Secrets of ancient societies revealed through DNA from 4,000-year-old teeth
Centuries old teeth could hold secret to ancient societies
- Ancient DNA research, published in the journal Nature, has revealed a direct genetic link between the cultures of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.
- Researchers sequenced the whole genome from a remarkably well-preserved skeleton, dating back 4,495 to 4,880 years, found in an Egyptian tomb.
- The analysis showed that while four-fifths of the genome linked to North Africa and the region around Egypt, one-fifth was connected to the Fertile Crescent in Mesopotamia.
- This finding is considered highly significant as it provides the first direct genetic evidence supporting earlier archaeological and historical hints of connections between the two civilizations.
- The discovery suggests the Nile River likely served as an ancient superhighway, facilitating the movement of people, cultures, and ideas between these major cultural centers.