Yesterday 01:44 AM
(This post was last modified: Yesterday 01:46 AM by C C.)
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1116791
INTRO: A woman was buried with two children, but they were not her own. In another grave, two children were placed. They were not siblings and were more distantly related, perhaps cousins.
In a new study, researchers at Uppsala University have clarified family relationships in four graves from a 5,500-year-old hunter-gatherer culture at Ajvide on Gotland. DNA analyses suggest that the people were well aware of family lineages and that relationships beyond the immediate family played an important role.
Ajvide is one of the most important Stone Age sites in Scandinavia and is known for its well-preserved graves and rich archaeological finds. Around 5,500 years ago, hunter-gatherers lived there, supporting themselves primarily by hunting seals and fishing. By this time, agriculture had spread across Europe, but in the north, hunter-gatherer cultures persisted and remained genetically distinct from the farmers.
The large burial site contains 85 known graves. Among the findings here, eight graves have been discovered that hold two or more individuals. Researchers at Uppsala University have now analysed DNA from the remains that lay in four these shared graves to investigate the kinship between the individuals.
“Surprisingly enough, the analysis showed that many of those who were buried together were second- or third-degree relatives, rather than first-degree relatives – in other words, parent and child or siblings – as is often assumed. This suggests that these people had a good knowledge of their family lineages and that relationships beyond the immediate family played an important role,” says archaeogeneticist Helena Malmström, who was responsible for the design of the study... (MORE - details, no ads)
INTRO: A woman was buried with two children, but they were not her own. In another grave, two children were placed. They were not siblings and were more distantly related, perhaps cousins.
In a new study, researchers at Uppsala University have clarified family relationships in four graves from a 5,500-year-old hunter-gatherer culture at Ajvide on Gotland. DNA analyses suggest that the people were well aware of family lineages and that relationships beyond the immediate family played an important role.
Ajvide is one of the most important Stone Age sites in Scandinavia and is known for its well-preserved graves and rich archaeological finds. Around 5,500 years ago, hunter-gatherers lived there, supporting themselves primarily by hunting seals and fishing. By this time, agriculture had spread across Europe, but in the north, hunter-gatherer cultures persisted and remained genetically distinct from the farmers.
The large burial site contains 85 known graves. Among the findings here, eight graves have been discovered that hold two or more individuals. Researchers at Uppsala University have now analysed DNA from the remains that lay in four these shared graves to investigate the kinship between the individuals.
“Surprisingly enough, the analysis showed that many of those who were buried together were second- or third-degree relatives, rather than first-degree relatives – in other words, parent and child or siblings – as is often assumed. This suggests that these people had a good knowledge of their family lineages and that relationships beyond the immediate family played an important role,” says archaeogeneticist Helena Malmström, who was responsible for the design of the study... (MORE - details, no ads)