Genetic clues to the rise of the Mayan civilisation uncovered by TCD geneticist
That's according to new research by a Trinity College Dublin (TCD) geneticist reported today in the journal Current Biology.
Scientists previously found that present day Maya people carry genes from both the traditional local Maya ancestors and Mexican highlanders.
'What makes our findings significant is that we identified this gene flow starting around the beginning of the Classic period,' said Shigeki Nakagome, Ussher Assistant Professor in Genomic Medicine, School of Medicine, TCD.
The Classic period of Mayan civilisation - when it was at its peak - scholars say was from around 250 AD to 950 AD, after which it declined.
'Archaeological evidence has long suggested that a possible connection between the Classic Maya states and regions in highland Mexico,' said professor Shigeki.
'This suggests that interaction between these regions may have played a role in the rise of Classic Maya civilisation.'
The civilisation flourished primarily in present-day southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and parts of Honduras and El Salvador.
At its height, the Mayans built cities which were huge by the standard of the time, made up of monumental stone structures, and pyramid temples.
They became renowned for a sophisticated writing system, advances in mathematics and astronomy, and skill in crafts like sculpture and pottery.
'Despite extensive archaeological research, many aspects of their ancestry and population history remain poorly understood,' said Prof Nakagome.
The TCD researchers used ancient genomics to analyse DNA from seven people who lived in Copán in Honduras during the Classic Mayan period.
Ancient genomics is the study of genomes (a genome being the entire DNA in a single cell) recovered from the bones or teeth of ancient people.
This enabled them to investigate the genetic ancestry of these individuals.
'We focused on the petrous portion of the temporal bone, a dense part of the skull known for its exceptional DNA preservation.'
This area of bone is known to yield higher quantities of ancient DNA compared to other parts of the human skeleton.
However, Nakagome and his team found that studying these ancient DNA samples was far more difficult than investigating modern DNA.
'After death, DNA begins to degrade and fragment due to environmental factors like temperature, humidity, and microbial activity.
'As a result, ancient DNA is often highly fragmented, chemically modified and present in very low quantities, requiring specialised techniques and strict contamination controls to recover and analyse it accurately.'
The results indicated that there was an influx of people from Highland Mexico into the Mayan lowland areas during the early to middle Classic period.
'This shows that the rise of the Classic Maya civilisation involved movement and interaction with people possibly from outside the Maya region.'
The research also sheds some light on the fall of the Mayan people, beginning around 090 AD, which remains a famous and enduring scientific mystery.
'As the Mayan civilisation began to collapse near the of the classic period, we saw signs of a population decline.'
'This genetic evidence helps support the idea that major social and environmental changes had real demographic consequences.'
The TCD researchers now plan to study more DNA from other ancient skeletal remains of people across a variety of locations in the Mayan world.
This data will be compared to the archaeological and environmental historical record to gain further insights into the rise and fall of the Mayans.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Archaeologists discover 3,000-year-old LOST CITY featuring ‘remarkable' pyramids and canals
AN ANCIENT Mayan city has been discovered by archaeologists in northern Guatemala, offering fresh insights into the historic civilisation. The nearly 3,000-year-old remains include remarkable pyramids and monuments that appear to be "sculpted with unique iconography". 6 Two anthropomorphic sculptures of human form or appearance that 'represent an ancestral couple' Credit: AFP 6 The archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in Tikal National Park, Guatemala Credit: Alamy 6 Temple I in the main plaza of Maya Archaeological Site of Tikal, Tikal National Park Credit: Getty 6 The city is likely to have been "one of the most ancient and important ceremonial centres" of Mayan civilisation Credit: AFP This ancient city, named Los Abuelos - the Spanish for "The Grandparents" - once stood around 21km from the significant archaeological site of Uaxactún, Guatemala's culture ministry said on Thursday. Los Abuelos gets its name from two human-like sculptures of an "ancestral couple" found there. These figures "could be linked to ancient ritual practices of ancestor worship", the ministry added. The city is likely to have been "one of the most ancient and important ceremonial centres" of Mayan civilisation. read more in world news Monuments unearthed at the site have been dated to the Middle Preclassic period of 800-500 BC, while the city itself "presents remarkable architectural planning". The city covers an area of around six square miles and is found in Guatemala's northern Petén department. Researchers also found a 108 foot high pyramid nearby that had Preclassic murals and "a unique canal system". "Archaeological investigations have included the active participation of Guatemalan and international professionals, with the support of the Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia ," a ministry spokesperson said. Most read in The US Sun "This joint effort has allowed significant advancements in the exploration, conservation, and dissemination of the Mayan legacy." Three sites - Los Abuelos, Petnal and Cambraya - were unearthed through the country's ongoing Uaxactún Regional Archaeological Project. Rediscovering the Lost Maya City of Ocomtún (1) "These sites form a previously unknown urban triangle," a ministry spokesperson added. "These findings allow us to rethink the understanding of the ceremonial and socio-political organisation of pre-Hispanic Peten." Mayan civilisation rose around 2000 BC and reached its peak between 400 and 900 AD. It spanned across present-day southern Mexico and Guatemala, along with some parts of Belize, El Salvador and Honduras . The amazing new discovery comes after a 1,000-year-old altar from Mexico's ancient Teotihuacán culture was unearthed in April. It was painted with a mural of red, yellow, and blue - which are colours associated with that culture. This find was seen as suggesting evidence of possible contact between the two cultures. 6 The Pyramid at Calakmul, Mexico Credit: Getty 6 Architectural details with dragon head sink drain of significant Mesoamerican pyramids and green grassland located at at Teotihuacan Credit: Getty
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Disturbing alien-like skull belonging to ‘archaic' human stuns experts who say ‘barbaric' deformation ritual is to blame
A BIZARRE enlarged alien-like skull has been unearthed by shocked construction workers in Argentina. Experts are divided on how the deformed discovery came to be. Advertisement 2 2 The skull has been taken by experts for examination Credit: El Ancasti But one strong theory links it to a barbaric method that dates back as far as 300,000 years ago. If true, it's a type of artificial cranial deformation process where the skull of a child is deliberately flattened to elongate the shape. The disturbing ritual involved putting pressure on the infant's head with splints or bandages when their This causes the skull to appear wider, as well as creating a flat or curved line along the back of it. Advertisement Read more archaeology stories The ancient practice was commonplace among some groups, like the Ciénaga and Aguada people, who roamed lived around the 3rd and 12th centuries AD. Unsuspecting construction workers in the town of San Fernando, Belén, stumbled across it, according to They found funerary urns containing human remains, one containing the deformed skull. "We've contacted the provincial Anthropology Department and the police so they can conduct the necessary studies and find out what generation he belongs to and any mysteries this may hold," said Clara Ríos, the town's director of culture told papers. Advertisement Most read in Science Some have likened the skull to that of the antmen - or the Myrmidons - an ancient tribe in "Interpreting these findings offers an opportunity to deepen our connection with our ancestry," the Archaeological Studies Group (GEA) said, according to Danish archaeologists unearth 50 Viking skeletons "By respecting and valuing these cultural practices and their meanings, we honour the memory of our ancestors and connect with them through our shared human experience." There are a number of reasons why groups used to deform skulls like this. Advertisement Experts say it was done as a sign of social status, to show which group you were part of or for spiritual beliefs. WHERE DID IT ALL START? The process of head flattening - officially known as artificial cranial deformation - can be dated back as far as 300,000 years ago. Earliest evidence of it taking place was among the ancient Mousterian people. This was traced back to Shanidar in Iraq during the Middle Paleolithic period (approximately 300,000–30,000 years ago). Source:
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Unearthing people's bones from hundreds of years ago can be 'quite hard emotionally'
Unearthing the fossilised remains of a woman cradling a baby or of a woman who died while pregnant sticks in the memory of Glenn Gibney. It acts as a reminder to the osteoarchaeologist that while studying bones can be a fascinating occupation - unlocking secrets that date back centuries - it is not without its emotions. 'I visited a site where we did a reconstructive illustration of an adult female and an infant found in the crease of the arm," said the UCC graduate. "Based on the positioning it looked like the infant had been cradled by the adult. They had both died around the same time. We did a demonstration to show how they would have been placed in the grave and what they might have looked like. It's good to bring these stories to life.' While no definite cause of death was confirmed, Glenn said it is believed the pair died of natural causes. 'It's likely that she died of an illness that was too short to leave evidence on the bone. She was between 35 and 45 years old and the infant was a newborn. The adult remains date back to between the fifth and sixth century AD. Without ancient DNA testing - which is atypical in commercial archaeology - we don't assume a relationship with an adult female and a child. It's possible that they were unrelated or this was an aunt or grandmother who died at or near the same time.' The aim of osteoarchaeology is to uncover past lives through the analysis of bones through various methods including visual examinations and microscopic analysis. This can determine factors such as age, sex, health, status and diet. However, Glenn believes its importance runs far deeper than that. Photo: Moya Nolan Other emotional finds include bones unearthed showing women who died in pregnancy. 'There have been a few times where we found women who died while they were pregnant. As well as finding the adult skeleton we will find the foetal skeleton in the pelvic cavity. These can be difficult to excavate but they are also quite hard emotionally.' Osteoarchaeology focuses on the study of human skeletal remains recovered from archaeological sites. Its aim is to uncover past lives through the analysis of bones through various methods including visual examinations and microscopic analysis. This can determine factors such as age, sex, health, status and diet. However, Glenn believes its importance runs far deeper than that. 'History is so often written by and about the wealthy,' Glenn told the Irish Examiner. 'You rarely learn things about everyday people. What we uncover is typically from everyday sites. These are the stories of the workers, the farmers and people just trying to get by. They are the kind of stories we don't know about.' Glenn Gibney, an osteoarchaeologist from Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit, working on a dig near Dublin. Osteoarchaeology focuses on the study of human skeletal remains recovered from archaeological sites. Photo: Moya Nolan 'It's nice to be able to tell these people's stories and learn about what they did during their lives. I like to find out about the people who don't feature in historical records. We are now able to learn a lot more about the individuals who weren't able to leave a mark. These discoveries tell us a lot about who we were back then and also who we are today.' 'I was on a site recently where there were a lot of adult remains. All of them had pathological changes to the spine which suggested that they did a lot of heavy lifting from an early age. They were constantly lifting heavy objects and loads to the extent that it affected their spines. "Occupational markers such as what muscles or bones they might have worked consistently give an idea of what work they were in. In a graveyard, you might look at individuals and see a population as a whole that lived 2000 years ago. This is particularly useful when learning about communities that might be absent from historical records.' So what attracted him to the profession? The osteoarchaeologist began working in the industry 10 years ago after earning an undergraduate degree in ancient history and archaeology from Trinity College in Dublin. He went on to achieve a Master's degree in human osteoarchaeology at UCC. The Drogheda native had worked in retail for years before his rather unorthodox career change. Now, his job brings him all to sites all over the country. He jokes: I went from working with the live public to working with the dead. And, yes, violent deaths do feature. 'There were remains that showed signs of sharp force trauma to the skull on a site in Drogheda. They were cut in the back of the head by a blade that caught the bone. This is one of the more interesting ones where you can see how the person died. In this case it would likely have been by a blade strike to the back of the head. It's a difficult one to both think about and excavate.' "Telltale signs like fillings will indicate if the remains are modern. In these situations it would be left to the gardaí and I would have no input. Generally 70 years is the cut-off point. However, even if the human remains are 2,000 years old I still contact Gardaí.' 'Some bones survive really well and are easy to excavate. Other times the bones will be very poorly preserved. It's not necessarily about the amount of time the bones are in the ground. It's more to do with soil conditions and in that regard it can be quite difficult.' Break-ins at historical sites by voyeuristic members of the public is not uncommon during excavations. 'I've had people break into sites to take pictures to put online. I try to keep the locations of the sites under wraps to mitigate any risk to the remains. If a person tries to dig up an area themselves, it destroys the context of the environment around it which is extremely frustrating for osteoarchaeologists and archaeologists. We appreciate when people leave this work to those who are best qualified.'
