The land now known as Great Britain was ruled by tribal leaders for hundreds of years before most of it was taken over by the Roman Empire in the first century CE. Some researchers are now looking to reshape what we know about one of the Iron Age “kings” who had a pivotal role in this conquest.

Archaeologists at Bournemouth University in the UK have been studying the late Iron Age in Britain. In an article out today, research leader Miles Russell makes the case that a tribal ruler named “Verica,” who is typically described as male, was almost certainly a woman. The team’s work is the latest to indicate that British society in these times was largely governed by women leaders.

“Verica was a major player in the story of how Britain became a Roman province and has been discussed in many books, papers and articles, but has always been misgendered,” Russell, the director of archaeological fieldwork at Bournemouth, told Gizmodo.

The British Iron Age was characterized by the newfound availability of iron as a common material for tools and weapons in the area. It lasted from about 750 BCE to CE 43, ending with the invasion of troops first sent by Emperor Claudius. Though northern tribes did successfully repel the empire’s further expansion, most of the region remained under Roman control under the name Britannia for nearly 400 years.

The team’s reassessment of Verica’s identity is part of a larger endeavor studying the transition between these periods, called the Durotriges Project .

Source link