Stone Age tombs for Irish royalty aren't what they seem, new DNA analysis reveals

Stone Age tombs for Irish royalty aren't what they seem, new DNA analysis reveals

A reanalysis of ancient DNA shows that a major cultural change took place in Ireland after four centuries of farming.Archaeologists have long assumed that Stone Age tombs in Ireland were built for royalty. But a new analysis of DNA from 55 skeletons found in these 5,000-year-old graves suggests that the tombs were made for the community, not for a ruling dynasty.In Ireland's Neolithic period, which lasted from about 3900 to 2500 B.C., people bui…

Neolithic Irish tombs were centers of community, not royalty, ancient DNA reveals

Recent research is rattling established theories about Ireland’s Neolithic tombs. What were once thought to be royal burial sites are now reported to be places where communities congregated, not dynasties. Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland. Credit: Ron Cogswell (CC BY 2.0) The study, published in the Cambridge Archaeological Journal, used ancient DNA from 55 individuals buried in large stone tombs across Ireland. The tombs, known as passage tom…