The concept that men stay at home while independent women venture out into the world is considered a rather modern phenomenon.

But a study suggests that in fact, the practice was rooted in ancient times, when Bronze Age men stayed at home while adventurous women were the key to spreading culture and ideas.

The research reveals that over a period of some 800 years, European women travelled between 300km and 500km from their home villages to start families, while men tended to stay near where they were born.

German archaeologists examined the remains of 84 people buried between 2500 and 1650BC, discovering that at the end of the Stone Age and in the early Bronze Age, families were established in a surprising manner.