A series of skeletons, unearthed in the ancient Greek city state of Mycenae are casting new light on the position of women in antiquity. It was thought that the female remains, which are over 3000 years old, might be those of the wife of a ‘great man’. A woman would never be allowed a glittering burial in her own right, surely? But DNA tests have shown that the woman wasn’t a wife – she was related to the man she was buried with. Co-regents perhaps? We may never know, but new evidence is adding to, and reshaping our view on how women fared in the ancient world. Jenni is joined by John Prag, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the Manchester Museum and Dr Lisa French, former Director of the British School at Athens and an expert on women in Mycenae, to get their view on the significance of the skeletons.
