YORK, ENGLAND—According to a statement released by the University of York, a recent review of stone tools recovered from early Neolithic cemeteries across Europe suggests that men and women were buried with different sorts of implements, and may have therefore performed different work-related activities during their lifetimes. Archaeologist Penny Bickle said that tools found in women’s graves were used to work animal skins, while men’s tools were associated with hunting and conflict. Bickle suggests the differences in tools reflect the variety of skills needed by members of the community. The presence of the tools in the graves is evidence of the value given to all of the jobs, she added. The study also detected regional differences, in that in the east, the grave objects suggest that women moved around more than men, and all were adorned with shells and jewelry. In the west, the grave objects indicate that men were more mobile and likely to have been hunters. Read the original scholarly article about this research in PLOS ONE. For more, go to "The Neolithic Toolkit."
