Ancient DNA, Strontium isotopes, and osteological analyses shed light on social and kinship organization of the Later Stone Age
2008/11/17 by Wolfgang Haak, Guido Brandt, Hylke N. de Jong +7 · 18 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Arts and Humanities · Chemistry · #Forensic and Genetic Research #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies #Kinship #Osteology #Isotopes of strontium #Mitochondrial DNA #Ancient DNA #Archaeology #Strontium #Biology #Geography #Demography #Genetics #Anthropology #Population #Chemistry #Sociology
paper · doi:10.1073/pnas.0807592105
openalex publication_date 2008/11/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01
Abstract
In 2005 four outstanding multiple burials were discovered near Eulau, Germany. The 4,600-year-old graves contained groups of adults and children buried facing each other. Skeletal and artifactual evidence and the simultaneous interment of the individuals suggest the supposed families fell victim to a violent event. In a multidisciplinary approach, archaeological, anthropological, geochemical (radiogenic isotopes), and molecular genetic (ancient DNA) methods were applied to these unique burials. Using autosomal, mitochondrial, and Y-chromosomal markers, we identified genetic kinship among the individuals. A direct child-parent relationship was detected in one burial, providing the oldest molecular genetic evidence of a nuclear family. Strontium isotope analyses point to different origins for males and children versus females. By this approach, we gain insight into a Late Stone Age society, which appears to have been exogamous and patrilocal, and in which genetic kinship seems to be a focal point of social organization.
Citations
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