At the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük in present-day Turkey, recent ancient DNA evidence has revealed that households were matrilineal and passed down through the female line. Mothers and daughters formed the core of domestic units over several generations. Spatial patterns, burial placements, and genome data—spanning a few centuries around 7000 BCE—show continuous matrilineal residency within settlement clusters. This challenges traditional views of early farming societies as patriarc...
