How one skeleton upended how historians view 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@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
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Metro
a day ago
- 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
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Ancient Egyptians had surprising FOREGIN roots: Scientists sequence the DNA of a man who lived 4,800 years ago – revealing a genetic link to the Mesopotamia culture
It's widely considered one of the cradles of civilisation. But a new study has revealed that people living in ancient Egypt may actually have had foreign roots. Scientists have sequenced the DNA of a man who lived in ancient Egypt between 4,495 and 4,880 years ago. Their analysis reveals a genetic link to the Mesopotamia culture - a civilisation that flourished in ancient Iraq and the surrounding regions. The team, from Liverpool John Moores University, was able extract DNA from the man's teeth, which had been preserved alongside his skeleton in a sealed funeral pot in Nuwayrat. Four-fifths of the genome showed links to North Africa and the region around Egypt. But a fifth of the genome showed links to the area in the Middle East between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, known as the Fertile Crescent, where Mesopotamian civilization flourished. 'This suggests substantial genetic connections between ancient Egypt and the eastern Fertile Crescent,' said Adeline Morez Jacobs, lead author of the study. Although based on a single genome, the findings offer unique insight into the genetic history of ancient Egyptians - a difficult task considering that Egypt's hot climate is not conducive to DNA preservation. The researchers extracted DNA from the roots of two teeth, part of the man's skeletal remains that had been interred for millennia inside a large sealed ceramic vessel within a rock-cut tomb. They then managed to sequence his whole genome, a first for any person who lived in ancient Egypt. The man lived roughly 4,500-4,800 years ago, the researchers said, around the beginning of a period of prosperity and stability called the Old Kingdom, known for the construction of immense pyramids as monumental pharaonic tombs. The ceramic vessel was excavated in 1902 at a site called Nuwayrat near the village of Beni Hassan, approximately 170 miles (270 km) south of Cairo. The researchers said the man was about 60 years old when he died, and that aspects of his skeletal remains hinted at the possibility that he had worked as a potter. The DNA showed that the man descended mostly from local populations, with about 80 per cent of his ancestry traced to Egypt or adjacent parts of North Africa. But about 20 per cent of his ancestry was traced to a region of the ancient Near East called the Fertile Crescent that included Mesopotamia. The findings build on the archaeological evidence of trade and cultural exchanges between ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, a region spanning modern-day Iraq and parts of Iran and Syria. During the third millennium BC, Egypt and Mesopotamia were at the vanguard of human civilization, with achievements in writing, architecture, art, religion and technology. Egypt showed cultural connections with Mesopotamia, based on some shared artistic motifs, architecture and imports like lapis lazuli, the blue semiprecious stone, the researchers said. The pottery wheel from Mesopotamia first appeared in Egypt at about the time the man lived, a period when the earliest pyramids began to spring up near modern-day Cairo, starting with the Step Pyramid of the pharaoh Djoser at Saqqara and later the Great Pyramid of the pharaoh Khufu at Giza. About 90 per cent of the man's skeleton was preserved. He stood about 5-foot-3 (1.59 meters) tall, with a slender build. He also had conditions consistent with older age such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, as well as a large unhealed abscess from tooth infection. 'Ancient DNA recovery from Egyptian remains has been exceptionally challenging due to Egypt's hot climate that accelerates DNA degradation, with high temperatures breaking down genetic material over time compared to cooler, more stable environments,' study co-author Pontus Skoglund said. 'In this case, the individual's burial in a ceramic pot vessel within a rock-cut tomb likely contributed to the unusual DNA preservation for the region.' The fact that his burial occurred before mummification became standard practice in Egypt may have helped avoid DNA degradation because his remains were spared elaborate preservation techniques. Scientists have struggled to recover ancient Egyptian genomes, according to paleogeneticist and study co-author Linus Girdland Flink of the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. One previous effort yielded partial genome sequencing of three individuals who lived some 1,500 years after the Nuwayrat man. Given the track record, the researchers were surprised with their success in sequencing the man's genome. 'Yeah, it was a long shot,' Skoglund said. The man may have worked as a potter or in a trade with similar movements because his bones had muscle markings from sitting for long periods with outstretched limbs. 'All indicators are consistent with movements and positions of a potter, as indicated in ancient Egyptian imagery,' said bioarcheologist and study co-author Joel Irish. 'He would have been of high status to have been buried in a rock-cut tomb. 'This conflicts with his hard physical life and conjecture that he was a potter, which would ordinarily have been working class. Perhaps he was an excellent potter.' Mesopotamia is known as the 'cradle of civilization', but what made it so great? A historical area of the Middle-East that spans most of what is now known as Iraq but also stretched to include parts of Syria and Turkey. The term 'Mesopotamia' comes from Greek, meaning 'between two rivers'. The two rivers that the name refers to are the Tigris river and the Euphrates. Unlike many other empires (such as the Greeks and the Romans) Mesopotamia consisted of several different cultures and groups. Mesopotamia should be more properly understood as a region that produced multiple empires and civilizations rather than any single civilization. Mesopotamia is known as the 'cradle of civilization' primarily because of two developments: the invention of the 'city' as we know it today and the invention of writing. Thought to be responsible for many early developments, it is also credited with the invention of the wheel. They also gave the world the first mass domestication of animals, cultivated great swathes of land and invented tools and weaponry. As well as these practical developments, the region saw the birth of wine, beer and demarcation of time into hours, minutes, and seconds. It is thought that the fertile land between the two rivers allowed hunter-gathers a a comfortable existence which led to the agricultural revolution. A common thread throughout the area was the equal treatment of women.
Telegraph
a day ago
- 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.'
