Supposedly Targeted Prehistoric Women Were Good Hunters Too

 This finding has sparked several important and somewhat surprising debates, and how modern perceptions of gender roles can influence interpretations of recent history.

 

For a long time it was assumed that hunting in prehistoric societies was carried out by men. But current research continues to provide evidence that will dethrone the man.

 

A research article published in Science Advances in 2020, dates back about 9000 years; He focused on the remains of what appeared to be a female body, discovered near a burial site containing hunting tools. The woman discovered in the Andes was given the name "Wilama Patjxa individual 6" or "WPI6". With a collection of stone tools neatly placed next to it, WPI6 was found in a half-bent position. The research team believes these tools, including spear throwers (atlatl) and pointed spears, were used to hunt large animals.

 

WPI6, which was determined to be female by analysis of "peptides" used as biological sex markers in teeth, was probably between the ages of 17-19 when she died. Large mammal bones were also found in the burial fill, indicating the importance of hunting in its society. Reviewing evidence of other skeletons buried in the Americas during the same period, the researchers also looked specifically at tombs containing similar tools associated with big game hunting. Investigations revealed that 41% of the 27 skeletons whose sex could be determined were probably female.

According to the research paper, this could mean that big game hunting was conducted in hunter-gatherer groups by both men and women in the Americas at the time.

Competing Hpotheses

This idea runs counter to a widespread hypothesis dating back to the 1960s and increasingly refuted, known as the "Male Hunter model." This hypothesis proposes that hunting, and particularly hunting of large animals, was primarily, if not exclusively undertaken, by male members of past hunter-gatherer societies.

 

There are several different pieces of evidence on which the hypothesis is based. Most importantly, it tries to understand how those in the more distant past might have been organized by considering recent and present hunter-gatherer societies.

 

The stereotypical approach to hunter-gatherer groups, men, hunting; It involves a gendered division of labor, where women are more likely to gather food or care for young children in locations closer to home. However, even so, there are some differences. For example, among Agta gatherers in the Philippines, women are primary hunters rather than helpers.

 

Some hunter-gatherers still use spear throwers today, and some people like to use spear throwers (atlatl) in throwing competitions where women and children regularly take part. Analyzing data from these events, archaeologists suggest that spear throwers may have been stabilizers—possibly because they reduced the importance of body size and strength, facilitating hunting by both males and females.

 

The new study, in addition to several previous archaeological findings, further refutes this hypothesis. For example, at the 34,000-year-old site of Sunghir in Russia, archaeologists discovered the remains of two teenagers, one of whom was a girl, possibly aged 9-11. Both individuals had physical abnormalities and 16 mammoth tusks were buried with spears. This was probably a sign for valuable hunting gear.

 

In 2017, the remains of a Swedish Viking warrior discovered in the early 20th century, long presumed male, were discovered to be biologically female. This finding sparked several important and somewhat surprising debates, and offered serious indications of how modern perceptions of gender roles might influence interpretations of recent history.

 

For a long time -- and unfortunately still in many countries -- it has been argued that distinctions such as "men's work, women's work" may have evolutionary advantages. In this view, for example, staying near a home base makes it possible for pregnant and nursing mothers to protect themselves and their offspring from potential harm. But we are learning more and more that this model is very simple.

 

Community-wide participation is also evolutionarily plausible, as hunting is the cornerstone of survival for many mobile hunter-gatherer groups. The past is like a foreign country, as some say, and the more evidence we have, the more volatile human behavior seems. If we try to understand history with today's codes, mistakes will be inevitable.