This Mesolithic burial held two individuals: a woman aged 30-40 (about 5'1 tall) and an infant aged 6-8 months. DNA analysis in 2023 revealed a surprise - they were fourth or fifth degree relatives, not mother and child. They may have been great-great-grandmother and descendant, or more distant relatives.
9,000-year-old burial contains woman and unrelated infant
Site mentioned
📍 Grabhügel Dürrenberg🌍 Show on the globe
Key facts
- Dating approximately 9,000 years old, Mesolithic period
- Two individuals: woman aged 30-40 years, standing 5'1 tall; male infant aged 6-8 months
- DNA analysis in 2023 revealed they were fourth or fifth degree relatives, not mother and child
- Relationship could be great-great-grandmother/descendant, cousins, or distant relatives
- Burial position was upright sitting with legs flexed
Sources
Europe's Earliest Female Infant Burial Reveals a Mesolithic ...news.ucdenver.edu
Without DNA analysis, this highly decorated infant burial could possibly have been assumed male.” In Western society, archaeologists have ...
9000-year-old double burial with shaman and infant ...archaeologymag.com
The genetic analysis revealed that the woman, aged 30 to 40 at the time of her death, belonged to the Western European hunter-gatherer population.
DNA reveals extended hunter-gatherer family ties in ...archaeologymag.com
DNA analysis of 5500-year-old graves on Gotland reveals extended hunter-gatherer family ties and burial traditions.
Dead by 30: DNA reveals the hard life of a shepherding family ...english.elpais.com
Genetic analysis of a burial in Russia's Ural Mountains shows that while the men stayed with the tribe, the women joined other groups.
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