The World’s First Transsexual?
In 2011, archaeologists from the Czech Archaeological Society uncovered a body identified as belonging to Copper Age’s Cord Ware Culture in a suburb of the Czech Capital, Prague. Experts identified the skeleton as male by the shape of its pelvis. This Cord Ware Culture man died sometime between 2800-2500BC. However, his burial was very strange.
Cord ware culture was widespread across North, central and eastern Europe during the late Stone Age until the mid-Bronze Age. It was an early agricultural culture, which only used copper for jewelry, still relying upon stone for tools and weapons. However, it is famous for its pottery, whose distinctive cord impressions give the culture its name.
Archaeologists have noted that Cord Ware Culture burials follow a very uniform pattern. Both sexes were placed in single graves and put in a crouched position, heads pointing south. Men lay on their right side facing west and were buried with tools and weapons. Women were buried on their left side, facing east. Their grave goods consisted of copper jewelry, and pots and most notably necklaces made of teeth and an egg-shaped container, which was placed near the feet.
However, the burial of Prague man was atypical. He was buried facing east, like a woman instead of west like a man. His grave contained no weapons, only five pots- an unprecedented number even for female graves- and the distinctly feminine egg-shaped container between his feet.
Despite the female orientation of the body, his grave conformed to that of neither sex- opening the meaning of this up for speculation. For it has been suggested that the Cord Ware Man could have been either gay or transgender. Archaeologists believe he was more likely to be a transgender individual: a man who identified as a woman or who undertook a female role in his tribe. Either way, his careful burial, with grave goods does not indicate he was marginalized or outcast because of his differences.
A skeleton from Roman London also shows that human gender has never been straightforward.