US EditionAncient DNA shows genetic link between Egypt and Mesopotamia
NUWAYRAT, EGYPT, JUL 3 – The genome reveals 80% North African and 20% Fertile Crescent ancestry, providing genetic evidence of ancient population movements and cultural interactions in Egypt's Old Kingdom era.
- A team of scientists affiliated with institutions in the United Kingdom successfully sequenced the complete genome of a man who was interred in Nuwayrat, Egypt, dating back to between 2855 and 2570 BCE.
- The sequencing succeeded after decades of failed attempts due to harsh climate conditions that usually degrade ancient Egyptian DNA samples.
- Analysis showed about 80% of his ancestry linked to North Africa and 20% to the Fertile Crescent region near modern-day Iraq, reflecting deep population mixing.
- Archaeological evidence, including arthritis in his right foot and skeletal wear patterns, suggests the individual was involved in pottery-making, yet his interment in a ceramic pot reflects a social status higher than typically associated with craftsmen.
- This genome provides the earliest genetic evidence of migration and cultural exchange between Egypt and Mesopotamia during the Old Kingdom, but it represents only one individual.
133 Articles
133 Articles
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Pottery vessel containing the remains of the Nuwayrat individual LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND—A team of geneticists from the Francis Crick Institute and Liverpool John Moores University successfully sequenced an entire genome of an ancient Egyptian for the first time, according to a statement released by The Francis Crick Institute. Experts have been trying to accomplish this feat for 40 years but have failed due to a lack of well-preserved DNA samples. H…
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Scientists Decode Full DNA of Ancient Egyptian Man Revealing Surprising Ancestry
Final facial depiction of the Nuwayrat individual. Credit: Adeline Morez Jacobs / CC BY 4.0 Scientists have managed to decode the full DNA of an ancient Egyptian man for the first time, revealing that he carried ancestry from both North Africa and the region historically known as Mesopotamia. The breakthrough study sheds new light on how ancient populations may have moved and mixed across the early Middle East and North Africa. The man lived ove…
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