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Metro
4 days ago
- Science
- Metro
How one skeleton upended how historians view Ancient Egypt
A skeleton found in a 4,500-year-old ceramic pot has rewritten the history of Ancient Egypt. A DNA test on the man's bones has upended how historians could view the rise of Ancient Egyptian civilisation. The skeleton, found 165 miles south of Cairo at Nuwayrat, belongs to a 60-year-old potter who lived between 2855–2570 BC. However, researchers have revealed that a fifth of his DNA came from ancestors living 9,000 miles away in Mesopotamia, in modern-day Iraq. It is the first direct evidence that the two legendary cultures influenced each other through migration as far back as 10,000 years ago. Mesopotamia is the site of the earliest developments of the Neolithic Revolution from around 10,000 BC, when people began to farm and domesticate animals. This led to the formation of an agricultural society. Egyptologists had theorised that this revolution contributed to similar development in Egypt, with this DNA now proving their case. This is because it shows migration from West Asia towards Egypt, meaning information could have been passed on when migrants arrived at the Nile. This new information could explain how Egypt went from simple farming communities to becoming one of the most powerful civilisations on Earth. Adeline Morez Jacobs, who analysed the remains as part of her PhD at Liverpool John Moores University, told BBC News: 'You have two regions developing the first writing systems, so archaeologists believe that they were in contact and exchanging ideas. Now we have the evidence that they were. 'We hope that future DNA samples from Ancient Egypt can expand on when precisely this movement from West Asia started and its extent.' While researchers did caution that this study only considered the case of one man, who could have been an anomaly due to his high-status burial, they say their findings support other evidence that Mesopotamian culture had reached Egypt, likely through migration. Egypt specialists have unearthed a lot more information about this Egyptian potter than just his migrant heritage. Despite his job, his body was placed in a large pot inside a rock-cut tomb, usually reserved for the Egyptian upper class. This burial, which took place before mummification was the norm, likely helped preserve his DNA, which was taken from bone in his inner ear. He is predicted to have had brown eyes, brown hair and dark to black skin and was 5ft 2in (1.57m). The Nuwayrat man also lived to an advanced old age, with his worn teeth and osteoarthritis indicating he could have died as late as 64 years. Experts believe certain skeletal features point to his work as a potter, including an enlarged hook-shaped bone at the back of his skull, meaning he looked down a lot. Professor Joel Irish at Liverpool John Moores University said: 'He worked his tail off. He's worked his entire life. 'What I wanted to do was to find out who this guy was, learn as much about him as possible. What his age was, his stature was, what he did for a living and to try and personalise the whole thing rather than treat him as a cold specimen.' More Trending The Nuwayrat man's life also coincided with the beginning of the legendary Old Kingdom in Egypt's history, which witnessed the building of the 'Great Pyramid of Giza' by King Khufu. The ability of scientists to extract and read DNA from ancient bones could trigger a wave of discoveries about Ancient Egypt. Prof Pontus Skoglund at the Francis Crick Institute explained: 'If we get more DNA information and put it side by side with what we know from archaeological, cultural, and written information we have from the time, it will be very exciting.' It also allows experts to look at history from the perspective of ordinary people, through written records from rich and powerful people. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Man stabbed through armour during historic re-enactment gone wrong MORE: Cabin crew calls on passengers to subdue air rage woman demanding upgrade MORE: Moment cargo ship crashes into Suez Canal port as workers flee
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Oldest Egyptian DNA Reveals Secrets of Elite Potter From Pyramid Era
For the very first time, scientists have sequenced DNA from the entire genome of an individual who lived in ancient Egypt up to 4,800 years ago – right when the first pyramids were being built. The ancient genome belongs to an older male individual who was probably part of an elite social class and who, based on his ancestry, likely had brown hair, brown eyes, and dark skin. About 80 percent of the man's genome is linked to lineages in North Africa, while the remaining 20 percent is linked to lineages in West Asia. Related: The findings suggest that early Egyptians once lived in a melting pot of cultures, with migrants and traders arriving from other parts of Africa and Mesopotamia – an ancient region that now encompasses parts of Iraq, Türkiye, and Iran. Previous archaeological evidence has also indicated trade and cultural connections between Egypt and other parts of the Fertile Crescent, primarily through the exchange of domesticated plants and animals, writing systems, and technology such as the pottery wheel. But actual human DNA is not as easily preserved in the hot and dry region. This newest discovery is the oldest DNA ever recovered from ancient Egypt, and scientists say the remains provide "direct evidence of genetic ancestry" from Mesopotamia. "Ancient Egypt is a place of extraordinary written history and archaeology, but challenging DNA preservation has meant that no genomic record of ancestry in early Egypt has been available for comparison," says geneticist Pontus Skoglund, who founded the first high-throughput ancient DNA laboratory in the United Kingdom at the Francis Crick Institute. "Building on this past research, new and powerful genetic techniques have allowed us to cross these technical boundaries and rule out contaminating DNA, providing the first genetic evidence for potential movements of people in Egypt at this time." The ancient man's remains were recovered from a necropolis in the ancient city of Nuwayrat, 265 kilometers (165 miles) south of Cairo, where he was buried in a large pottery vessel inside a rock-cut tomb. He died sometime between 2855 and 2570 BCE. In life, the individual was approximately 160 centimeters (5.2 feet) tall, and judging by his heavily worn teeth and severe arthritis, he was likely between 44 and 64 years old – an advanced age for the time. His form of burial suggests he had a high social status, but unexpectedly, his body holds signs of routine physical labor. "His seat bones are expanded in size, his arms showed evidence of extensive movement back and forth, and there's substantial arthritis in just the right foot. Though circumstantial, these clues point towards pottery, including use of a pottery wheel," suggests bioarchaeologist Joel Irish from Liverpool John Moores University. "That said, his higher-class burial is not expected for a potter, who would not normally receive such treatment. Perhaps he was exceptionally skilled or successful to advance his social status." When scientists analyzed the mix of isotopes in the ancient man's second molar, they found evidence that he grew up in the hot and dry Nile Valley, eating animal protein and plants like wheat and barley. This was typical for early Egyptians. "This individual has been on an extraordinary journey. He lived and died during a critical period of change in ancient Egypt, and his skeleton was excavated in 1902 and donated to World Museum Liverpool, where it then survived bombings during the Blitz that destroyed most of the human remains in their collection," says archaeogeneticist Linus Girdland Flink from the University of Aberdeen. "We've now been able to tell part of the individual's story." One individual's story can't tell us everything we would like to know about ancient Egypt, but the findings are an intriguing start. Researchers hope that their technique will allow for a "more detailed and nuanced understanding of ancient Egyptian civilization and its inhabitants" in the future. The study was published in Nature. Zapping Volunteers' Brains With Electricity Boosted Their Maths Skills Ruins of Ancient Temple Belonged to Mysterious Pre-Inca Civilization Does Using Artificial Intelligence Ruin Your Actual Intelligence? Scientists Investigated
Mint
4 days ago
- Science
- Mint
Scientists decode DNA of man who lived around 5,000 years ago; mixed ancestry reveals early Africa-Asia link
For the first time, scientists have fully decoded the DNA of an ancient Egyptian man who lived around 4,500 to 4,800 years ago. The man was present during the time of the first pyramids. The man's remains were found in a clay pot in a village south of Cairo. DNA tests showed that 80% of his ancestry was North African while 20% came from West Asia and Mesopotamia, CNN reported. This proves there were cultural links between ancient Egypt and the Fertile Crescent region (which includes modern Iraq, Iran and Jordan). Until now, such connections were only guessed through archaeological finds. The ancient man was about 5 feet tall and aged between 44 and 64, very old for that time. DNA showed he had dark skin, brown eyes and brown hair. His bones revealed a life of hard work, with signs of arthritis, osteoporosis and long hours spent leaning forward. He used to carry heavy things. His pelvic bones showed damage from sitting on hard surfaces for years. Experts believe he may have been a potter, using one of Egypt's earliest pottery wheels. However, his rich-style burial was surprising as potters were usually not buried with such honour. The man's body was not mummified as it wasn't common practice then. This helped preserve his DNA, which was taken from one of his teeth. The man was buried in a clay pot inside a rock tomb. Researchers say Egypt's stable climate also helped keep the DNA safe for thousands of years. 'His higher-class burial is not expected for a potter, who would not normally receive such treatment. Perhaps he was exceptionally skilled or successful to advance his social status,' CNN quoted study coauthor Joel Irish as saying. Long before the invention of pottery or writing, farming and domesticated animals spread through the Fertile Crescent and Egypt around 6000 BC. This shift marked the move from hunting and gathering to settled life. Now, scientists are asking if human migration also played a role. Studying ancient DNA from Egypt, Africa and the Fertile Crescent may help answer where people lived and when. According to researcher Dr. Linus Girdland-Flink, each person's DNA is a unique part of human history. 'While we will never be able to sequence everyone's genome, my hope is that we can gather enough diverse samples from around the world to accurately reconstruct the key events in human history that have shaped who we are today,' CNN quoted Girdland-Flink as saying.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Science
- Telegraph
Everything we've learnt from first DNA of ancient Egyptian
The first complete DNA study of an Ancient Egyptian has revealed he was probably a celebrated potter who was given an oddly luxurious burial. The skeleton of a middle-aged man, who lived between 4,500 and 4,800 years ago, was found crammed into a ceramic pot in a tomb cut into the hillside at Nuwayrat, around 165 miles south of Cairo. He lived during the Fourth Dynasty, an important time when the first and greatest pyramids were constructed, under the reign of pharaohs such as Khufu and Khafre. Until now it has been difficult to sequence DNA in Ancient Egyptians because the mummification process destroys the delicate molecule. However, the man's burial took place before mummification became standard practice in Egypt and his body was instead preserved by the warm and dry conditions of the desert. This allowed British experts from the Francis Crick Institute and Liverpool John Moores University to extract DNA from a tooth root. The remains showed severe signs of arthritis and suggested he had spent many years sitting on a hard surface with his arms and legs outstretched and his head bent over. Joel Irish, professor of dental anthropology and archaeology at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) said: 'Though circumstantial, these clues point towards pottery, including use of a pottery wheel, which arrived in Egypt around the same time. 'That said, his higher-class burial is not expected for a potter, who would not normally receive such treatment. 'He was in an upper class burial. Someone went to all the work to put him in a rock cut tomb and he was in this large pottery vessel. That is at odds with the fact he had an incredibly hard physical life. 'Perhaps he was exceptionally skilled or successful enough to advance his social status.' The man's DNA showed that most of his ancestry came from North Africa, but around 20 per cent was related to ancient individuals from the Fertile Crescent – an area of West Asia encompassing modern-day countries such as Iraq, Iran and Jordan. While archaeological evidence has shown that trade and cultural connections existed between Egypt and the Fertile Crescent, this is the first evidence that populations were also interbreeding. Researchers have speculated that the man may have been one of the first to use a pottery wheel, which was invented in Mesopotamia and then brought to Egypt by the Fourth Dynasty. Before that pots were made with the coiled method, so it is possible his high status at death was linked to his ability to use the new technology. His skeleton was excavated in 1902 and donated to World Museum Liverpool, where it later survived bombings during the Blitz that destroyed most of the museum's human remains collection. 'Extraordinary' Linus Girdland Flink, a lecturer in ancient biomolecules at the University of Aberdeen and visiting researcher at LJMU said: 'This individual has been on an extraordinary journey. He lived and died during a critical period of change in ancient Egypt. 'We've now been able to tell part of the individual's story, finding that some of his ancestry came from the Fertile Crescent, highlighting the mixture between groups at this time.' Adeline Morez Jacobs, visiting research fellow at LJMU, added: 'This finding was quite interesting because we know from archaeology that Egyptian and fertile crescent culture influenced each other for millennia. Farming practices and precious goods were shared and the first writing system emerged almost contemporaneously influenced by each other. 'Piecing together all the clues from this individual's DNA, bones and teeth have allowed us to build a comprehensive picture.'
