Archeologist claims Iron Age leader who invited Rome to Britain was a woman

Miles Russell, an archaeologist at Bournemouth University, argues that Verica, a monarch of the Atrebates tribe in modern-day Hampshire and West Sussex, was a woman rather than a man.

For centuries, historians believed Verica was a prince who fled to Rome and requested military aid from Emperor Claudius to reclaim his throne. Russell suggests that 19th-century historians misidentified her gender due to a patriarchal perspective when interpreting ancient records. Russell points to linguistic and physical evidence to support his claim.

He notes that Iron Age British names typically ended in "a" for women, while the name "Berikos" recorded by the historian Cassius Dio likely reflects a masculine Greek translation of a Celtic name. Furthermore, the title "rex" used on Verica's coins was a non-gender-specific title recognized by Rome for both male and female rulers.

The gold and silver coins also feature a slender, bare-breasted figure riding a horse and holding a spear, which Russell views as a deliberate representation of female power. The research also considers the social structure of Iron Age Britain. DNA analysis of 50 skeletons at a cemetery in Dorset revealed a pattern of matrilocality, where husbands moved to join their wives' communities and land passed through the female line.

While some scholars remain skeptical because some of Verica's coins show male figures, Russell argues these may depict the Roman emperor or symbolic figures rather than the ruler herself. Verica provided the tactical intelligence and legitimacy Claudius needed to launch the invasion of Britain in 43 CE.