Scientists have detected sex hormones in skeletal remains dating back to the 1st century AD, offering a potential way to identify pregnancies in archaeological finds. The method analyzes traces of oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone preserved in bones and teeth. This could reveal reproductive histories of women from past populations.
For the first time, researchers have identified levels of oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone in the bones and teeth of individuals from the 1st to 19th centuries AD. Some of these women were buried with fetuses or newborns, according to a study led by Aimée Barlow at the University of Sheffield in the UK. The findings suggest that these steroid hormones persist in skeletal tissues long after death, unlike hCG used in modern pregnancy tests, which breaks down quickly.
Barlow's team examined rib fragments, one neck bone, and teeth from two men and seven women buried in four English cemeteries, plus teeth from a third man. Sexes were confirmed via DNA analysis. Two women had fetal remains in their abdomens, and two others were buried with newborns. The 74 samples were ground into powder and tested for hormones.
Oestrogen appeared in only four samples with no clear pattern, possibly due to faster degradation. Progesterone levels were notably high in the vertebra of a woman from the 11th to 14th centuries who carried a full-term fetus, and elevated in the rib of an 18th- or 19th-century woman in her third trimester. Moderate progesterone also showed in dental plaque from two women buried with babies in the 5th or 6th centuries.
These four women lacked testosterone in their bones and most teeth, unlike three other women from an 8th- to 12th-century cemetery and a Roman-era grave, who had testosterone present. "But perhaps the absence of testosterone indicates a recent or current pregnancy at the time of death," Barlow said.
"The physiological and emotional experience of pregnancy and pregnancy loss and childbirth are very profound for women, but so far, they’ve largely remained invisible in the archaeological record," Barlow added. "This method has the potential to revolutionise the way we study reproductive histories of past populations. I’m thrilled, to be honest."
Alexander Comninos at Imperial College London called it "an exciting and unexpected intersection of archaeology with hormone science." He noted the techniques could provide more reliable detection of ancient pregnancies. However, men's samples showed moderate progesterone levels for unclear reasons, and Barlow emphasized cautious interpretations pending further research.
The study appears in the Journal of Archaeological Science (DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2025.106392).