New research combines genetics and archaeology to reveal an unusual power structure: Xiongnu princesses helped build the vast, multiethnic alliances central to their centuries-long success.
The Great Wall of China is testimony to a mysterious culture that dominated the Eurasian steppes between 200 B.C.E. and 100 C.E. The Xiongnu, mounted warriors from what is today Mongolia, ruled from the edge of China to the grasslands of modern-day Kazakhstan and launched relentless attacks on their neighbors, prompting the wall’s construction.
Most of what we know of the Xiongnu’s history and how their society worked comes from descriptions written by their Chinese enemies. Were they a centrally controlled empire? A loose confederacy of tribes? “We had no idea what the internal structure was,” says Harvard University geneticist Christina Warinner, who co-authored the new study.
The women buried in these palatial graves on the empire’s frontier were also closely related to people from the core of the Xiongnu empire whose DNA was analyzed in. “When you go out to the edge of the empire, it seems like women are the only ones with ties to royal lineages,” Miller says. “We’re seeing long-distance, broad scale alliances.”
In one case, a skeleton had previously been identified as male based on its prestigious accoutrements, including horse tack and a hefty iron belt buckle. New DNA evidence revealed the skeleton was, in fact, biologically female. “Now we know men aren’t the only ones with bling,” Miller says. “Throughout their life and into death, these were important players in the community.”
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