(Astigan.com) - There are a few moments in history when women rise above men and take matters into their own hands. One particular example is the Burnt City, 5000 years ago. A recent study shows that around 3200 BC, women had the city’s economy in their hands.

The Burnt City is a settlement, possibly of urban type, that is associated with the Jiroft civilization in Iran. New clues suggest that women, especially mothers, had a very distinctive social and financial prominence. Scientists say that recently they have discovered some insignas which might suggest that they were used to mark valuable documents or to indicate their social status.

The Juroft culture was located by specialists in the Sistan and Kerman provinces in Iran. Some scientists argue that this culture has some similarities with the lost civilization of the Aratta Kingdom. Evidence of the culture has been brought by recovering artifacts stolen by looters.

After archaeologists established the importance of the site, diggings started and in no time they uncovered more that two square kilometers of remains thought to belong to a city dating back to the late 3rd millennium BC.

The culture is represented by a number of sites like Tape Bampur, Iblis, Shahdad and Shahr-i Sokhta (the Burnt City). The latter is thought to have become an important economical center where trade flourished.

Very little is known about the social status of women in that society. But in 2006 archaeologists discovered the world’s oldest artificial eyeball. It belonged to a 1.82 m tall woman who lived in 2900 or 2800 BC. Experts say that she must have had an important place in the society at that time and was probably an oracle or performed a similar function.

Interesting evidence found in the city’s necropolis shows that men and women worked to manufacture baskets. Locals made them by using their teeth, and it seems that both men and women shared this profession which had tremendous importance in those days. Even more, scientists point out that this profession was quite common and required special skill.

The Burt City was built about 3200 BC and was left in 2100 BC. The urban settlement got its name after a fire brought about its ruin.