Who Holds the Keys? Identifying Female Administrators at Shahr-i Sokhta

A groundbreaking analysis of seals from Shahr-i Sokhta, Iran, challenges the long-standing assumption that men were primarily responsible for administrative roles in ancient societies. By comparing seals found in necropolises with those used for administrative sealing, researchers identified a striking similarity between seals buried with women and those employed in site administration during the mid-third millennium BC. This suggests that women likely controlled most administrative functions at Shahr-i Sokhta, offering new insights into gender dynamics and economic organization in ancient economies.

Ameri, M. (2020). Who Holds the Keys? Identifying Female Administrators at Shahr-i Sokhta. Iran, 60(1), 1–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/05786967.2020.1718542