, with hands potentially tied at the wrist, Russell told Live Science, regarding the most recent discovery. We think shes a she, although we havent had a chance to assess the DNA yet in order to clinch it.Russell added that these women were likely considered low-status and disposable, though the actual reasoning behind their sacrifice was not made clear. As Russell said, We are at a loss to know what socio-politico-environmental factors triggered the practice.Still, the discovery of multiple sacrifices indicates the practice was at least somewhat common.Perhaps DNA analysis will provide more insight. Russell said that he and his team plan to investigate this new burial as well as the 2024 find to try and uncover any signs of trauma or disease, as well as the girls diets and places of origin. Maybe then well learn more about how and why they were killed some 2,000 years ago.After reading about these Celtic burials, learn more about Celtic history through the stories of 11 creatures from Irish folklore. Then, meet Cernunnos, the horned god of Celtic myth.The post Archaeologists In England Just Unearthed The Remains Of An Iron Age Teenager Who Was Likely Sacrificed By Their Celtic Tribe appeared first on All That's Interesting.