Analysis of ancient DNA from one of the best-preserved Neolithic tombs in Britain has revealed that most of the people buried there were from five continuous generations of a single extended family. The group lived approximately 5700 years ago -- around 3700-3600 BC -- around 100 years after farming had been introduced to Britain. The cairn at Hazleton North included two L-shaped chambered areas which were located north and south of the main 'spine' of the linear structure. David Reich at Harvard University, whose laboratory led the ancient DNA generation, added: "This study reflects what I think is the future of ancient DNA: one in which archaeologists are able to apply ancient DNA analysis at sufficiently high resolution to address the questions that truly matter to archaeologists." Ron Pinhasi, of the University of Vienna, said: "It was difficult to imagine just a few years ago that we would ever know about Neolithic kinship structures.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 22, 2021 23:31 UTC