Facing Gender: A Historiographical Analysis of Gender Construction in Iron Age Britain

The aim of this thesis is to understand the ways that gender is continually constructed, perceived and presented in Iron Age Britain. A historiographic analysis uses both classical literature and Iron Age social models to provide the theoretical basis for understanding gender. The use of literature and mortuary data examines the current limits of gendered analysis for Iron Age Britain amd an examination of archaeological reconstructions discusses the actual presentation of gender for the period. Their purpose is to create a well-rounded view of all the influences that drive views of gender, one that is informed by the archaeological material, theory and classical literature, as well as other factors. Though gender bias is present in discussions of gender for Iron Age Britain, gender as a topic is largely absent. Iron Age peoples are mostly discussed as monolithic entities – a group or culture rather than individuals. When gender does present itself, it manifests in male and female binaries, though not necessarily male warriors and female domestics. There is little discussion of gender as it relates to other aspects of identity, such as age and class, except in some recent studies. The male/female binary is largely static over time in British Iron Age literature, as is the presentation of society’s identity, rather than people’s identities. Iron Age Britain is faceless, populated by stock images rather than fully fleshed individuals. The analyses here demonstrate the need to keep examining gender and other identities so that Iron Age society is discussed on both a societal level and a personal level.