Chinese scientists have uncovered the world’s first comprehensive genetic evidence of a prehistoric matrilineal society, offering fresh insight into the ongoing debate over whether fathers or mothers led early human civilizations.

Published Wednesday in the prestigious journal Nature, the study centers on the Fujia archaeological site in eastern China’s Shandong province, where researchers from the Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and Peking University found that communities dating back more than 4,500 years were organized around maternal lineage.

“Previously, all reported ancient DNA studies indicated that prehistoric societies were organized based on patrilineal principles,” Ning Chao, an archaeologist at Peking University, told domestic media. “Genetic evidence for matrilineal societies could only be traced back as far as the Iron Age in Europe.”

However, the Nature article states that even evidence for matrilineality in these societies was suggestive, adding that “almost all genome-wide studies examining the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods to date have consistently supported patrilocality and patrilineality, and the existence and locations of matriliny in the remote or prehistoric past are still largely unknown.”

The only ancient matrilineal society previously confirmed through genomic analysis was the elite Chaco Canyon dynasty in North America, dated between 800 and 1300 AD, the study continues.

The Fujia site, associated with the Neolithic-era Dawenkou culture, notable for its advancements in pottery production, dates to roughly 2750 to 2500 BC.

Spanning more than 37 hectares, the site was excavated in 1985, 1995, and most recently in 2021. Researchers unearthed two cemeteries, named Fujia_N in the north of the site and Fujia_S in the southeast.

Using a combination of DNA analysis, radiocarbon dating, and other interdisciplinary approaches, the team examined remains from 60 individuals whose skulls and DNA were sufficiently preserved to reconstruct their genetic relationships.

The results revealed a striking pattern: while the Y-chromosome DNA, inherited from fathers, showed diversity within each cemetery, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) — passed down exclusively through mothers — was nearly identical among individuals buried in the same cemetery.

“Mitochondrial DNA is inherited solely from one’s mother,” said Huang Yanyi, a researcher at Peking University’s Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center. “The uniformity of mtDNA within each group strongly suggests that each cemetery was centered around a single maternal ancestor.”

Further analysis showed several close genetic relationships between individuals in the two cemeteries — with one pair identified as being avuncular relatives, such as an uncle and a nephew or niece — indicating that even tightly related kin were buried according to matrilineal rules, rather than being grouped by paternal ties.

“There was an extremely dense network of fourth- to sixth-degree relationships, both within and across the cemeteries,” said Ning. “The fact that the populations of the two cemeteries maintained long-term intermarriage and cohabitation shows that the matrilineal burial system remained unchanged for at least 250 years, even as kinship ties weakened.”

According to the research, 392 of the total 644 pairs selected in the two cemeteries — more than half — shared second- to sixth-degree kinship connections, spanning at least 10 generations. And the burial patterns mirrored those of modern matrilineal societies, in which individuals maintain lifelong affiliation with their mother’s clan and are buried accordingly.

The study also found evidence of endogamy, or marrying within the community. Male individuals appeared to have married women from nearby groups, likely in an effort to preserve authority within the maternal kin network, according to the research.

Stable isotope analysis revealed further details about the Fujia population. Evidence indicates that they relied on millet-based agriculture and animal husbandry near the coast, suggesting a geographically stable lifestyle with relatively uniform subsistence practices compared to other Neolithic communities in China.

Sun Bo, director of the Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, said that the findings provide empirical support for 19th-century theories on matrilineal structures in ancient societies proposed by prominent sociologists of the time.

“The discovery provides direct empirical evidence from East Asia for the theories proposed by (Lewis Henry) Morgan and (Friedrich) Engels,” Sun said. “It holds great significance for understanding the roots of human civilization.”

Editor: Tom Arnstein.

(Header image: Archaeological excavations at the Fujia site, Shandong province. From Xinhua and The Nature)