18 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The 5,000-Year-Old Beaded Burials that Reveal Women’s Power in Copper Age Iberia: Over 270,000 Beads

Archaeologists investigating the Montelirio tholos burial site in southwestern Spain, dating back approximately 5,000 years, have uncovered that the women interred there were buried with an astonishing number of white beads, which would have been strung together to create elaborate, shimmering outfits.

Built between 2900 and 2800 BCE, the Montelirio tholos burial site is part of the extensive Copper Age archaeological area of Valencina de la Concepción in Seville. During excavations carried out between 2010 and 2011, archaeologists uncovered the largest collection of beads ever documented in a single burial at this site.

The Montelirio beads, a remarkable collection of ornaments, were integral to the unique bead outfits worn by individuals interred in the tomb, primarily women. Discovered alongside the structure known as “The Ivory Lady,” these beads have shed light on a sophisticated network of artisan production and marine resource trade, highlighting the significant role women played in social hierarchies over 4,000 years ago.

Lead study author Leonardo García Sanjuán, a professor of prehistory at the University of Seville, stated that the beads likely constituted ceremonial clothing worn by these women, who held significant social or religious roles during special occasions or ceremonies. He noted that the garments would have been quite heavy and not suitable for everyday wear. He added that many of the shells might have appeared iridescent because some of the shells still retained a mother-of-pearl effect.

A comprehensive analysis of the bead collection has revealed the prominent status of women in the society that once thrived at the Valencina site. This significant finding was detailed in a study published in the journal Science Advances highlighting the influential roles women played in this ancient community.

Archaeological excavators study the numerous beads covering skeletal remains in a chamber of the roughly 5,000-year-old Montelirio tomb. Credit: A. Acedo García
Archaeological excavators study the numerous beads covering skeletal remains in a chamber of the roughly 5,000-year-old Montelirio tomb. Credit: A. Acedo García

Over the past five years, a multidisciplinary team has undertaken an extensive investigation of the bead collection, employing a range of methodologies including radiocarbon dating, morphometric analysis, archaeobotany, and experimental reconstructions. This rigorous research has culminated in an unprecedented discovery: the identification of over 270,000 beads, predominantly crafted from seashells, with additional materials including stone and bone.

Researchers estimate that the collection comprises an astonishing 270,769 round beads, primarily crafted from seashells. The production of these beads would have required the labor of 10 individuals working eight hours a day for 206 days, equivalent to approximately seven months. This estimate does not account for the additional time needed to gather the scallop-like shells from the seashore, underscoring the immense effort and dedication involved in creating this remarkable assemblage.

The majority of the beads were discovered in a large chamber of the Montelirio tomb, which contained the remains of 20 individuals, including 15 women and five whose sex could not be determined. Additionally, a smaller chamber where two women were buried also held beads. While excavators have been unearthing beads at the site for years, this study marks the first comprehensive analysis of the entire collection. The researchers identified what they believe to be threaded beads that could have formed two full-body beaded tunics, skirts and other clothes or cloths of undetermined shape.

Study coauthor Marta Díaz-Guardamino, an associate professor of archaeology at Durham University in the United Kingdom, noted that many of the beads appeared to be aligned in rows covering large areas of the bodies, indicating that they likely formed some type of attire. She also pointed out that plant remains found within the beads’ perforations suggested the use of thread.


High-resolution photographs of beads, made from scallop-like shells, likely took 11 minutes each to make, according to researchers. Credit: David W. Wheatley
High-resolution photographs of beads, made from scallop-like shells, likely took 11 minutes each to make, according to researchers. Credit: David W. Wheatley

In an email to CNN, she remarked, “I think that the efforts to produce these beaded robes far exceed those required to produce a couture red carpet garment today. You would need many more hours and people invested in the production of the beads. Indeed, it would have been, altogether, an enterprise on a whole different scale with no parallels in the world yet.”

He added that the beads would have been extremely glittery under the sunlight, creating a powerful visual effect as these women stood before a crowd, performing the rituals for which they were responsible.

García Sanjuán expressed his desire to investigate whether the society at Valencina was a matriarchy during this period, a time when a more hierarchical society was beginning to emerge in Europe.

Leonardo García Sanjuán et al. ,A multi-analytical study of the Montelirio beaded attires: Marine resources, sumptuary crafts, and female power in copper age Iberia.Sci. Adv.11,eadp1917(2025).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adp1917

Cover Image Credit: Detail of the threaded beads on attire UE 344 next to the bones of Individual 343 Credit: David W. Wheatley

Related Articles

4,500-Year-Old Three Warrior Graves Found in Germany, One Still Wearing an Arm Guard

30 January 2025

30 January 2025

Extraordinary discovery during the construction of a New Power Line: Archaeologists unearth a cemetery from the Copper Age with Three...

Metal Scraps were Used İnstead of Money in Bronze Age Europe

8 May 2021

8 May 2021

Bronze scrap uncovered in hoards in Europe was used as currency, according to researchers from the Universities of Göttingen and...

On the eastern shore of the Marmara Sea, off the coast of Yalova, a 1700-year-old Shipwreck was discovered

23 August 2023

23 August 2023

A 1700-year-old shipwreck was discovered during maritime police training dives in the province of Yalova, located on the east coast...

Archaeologists have unearthed a trove of artifacts at the necropolis of Saqqara

9 June 2022

9 June 2022

Archaeologists at the necropolis of Saqqara, near Cairo, have discovered a cache of 250 complete mummies in painted wooden sarcophagi...

3600-year-old lead weights were unearthed in the Kumluca Bronze Age Shipwreck, one of the oldest shipwrecks in the world

27 November 2022

27 November 2022

Underwater archaeological work continues in the Bronze Age shipwreck off Antalya Kumluca, one of the oldest shipwrecks in the world....

Neanderthals too may have Developed a System of Numerical Notation

2 June 2021

2 June 2021

People developed numbers tens of thousands of years ago, according to archeological findings. Scholars are now investigating the first comprehensive...

Ancient quarry discovered near Tas-Silġ archaeological complex in Malta

28 May 2023

28 May 2023

The Malta Superintendence of Cultural Heritage announced on Friday that trenching works by the Water Services Corporation had uncovered an...

In the new images, Scotland’s biggest Pictish fort is “reconstructed.’

2 November 2021

2 November 2021

Stunning new reconstructions have revealed how Scotland’s largest known Pictish fort may have looked over one thousand years ago. Three-dimensional...

Mass Grave of 150 Roman Legionaries Discovered in Vienna—First Direct Evidence of Ancient Combat on the Danube Limes

4 April 2025

4 April 2025

Archaeologists from the Vienna Museum have made a groundbreaking discovery on the outskirts of Vienna, unearthing the remains of approximately...

A unique gold brooch talisman with inscriptions in Latin and Hebrew was found in the UK

19 February 2022

19 February 2022

A Medieval gold annular brooch with prayerful inscriptions has been discovered in the parish of Manningford in Wiltshire, in the...

Farmer Found Sarcophagus of Hellenistic Period in his Field

9 April 2021

9 April 2021

The citizen named E. G. in Akçakoca, Taşkuyucak District of Gölmarmara district of Manisa (Turkey), while plowing his field, thought...

Women May Have Ruled El Algar in the Bronze Age

12 March 2021

12 March 2021

The diadem found in the Bronze Age tomb belonging to the El Algar culture may have belonged to a queen....

Discovery of immense 4,000-year-old fortifications surrounding the Khaybar Oasis, one of the longest-known Oasis

10 January 2024

10 January 2024

Archaeologists have recently made a groundbreaking discovery in northwestern Arabia, unearthing immense fortifications that date back an astonishing 4,000 years....

Ancient coins surface with Lake Iznik’s withdrawal in Türkiye

2 May 2023

2 May 2023

With the withdrawal of Lake Iznik in the northwest of Türkiye, the ancient coins found at the bottom of the...

In northern Iran, a hand-dug passageway was discovered used for military purposes during the Qajar era

1 August 2021

1 August 2021

A hand-dug underground passage dating from the Qajar era (1794-1925), once believed to have served military purposes, has been discovered...