Scientists at the University of California at Davis have disproved the popular myth that men were primitive hunters and women were gatherers. According to new data, ancient human remains of nine thousand years old, found in the Andes in South America, belong to a female hunter. This is reported in an article published in the journal Science Advances.
The burial, which, along with the remains, included a hunting kit with projectile tips and tools for processing animal bones and meat, was discovered in 2018. Analysis of the shape of the bones contained in the remains of proteins and isotope ratios showed that the bones belonged to a young woman who ate plants and animals.
The researchers also examined data on other 107 ancient burials in the Americas, in which the remains of 429 people were found. It turned out that 27 people were big game hunters, of which 11 were women. According to scientists, this sample is enough to conclude that the participation of women in hunting was not an accident.
According to statistical analysis, 30-50 percent of hunters in American primitive populations were women. This is in stark contrast to later societies, where female hunting participation did not exceed 30 percent.
