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Lavish Ancient Tomb for 'Ivory Man' was Actually a Woman

Just over a decade ago, archaeologists in Valencina, Spain, discovered a stunningly ornate tomb. The single-occupancy grave, a rarity in itself for the time, contained a treasure trove of valuables: a rock crystal dagger, high-quality flint, ostrich eggshells, ivory, and the tusk of an African elephant. Hence the name ascribed to the occupant.


An artistic rendering of what the "Ivory Lady" might have looked like
An artistic rendering of what the "Ivory Lady" might have looked like | Miriam Luciañez Triviño via Springer Nature under CC BY 4.0

Dating to the Iberian Copper Age - some 5,000 years ago - it held an individual who probably died between the ages of 17 and 25. Assuming the tomb belonged to a wealthy, powerful leader, scientists called this individual the 'Ivory Man.' But now researchers have determined that the Ivory Man was actually an 'Ivory Lady,' according to findings published in the journal Scientific Reports.


Researchers were able to establish the truth thanks to a new technique that can identify an individual’s sex based on tooth enamel. It's often more effective than DNA analysis when studying remains that are in especially poor condition.


This new discovery shows that women could hold high-status roles in Iberian society at the time - and that this particular woman may have even been the “highest-ranked person” during her lifetime, study co-author Leonardo García Sanjuán told Live Science. He also noted that there are approximately 2,000 Copper Age burials in the region but “The Ivory Lady totally stands out, head and shoulders above the rest, either male or female.”


Furthermore, researchers think that the Ivory Lady may have been revered for several generations, as other graves and artifacts around her tomb date to as late as 200 years after her death. If only we could put a name to her!

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