DNA Analysis Of 6,500-Year-Old Remains Reveals Origins Of Mysterious Ancient Culture

DNA Analysis Of 6,500-Year-Old Remains Reveals Origins Of Mysterious Ancient Culture




By Madison Dapcevich
21 AUG 2018, 11:10

One of the largest DNA analyses ever conducted in the Middle East points to the origin of an ancient culture that settled in the area thousands of millennia ago. Publishing their work in Nature Communications, a multinational team of researchers believes it could resolve a long-standing debate on where the ancient people from an important evolutionary period came from.

Around 6,000 to 7,000 years ago, an ancient civilization in modern-day Iran began to undergo cultural, social, political, and economic transitions in what is now known as the Chalcolithic period between the first farming societies of the Neolithic era and the urban and literate societies of the Bronze Age. During this time, humans began establishing permanent village settlements and producing food at an agricultural scale. But where these people came from and what sparked these changes has long mystified archaeologists – until now.

According to scientists, the research is one of the largest ancient DNA studies conducted from one archaeological site and is the largest ever reported in the area.

First discovered in 1995, Israel’s Peqi’in Cave houses more than 600 people buried in its stalactite walls. Among the remains are a wide variety of jars, ancient ceramic containers filled with bones of the dead known as ossuaries, and other burial gifts meant to help transition the deceased to the next world. Some of these items are typical of the region, while others come from remote areas suggesting an exchange of ideas and culture between different regions.

More:
https://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/dna-analysis-of-6500yearold-remains-reveals-origins-of-mysterious-ancient-culture/

Many images at Peqi’in Cave:

https://tinyurl.com/y9bybhdd